Amos 5:26: Meaning Explained
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to...
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What’s Happening Here
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Why It Matters
This verse challenges us to examine what we prioritize and worship in our own lives, reminding us that anything we put above God can become a modern-day idol.
Did You Know?
The 'star of your god' likely refers to the Mesopotamian god Saturn, whom the Israelites may have worshipped during their wilderness wanderings, showing how easily they adopted foreign practices.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Amos 5:26 mean?
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What is the context of Amos 5:26?
[Context needed]
Why does Amos 5:26 matter?
This verse challenges us to examine what we prioritize and worship in our own lives, reminding us that anything we put above God can become a modern-day idol.
What's a surprising detail about Amos 5:26?
The 'star of your god' likely refers to the Mesopotamian god Saturn, whom the Israelites may have worshipped during their wilderness wanderings, showing how easily they adopted foreign practices.
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
Commentary on Amos 5:26
(Verse 25 and following) Did you offer to Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. LXX: Did you offer to Me sacrifices and victims in the desert for forty years, O house of Israel, and take up the tabernacle of Melchom and the star of your god Repham, the figures of them which you made for yourselves. And I will transfer you beyond Damascus, says the Lord: God almighty is his name. From this place we learn that all the sacrifices and offerings…
Verses 18–27 Woe unto those that desire the day of the Lord's judgments, that wish for times of war and confusion; as some who long for changes, hoping to rise upon the ruins of their country! but this should be so great a desolation, that nobody could gain by it. The day of the Lord will be a dark, dismal, gloomy day to all impenitent sinners. When God makes a day dark, all the world cannot make it light. Those who are not reformed by the judgments of God, will be pursued by them; if they escape one, another stands ready to seize them. A pretence of piety is double iniquity, and so it will be found. The people of Israel copied the crimes of their forefathers. The law of worshipping the Lord…