“When they had finished
Eating the grass
Of the land,
I said.
‘O Yahweh God!
Forgive!
I beg you!
How can Jacob stand?
He is so small!’
Yahweh relented
Concerning this.
‘It shall not be.’
Said Yahweh.”
Amos was able to persuade Yahweh not to send any more locusts, after they had finished eating the grass of the land. The term grass probably indicates all vegetation. Amos asked God to forgive them, since Jacob was so small that it could not stand. His begging worked, since Yahweh said okay.
“For a long time,
I have held my peace.
I have kept still.
I have restrained myself.
Now I will cry out
Like a woman in labor.
I will gasp.
I will pant.
I will lay waste mountains.
I will lay waste hills.
I will dry up all their herbage.
I will turn the rivers into islands.
I will dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
By a road that they do not know.
I will lead the blind
In paths that they have not known.
I will guide them.
I will turn
The darkness before them into light.
I will turn
The rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do.
I will not forsake them.
They shall be turned back.
They shall be utterly put to shame.
All those who trust in craved images,
All those who say to cast images,
‘You are our gods.’”
Once again, we have the first person singular, as Yahweh speaks directly in Second Isaiah. Yahweh had been quiet, still, and restrained. Now, however, Yahweh was going to yell out with gasps and pants, like a woman in labor about to give birth. He was going to tear down the mountains and the hills, dry up vegetation and pools, as well as turn rivers into islands. He was going to lead the blind on unknown roads with unlevel ground. He would turn their darkness into light and level the rough ground. He was not going to give up on the blind, perhaps a reference to the Israelites being led blindly in the desert wilderness during the Exodus. However, he was going to shame those who relied on carved and cast images as their gods. This was a strong plea for monotheism among the Israelites.
“Yahweh sent his servant Moses whom he had chosen.
He sent Aaron whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them.
They performed miracles in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness.
He made the land dark.
They rebelled against his words.
He turned their waters into blood.
He caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke.
Then there came swarms of flies.
There were gnats throughout their country.
He gave them hail for rain.
He gave them lightning that flashed through their land.
He struck their vines.
He struck their fig trees.
He shattered the trees of their country.
He spoke.
Then the locusts came.
There were young locusts without number.
They devoured all the vegetation in their land.
They ate up the fruit of their ground.
He struck down the entire first born in their land.
He struck down the first issue of all their strength.”
This section is based on Exodus, chapters 3-10. First, Yahweh chose Moses and Aaron. Then he performed signs and miracles in the land of Ham, Egypt. He sent darkness. He turned waters into blood so that the fish died. He sent swarms of frogs, flies, and gnats throughout the country, even in the royal chambers. He sent hail and lightning instead of gentle rain. He struck down the vines, fig trees, and shattered all the trees. He then sent numerous locusts that ate all the vegetation and fruits of the land. Finally, he struck down the first born through the country, both among humans and animals. This was just about total destruction to the land of Ham, the Egyptians.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 