Bible Exegetical Paper about Amos 9: 11-15 - Essay Example

Bible Exegetical Paper about Amos 9: 11-15 Bible Exegetical Paper about Amos 9: 11-15 A comparison of different translations of the sametext can give us a wider perspective of the meaning of the text, thus enabling us to get the correct interpretation of the text. Comparing different translations of the same text enables us to break the barriers to correct interpretation that may exist with the single interpretation. This paper is an exegetical paper that seeks to get the correct interpretation of Amos 9: 11-15. To achieve this end, a comparison of two different translations of the text, Amos 9:11-15, is done. The comparison shows the differences in the two translations and the effect that the differences may have in the correct interpretation of the text. The two different translations used in this paper are the NIV, and KJV translations. After the comparison of the two texts, a word study of the text is done, which aims at getting the correct interpretation of the text from the original language in which the text was written, i.e. Hebrew. The next part of the paper looks at the Historical background of Amos 9: 11-15. The historical background of the paper is followed by an analysis of the Movement of the text; the next part of the paper is the themes and the Theology of the text, and lastly, a summary and application of the message of the text is given A comparison of NIV and KJV translations of Amos 9: 11-15 shows that on verb tense, the two translations are written in the same tense, i.e. future tense1. The two translations, however, have some fundamental differences in vocabulary and phrasing. The first difference in diction is in verse 11. While NIV uses the phrases, “… restore David’s fallen shelter… repair its broken walls…” the KJV translation uses the phrases, raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof”. The main difference in these two phrases is that while the NIV uses the vocabularies shelter and broken walls, the KJV translation uses the vocabularies tabernacle and breaches. In the same verse, while the NIV translation uses the phrase, “restore its ruins” the KJV translation uses the phrase “raise up his ruins”. This is indeed a significant difference in the two translations. This is because while the NIV translation talks of restoring the ruins of the broken shelter of David, the KJN translation talks about the raising up of David’s ruins2. This is clearly a significant difference that can help us in getting the correct exegesis of this verse. Another difference in this verse is that, while the NIV translation talks about the building the house of Israel as it used to be, the KJN translation talks about building the tabernacle of David as in the days of the old. The message expressed by these phrases however is essentially the same: restoration of Israel as we shall see later in this paper. In Amos 9:12, there are also differences in diction. While in the NIV translation the Lord gives the reason for the restoration of the shelter of David as the possession, by the Israelites, of Edom and all the nations that bear the Lord’s name, the KJN translation uses the phrase, “and all the heathen”, in reference to the other people who bear the Lord’s name that the Israelites will be able to possess, besides possessing Edom3. Another difference in the vocabulary used in this verse is that while the NIV translation uses the word “Declares” the KJN translation uses the work “saith”, which is a variant of the word says. In Amos 9:13, there are also fundamental differences in vocabulary and phrasing. Firstly, while the NIV translation uses the phrase “New wine” in reference to the wine that will drip on the promised day of the Lord, the KJN translation uses the phrase, “sweet wine” in reference to the same wine. This is indeed a fundamental difference in diction and the difference can give us an insight into the correct interpretation of verse thirteen of the book of prophet Amos. The second difference in this verse is that while the NIV translation says that the new wine will flow from all the hills, the KJN translation says that all the hills shall melt. This again is a fundamental difference in this verse that can give us a wider perspective of the correct interpretation of this verse. A minor vocabulary difference in Amos 9:14 in the two translations is that while the Lord in NIV translation says that He will bring His people from exile, the KJV translation uses the word Captivity in reference to the same idea of saving His people from their captivity in Babylon. In Amos 9:15, there are no major vocabulary and phrasing differences between the NIV and the KJV translations of the text. Word Study In order to be able to get the correct interpretation of Amos 9:11-15, it is imperative to look at the original Hebrew text itself. Looking at the words used in the original text will help us to avoid the ambiguities in meaning that we get from these two different translations. One of the most important phrases that can help us in this paper to get the correct interpretation of this text is found in verse 11. In the original Hebrew text of Amos 9:11-15, one of the important words that is used is the word Sukkah. We find the word Sukkah in Amos 9:11.In Hebrew, the word Sukkah refers to a hastily constructed temporary hut4. Among the Jews, the Sukkah was used as a temporary house for the cattle, Sukkah was also used by soldiers in the field; watchers in the vineyard also used Sukkah5. When the Israelites where wandering in the desert, they used Sukkah as their dwelling huts. Later when the Israelites settled in Canaan, they started yearly feasts of commemorating their 40 year wandering in the desert, and they called the feast Sukkot, after the word Sukkah; Sukkot was also called the feast of the Tabernacles. During th Sukkot feasts, the Jews used to construct and to live in Sukkah in remembrance of how they used to live in the wilderness6. Sukkot therefore was a very important and solemn feast among the Jews. In the Old Testament, we find the term Sukkah used several times. For instance the term Sukkah is used in the book of Jonah in reference to the temporary shelter that provided shelter when the sun is hot7 . The term Kukkah also is used in the book of Genesis in reference to the temporary house of soldiers in the field8 . As we have seen therefore the correct English interpretation of the word Sukkah is hut. However, the word can also be interpreted to mean tabernacle since during the feasts of Sukkot, the terms Sukkah and Tabernacle were used interchangeably9. As we have seen in the above English translation of the Hebrew word Sukkah, the correct interpretation of this word is hut or tabernacle. And for this reason, the KJV interpretation of the Hebrew word Sukkah into tabernacle seems to be the literal translation of the Hebrew word. The NIV translation of the word into shelter is not a literal translation. This is because although of course a Sukkah is a shelter, the term shelter is generic and does not specify the particular kind of shelter that is being referred to in this verse. The NIV’s translation of the word Sukkah into tabernacle therefore is the correct and the best translation of the term Hebrew term Sukkah. In the New Testament, we find Jesus Christ going to the feast of the Tabernacles10 . The word Sukkot therefore is use in the New Testament in reference to the Jew’s feast of the Tabernacles. The interpretation of the word Sukkot into the feast of Tabernacles shows that the Jews used these two terms interchangeably. Historical Background The book of Moses was written by prophet Amos, who was both a herdsman and a sycamore farmer. The word Amos means a burden bearer; the word Amos is derived from the word amass, which means to carry a burden11. Amos was a prophet in the Northern kingdom, Israel. The book of Amos was written in the years between 760 B.C- 755 B.C. Prophet Amos lived and prophesied during the reign of king Jeroboam 11. During the reign of king Jeroboam, Israel enjoyed military success and also economic prosperity. King Jeroboam 11 was a very successful king and he had restored the boundaries of the Northern kingdom, Israel. For this reason, the Israelites during the time of prophet Amos were living in peace and luxury12. The economic and the military success had made the Jews to forget their covenant relationship with God13; the Jews also had started living as heathens. The rich people of Israel also were merciless and they oppressed the poor. Again, the Israelites never took their religion seriously, for their hearts clung to worldly things. These are the main social evils that prophet Amos had to deal with. Prophet Amos warned the Israelites that failure to abandon their sinful ways would make them suffer a great deal; the Lord God would punish them for their evils. Prophet Amos called upon the Israelites to live in accordance with the covenant that they had made with the Lord at Mount Sinai. Prophet Amos also strictly warned the rich people that mistreating the poor people would lead to punishment from the Lord upon those who were oppressing the poor people. But besides the warning message that prophet Amos delivered to the Israelites from the Lord, Prophet Amos also gave a message of hope, the message that ultimately, the Lord would restore the broken house of Israel as we have seen in the text that we are interpreting. Prophet Amos gave the Israelites hope that in the end, God’s mercy would prevail and Israel would be restored. The main themes in the book of Amos therefore are a call to repentance and a message of hope. These are the two themes that are elaborated throughout the book of Amos. During the time of prophet Amos, the Southern kingdom, Judah, was under king Uzziah. During this time, Judah wasn’t as successful as Israel and their military was relatively weak. However, Israel and Judah lived peacefully during the time of prophet Amos. The main enemy of Judah and Israel at this time was Syria. But Syria also was so weak both militarily and economically and so it did not pose a major challenge to Judah and Israel during the time of prophet Amos14. In nutshell, the Northern kingdom, Judah was the main centre of power in the Middle East region and so the Israelites lived peacefully during the time of prophet Amos. Movement of the Text An analysis of this text shows that this text was meant to console and to give hope to the Israelites. The message of hope was that God would restore Israel and protect them from their enemies15. In passing across this message in an effective way, the author of the book of Amos uses different literary styles. One of the literary styles used is metaphor. The author compares the restoration of Israel with the raising up of the David’s tabernacle that is fallen (Amos 9:11, KJV), or David’s fallen shelter, these are the metaphors that the author used to refer to the people of Israel. Another literary style used in this text is imagery. In this text the restoration of Israel is compared with the repair of broken walls or raising up the ruins. This is clearly an imagery that the author uses to refer to the helpless state in which the Israelites would have fallen by the time the Lord would rescue them. Another imagery used in this text is found in the phrase, “New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,” (Amos, 