Catholic Commentary on Amos 6

“Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria.” (Amos 6:1)

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.

The Catechism identifies the woe against complacency as the prophetic warning to every generation whose prosperity produces indifference to the suffering of others: the comfortable life that does not grieve over the ruin of Joseph is the life under divine judgment (CCC 2445).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. The catalogue of comforts: ivory beds, choice lambs, harps, wine, finest lotions. None of these is condemned in itself. What is condemned is the comfort that has lost the capacity to grieve. When your comfort no longer allows you to feel the ruin of those around you, your comfort has become your judgment. Grieve. Stay soft.

Prayer

Lord God, do not let our comfort make us complacent. Keep us grieving over the ruin of Joseph until it is restored. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

6
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
(Luke 6:24-26)
1 Woe to those at ease in Zion
and those secure on Mount Samaria,
the distinguished ones of the foremost nation,
to whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Cross over to Calneh and see;
go from there to the great Hamath;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Is their territory larger than yours?
 
3 You dismiss the day of calamity
and bring near a reign of violence.
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory,
and lounge upon your couches.
You dine on lambs from the flock
and calves from the stall.
5 You improvise songs on the harp like David
and invent your own musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and anoint yourselves with the finest oils,
but you fail to grieve
over the ruin of Joseph.
 
7 Therefore, you will now go into exile
as the first of the captives,
and your feasting and lounging
will come to an end.
The Pride of Israel
 
8 The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself-the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared:
 
“I abhor Jacob’s pride
and detest his citadels,
so I will deliver up the city
and everything in it.”
 
9 And if there are ten men left in one house, they too will die. 10 And when the relative who is to burn the bodies * 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire to honor the dead picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?”
 
“None,” that person will answer.
 
“Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.”
11 For the LORD gives a command:
 
“The great house will be smashed to pieces,
and the small house to rubble.”
 
12 “Do horses gallop on the cliffs?
Does one plow the sea † 6:12 Literally Does one plow (there) with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood-
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar ‡ 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing. and say,
‘Did we not take Karnaim § 6:13 Karnaim means horn, a symbol of strength. by our own strength?’
14 For behold, I will raise up a nation
against you, O house of Israel,”
declares the LORD, the God of Hosts,
“and they will oppress you
from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.”

*6:10 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire to honor the dead

†6:12 6:12 Literally Does one plow (there)

‡6:13 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing.

§6:13 6:13 Karnaim means horn, a symbol of strength.

Public Domain