The Meaning of Amos 2:12 Explained

Amos 2:12

KJV: But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

YLT: And ye cause the Nazarites to drink wine, And on the prophets ye have laid a charge, Saying, 'Do not prophecy!'

Darby: And ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

ASV: But ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But ye gave the Nazarites  wine  to drink;  and commanded  the prophets,  saying,  Prophesy  not. 

What does Amos 2:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Even though God gave His people prophets and Nazirites, the Israelites had encouraged the Nazirites to compromise their dedication to Yahweh and the prophets to stop prophesying. These were the sixth and seventh sins of the Israelites that Amos enumerated. The people were uncommitted to God and unwilling to hear and obey His Word.
"Even today we are sadly familiar with the preacher who preaches the whole Bible most faithfully but yet so that none of his hearers are ever shaken out of their sins. I myself have been told by a sincere Christian Prayer of Manasseh , who was motivated, as he thought, purely by concern for my well-being, "You mustn"t say that kind of thing here, or you will not be invited again." How many a man of God has been passed over when a minister has been wanted: "He is not the man for us." There are many ways of saying to the prophet Prophesy not, and one and all they are an abomination to God and bring judgment on God"s people." [1]

Context Summary

Amos 2:6-16 - Neither Shall Israel Escape
First the prophet enumerates Israel's sins. They were unjust to the poor, carrying their extortions to such lengths as to goad the poor to desperation. They were unchaste. They held their idolatrous festivities in idol shrines while they unjustly detained and confiscated the pledges of the poor. They perpetrated shamelessly the enormous crimes for which the Amorites were dispossessed by Joshua and their fathers. But notice nothing is said of that great general and his valiant soldiers; our mind is carried beyond all human agency to the Eternal. I destroyed, etc. Amos 2:9.
The ripple of the ocean on the beach which you hear and see is due to the action of the sun or moon; so the changes that men attribute to political combinations must ultimately be traced back to the divine will in its permissive or decretive energy. One of the most graphic pictures is in Amos 2:13. We can almost see the heavily laden wagon dragged from the harvest field. The wheels creak and groan; the oxen advance with difficulty; the timbers threaten to succumb. So God bears up the world; and thus did Jesus stoop and sweat great drops of blood under the sins of the whole world. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 2

1  God's judgments upon Moab,
4  upon Judah,
6  and upon Israel
9  God complains of their ingratitude

What do the individual words in Amos 2:12 mean?

But you gave to drink - the Nazirites wine and the prophets commanded saying not do prophesy
וַתַּשְׁק֥וּ אֶת־ הַנְּזִרִ֖ים יָ֑יִן וְעַל־ הַנְּבִיאִים֙ צִוִּיתֶ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֖א תִּנָּבְאֽוּ

וַתַּשְׁק֥וּ  But  you  gave  to  drink 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁקָה  
Sense: to give to drink, irrigate, drink, water, cause to drink water.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַנְּזִרִ֖ים  the  Nazirites 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָזִיר  
Sense: consecrated or devoted one, Nazarite.
יָ֑יִן  wine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
הַנְּבִיאִים֙  the  prophets 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
צִוִּיתֶ֣ם  commanded 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
תִּנָּבְאֽוּ  do  prophesy 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.

What are the major concepts related to Amos 2:12?

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