The Meaning of Amos 9:12 Explained

Amos 9:12

KJV: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

YLT: So that they possess the remnant of Edom, And all the nations on whom My name is called, An affirmation of Jehovah -- doer of this.

Darby: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations upon whom my name is called, saith Jehovah who doeth this.

ASV: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, saith Jehovah that doeth this.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That they may possess  the remnant  of Edom,  and of all the heathen,  which are called  by my name,  saith  the LORD  that doeth  this. 

What does Amos 9:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When the house of David was again intact, Israel would exercise authority over all the nations of the world and would be a source of blessing to them. This would include even the small number of Edomites alive then, people who had formerly been implacable enemies of the Israelites (cf. Obadiah 1:19). Israel"s blessing would extend even to them, representing all Israel"s former enemies. All the nations would become associated with the name of Yahweh then and would enjoy His lordship and protection (cf. Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 9:1-7; Isaiah 11:1-13; Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 45:22-25; Isaiah 49:5-7; Isaiah 55:1-5).
Amos described three different groups as remnants: (1) a small group of the faithful within Israel in his day in contrast to all Israel ( Amos 3:12; Amos 4:1-3; Amos 5:3; Amos 6:9-10; Amos 9:1-4), (2) a small group of faithful Israelites in the future ( Amos 5:4-6; Amos 5:15), and (3) a small group of Edomites and other neighbors of Israel who would benefit from the Davidic promise in the future ( Amos 9:12). [1]
At the Jerusalem Council, the Apostle James quoted Amos 9:11-12 to support his view that the Gentiles of his day did not need to submit to circumcision and the Mosaic Law to obtain salvation or to live acceptably as Christians ( Acts 15:13-21). He knew that the judgments of Israel were not yet over (cf. Matthew 24:1-22; Luke 21:5-24; Acts 1:6-7). He also knew, from this passage and others ( Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 60:3; Malachi 1:11), that when God restored the house of David Gentiles would have a share in that rule as Gentiles. James concluded, therefore, that Gentiles did not need to become Jews to enter into these (millennial) blessings. He did not mean that the church fulfills the promises to Israel but that since Gentiles will experience millennial blessings as Gentiles they do not need to live as Jews in the church.
"The ancient Greek [2] translation rendered this verse as follows: "That the rest of mankind may seek [3], and all the nations upon whom my name is called, saith the LORD, who does all these things." Strange as it may seem to those who are unfamiliar with the Hebrew language, the Hebrew text may be rendered this way, with little more than the change of one letter. The corruption of this letter must have occurred after the time of the apostles, for James thus quoted the verse at the Jerusalem Council, and based his decision upon it ( Acts 15:14-17). There were learned men present, some of them hostile to his view, who would certainly have shouted him down if he had based his decision upon a reading different from that which existed in the then current Hebrew manuscripts." [4]

Context Summary

Amos 9:1-15 - The Day Of Restoration
The guilty will certainly be punished. If they enter the sacred place of worship, even that will not shelter them, Amos 9:1. Flight and concealment will be in vain. Let them climb ever so high, or burrow ever so deep; let them scale the loftiest hills, or dive into the deepest seas-the consequences of their sins will overtake them, Amos 9:2-3. How can sinners hope to escape from Him whose chambers are built in the heavens and whose voice governs the tides, Amos 9:6? The great desolations of the past prove the exactness and severity of His judgments, Amos 9:7-8. How remarkably Amos 9:9 has been fulfilled? Notwithstanding their scatterings, the Hebrew people have been preserved as a race.
The final paragraph, Amos 9:11-15, is very reassuring. It is a burst of noble anticipation, quoted by the Apostle James, Acts 15:14-17. The promises made to Abraham and David are yet to be fulfilled. The derision of their foes, of whom Edom was the ringleader, will be silenced. Through the parted curtain, we descry the golden age of the future. There is a divine plan working to its conclusion, and Israel shall yet come again to the land given to their fathers [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 9

1  The certainty of the desolation
11  The restoring of the tabernacle of David

What do the individual words in Amos 9:12 mean?

that they may possess - the remnant of Edom and all the Gentiles who are called by My name upon says Yahweh who does this [thing] -
לְמַ֨עַן יִֽירְשׁ֜וּ אֶת־ שְׁאֵרִ֤ית אֱדוֹם֙ וְכָל־ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־ נִקְרָ֥א שְׁמִ֖י עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֖ה עֹ֥שֶׂה זֹּֽאת פ

לְמַ֨עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יִֽירְשׁ֜וּ  they  may  possess 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
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.
שְׁאֵרִ֤ית  the  remnant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
אֱדוֹם֙  of  Edom 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱדֹום 
Sense: Edom.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם  the  Gentiles 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
נִקְרָ֥א  are  called 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
שְׁמִ֖י  by  My  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם  upon 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
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.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֹ֥שֶׂה  who  does 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
זֹּֽאת  this  [thing] 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation