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Selected Verse: Amos 3:2 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Am 3:2 |
King James |
You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
You only have I known--that is, acknowledged as My people, and treated with peculiar favor (Exo 19:5; Deu 4:20). Compare the use of "know," Psa 1:6; Psa 144:3; Joh 10:14; Ti2 2:19.
therefore I will punish--the greater the privileges, the heavier the punishment for the abuse of them; for to the other offenses there is added, in this case, ingratitude. When God's people do not glorify Him, He glorifies Himself by punishing them. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities - Such is the one law of God. The nearer anyone is brought unto God, the worse is his fall, and, his trial over, the more heavily is he punished. Nearness to God is a priceless, but an awesome gift. The most intense blessing becomes, by the abuse of free will, the most dreadful woe. For the nearer God places anyone to His own light, the more malignant is the choice of darkness instead of light. The more clearly anyone knows the relation to God, in which God has placed him, the more terrible is his rejection of God. The more God reveals to any, what He is, His essential perfections, His holiness and love, the more utter, tearful malignity it is, to have been brought face to face with God, and to have in deed said to Him, "On Thy terms I will have none of Thee." The angels who sinned against fullest light, had no redemption or repentance; but became devils. "He took not on Him the nature of angels" Heb 2:16. "The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitations, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great Day" Jde 1:6.
Of the former people, when their first day of grace was past, Daniel says; "under the whole heaven hath not been done, as hath been done upon Jerusalem" Dan 9:12. Begin," God saith in Ezekiel's "at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house" Eze 9:6. So our Lord lays down the rule of judgment and punishment hereafter" Luk 12:47-48 "the servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not" himself, "neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many" stripes. "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much has been given, of him shall much be required, and to whom people have committed much, of him they will ask the more. The time is come," says Peter, "that judgment must begin at the house of God" Pe1 4:17.
You only I have known - Such care had God had of Israel, so had He known them, and made Himself known to them, as if He had, in comparison, disregarded all besides, as He remained unknown by them. Knowledge, among people, is mutual, and so it seemed as if God knew not those, of whom He was not known. Knowledge, with God, is love, and so He seemed not to have known those, to whom, although "He left not Himself without witness" Act 14:17, He had shown no such love (see the note at Hos 13:5). Whence our Lord shall say to the wicked, "I never knew you" Mat 7:23; and contrariwise, He says, "I am the good Shepherd and know My sheep, and am known of Mine" (Joh 10:14; see Ti2 2:19). : "Myriads of cities and lands are there under the whole heaven, and in them countless multitudes; but you alone have I chosen out of all, made Myself known and visible among you by many miracles, chosen you out of a bitter unbearable bondage, trained you by My law to be well-pleasing to Me, fenced you with protection, brought you into the land promised to your fathers, enlightened you with prophecies." : "Not, I deem, as though in the time of Israel and of the Old Testament, there were not, in the whole world, some good people and predestinated; but because God did not then choose any nation or whole people, save the children of Israel. For it was meet that that people, of which God willed to be Incarnate, should be distinguished by some special grace."
Therefore I will punish you - o: "To depise God and to neglect the Lord's Will procureth destruction to those who have known Him or been known of Him, and been spiritually made His own." "I made you My own people, friends, sons. As a Father, I cherished, protected, exalted, you. Ye would not have Me as a Father, ye shall have Me as a Judge." Rup.: "As Israel has, in its elect, been glorious above all, so, in the reprobate, has it been made viler than all, both before God and before people." How much more Christians, and, among Christians, priests! It has of old been believed, that the deepest damnation will be that of ungodly priests.
Yet since almost all punishment in this life is remedial, the saying admits another meaning that God would leave no sin unchastened in those whom He had made His own. Both are true meanings, fulfilled at different times. God chastens in proportion to His love, in the Day of grace. He punishes, in proportion to the grace and love despised and trampled upon without repentance in eternity. Here , "the most merciful Physician, cutting away the cancrous flesh, spareth not, that He may spare; He pitieth not, that He may the more pity. For 'whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.'" Hence, the prayer , "Burn, cut, here; and spare forever." Contrariwise , "we should esteem any sinner the more miserable, when we see him left in his sin, unscourged. Whence it is said, "The turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them" Pro 1:32. For whoso "turneth away" from God and is "prosperous," is the nearer to perdition, the more he is removed from the severity of discipline." : "This is the terrible, this the extreme case, when we are no longer chastened for sins, when we are no more corrected for offending. For when we have exceeded the measure of sinning, God, in displeasure, turneth away from us His displeasure." : "When you see a sinner, affluent, powerful, enjoying heath, with wife and circle of children, and that saying is fulfilled, 'They are not in trouble' Psa 73:5 as other 'men, neither are they plagued like' other 'men,' in him is the threat of the prophet fulfilled, 'I will not visit. '" |
| The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
therefore
It is noteworthy that Jehovah's controversy with the Gentile cities which hated Israel is brief: "I will send a fire." But Israel had been brought into the place of privilege and so of responsibility, and the Lord's indictment is detailed and unsparing.
Compare (Mat 11:23); (Luk 12:47); (Luk 12:48). |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Know - Chosen, adopted to be my peculiar ones. Therefore - Because you have all these obligations and abused all these mercies. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| You only have I known - I have taken no other people to be my own people. I have approved of you, loved you, fed, sustained, and defended you; but because you have forsaken me, have become idolatrous and polluted, therefore will I punish you. And the punishment shall be in proportion to the privileges you have enjoyed, and the grace you have abused. |
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
5 I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.