The Meaning of Amos 7:10 Explained

Amos 7:10

KJV: Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

YLT: And Amaziah priest of Beth-El sendeth unto Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, 'Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words,

Darby: Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

ASV: Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then Amaziah  the priest  of Bethel  sent  to Jeroboam  king  of Israel,  saying,  Amos  hath conspired  against thee in the midst  of the house  of Israel:  the land  is not able  to bear  all his words. 

What does Amos 7:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Amaziah, who was one of the apostate priests who served at the Bethel sanctuary (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-33), felt that Amos was being unpatriotic in what he was prophesying. So Amaziah sent a message to King Jeroboam II charging Amos with conspiring against the king within the land. He felt that Israel could not afford to endure Amos" prophesying any longer. Previously internal revolt against a king had sometimes followed a prophet"s pronouncements (cf. 1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 Kings 11:29-39; 1 Kings 16:1-13; 1 Kings 19:15-17; 2 Kings 8:7-15; 2 Kings 9:1-28; 2 Kings 10:9).

Context Summary

Amos 7:1-17 - The Herdsman's Message
The king's mowings were the earliest yield of the grasslands, which were exacted by him. Our King also has His mowings, when He takes to Himself our dearest and best while the dew of youth is still upon them-but He is only claiming His own.
Three disasters threatened the guilty land-locusts, fire, and plague; but the prophet's intercessions warded off the blow. The Bible often tells a similar story of the power of intercession. If only the Church were united and prayed with one voice, she would be able to secure deliverance for the smitten earth. When God is said to repent, we must not attribute to Him changeableness of purpose, but He seems to repent, because man has changed his attitude. If you walk against the wind, it resists you; but if you turn and walk in the opposite direction, it helps you. The plumbline, Amos 7:7, is used to discover the extent of the mischief, before the order, for destruction is issued.
Amaziah, the chief priest of the national idolatry, found the stalwart witness of the herdsman-prophet extremely inconvenient and wanted to get rid of him. There was great simplicity and dignity in the reply. Like Luther in after years, Amos could "do no other." [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 7

1  The judgments of the grasshoppers,
4  and of the fire are diverted by the prayer of Amos
7  By the wall of a plumb line is signified the rejection of Israel
10  Amaziah complains of Amos
14  Amos shows his calling
16  and Amaziah's judgment

What do the individual words in Amos 7:10 mean?

And sent Amaziah the priest of Bethel to Jeroboam king of Israel saying has conspired against you Amos in the midst of the house of Israel not is able the land to bear - all his words
וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֲמַצְיָה֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן בֵּֽית־ אֵ֔ל אֶל־ יָרָבְעָ֥ם מֶֽלֶךְ־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר קָשַׁ֨ר עָלֶ֜יךָ עָמ֗וֹס בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־ תוּכַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ לְהָכִ֖יל אֶת־ כָּל־ דְּבָרָֽיו

וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח  And  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֲמַצְיָה֙  Amaziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲמַצְיָה 
Sense: a king of Judah, son Joash, father of Azariah.
כֹּהֵ֣ן  the  priest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
אֵ֔ל  Bethel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֵּית־אֵל  
Sense: ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name).
יָרָבְעָ֥ם  Jeroboam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרָבְעָם  
Sense: the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel when the kingdom split at the death of Solomon and the 0 tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin and the kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam; idolatry was introduced at the beginning of his reign.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
קָשַׁ֨ר  has  conspired 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָשַׁר  
Sense: to bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire.
עָלֶ֜יךָ  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עָמ֗וֹס  Amos 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָמֹוס  
Sense: a prophet of the Lord who prophesied in the northern kingdom; native of Tekoa in Judah near Bethlehem and a shepherd by trade; author of the prophetic book by his name.
בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙  in  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
בֵּ֣ית  of  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
תוּכַ֣ל  is  able 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לְהָכִ֖יל  to  bear 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: כּוּל  
Sense: to seize, contain, measure.
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.
דְּבָרָֽיו  his  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.