9: 13, NIV). This imagery is used to show the great prosperity among the people of Israel during the time of restoration. Another imagery used in this text is that the Lord says that He will plant the Israelites in their own land16. Planting the Israelites in their own land means taking the Israelites back into their land after rescuing them from Captivity in Babylon, this indeed is a very powerful imagery that the author uses to pass across this message in a very effective way. In summary, a close analysis of this text shows that the main literary style used in this text is the use of metaphors and imageries. The use of metaphors and imagery enables the author to pass across his message of hope and restoration in a very powerful way. Themes and Theology The main theme in Amos 9: 11-15, is restoration and hope for the Israelites by the Lord God17. This is because the text begins with the Lord declaring that He will restore or raise up the broken house of Israel. In this text, the Lord declares how He will restore the Israelites to their former state, whereby the Israelites will be able to live in peace and prosperity. Again, the Lord says that He will take the Israelites back to their land where He will protect them and no one will be able to uproot them from their land. The whole of this text is riddled with promises of hope and restoration. The main themes of this text are perfectly in line with the theology of the whole book of prophet Amos. In the book of prophet Amos as we saw, the overall message is a call to repentance and a message of hope and restoration. This message is perfectly in line with the Old Testament Theology on the nature of God. In the Old Testament, we learn that sin brings about sin. Throughout the history of the Israelites, whenever the Israelites violated the provisions of the covenant that they had made with the Lord, they suffered terribly18. And whenever the Israelites obeyed the Lord and lived in accordance with the Sinai Covenant, the Israelites were abundantly blessed with prosperity and peace. Also, in the Old Testament we learn that after God making His people suffer for sinning against him, God forgave His people and restored them19. In the Old Testament, therefore, God is presented as a just and a merciful God. For this reason, God punishes the sins of His people but ultimately forgives them and restores them. This is the message that is expressed and emphasised in this text. The Theological theme expressed in this text therefore is that God is a just and merciful; He punishes the sins of His people, but He also forgives people of their sins and restores them. Summary and Application In summary, correct exegesis of the scriptures is not an easy task. Correct interpretation of the scriptures requires that we compare the various available translations available, so as to get a wider perspective of the themes expressed in the text. Without a sober comparison of the various translations of the text, we will not be able to overcome the limitation of single text translation20. Secondly, correct exegesis of the scripture requires that we look at the original text, with a view of getting the correct meaning of the words and phrases used in the text; this again helps as to overcome the limitations of translations and enables us to get the correct meaning of the language used in the text. Thirdly, looking at the historical background of the text is of utmost importance when it comes to correct interpretation of the text. This is because the historical situation of the text will help us to know the circumstances under which the text was written, and this will in turn help us to know what had prompted the author to use the language that he used in the text, also, the historical background of a text will help to know why the author passed across the particular message that he intended to pass across in the text. Also, analysing the literary styles used in a text can help us to understand a text better. Understanding the literary styles used in a text can help us to avoid taking the text literary, without trying to get into the real meaning of the text. Most of the text in the Bible is written in different literary styles and understanding the literary styles used in the text is therefore very important. Lastly, we should never try to interpret the texts of the Bible selectively, without taking into account the whole message expressed in the particular book or in the whole Bible in general. In trying to get the correct exegesis of the texts of the Bible, we should take into account all the related verses or chapters of the Bible; we should never interpret the text of the Bible selectively. The application of these methods of exegesis to Amos 9: 11-15, have revealed the true meaning of this text. Through the use of these methods, we will be able to avoid errors in interpreting the scriptures. These methods therefore should be used in the interpretation of any verse of the scriptures. References Boice, J.M. The Minor Prophets, Vol 1. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. Print Eickmann, P.Hosea Joel Amos. The People’s Bible. Mwilaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2001. Print. Kimani Richard. The Book of Amos. Nairobi, Catholic University Press. Print. Koehler, L . Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros. Grand Rapids. Eardmans, 1953. Print. Paul, S.M.A Commentary on the Book of Amos. Minneapolis: Aurgsburg, 1991. Print. Wavoord, J.F. Israel in Prophecy.Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962. Print. Wolf, H.W. Joel and Amos. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977. Print. Read More