Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein?—The rhetorical question expects affirmative answer: yes, the land will shake and its inhabitants mourn. Tremble (תִרְגַּז, tirgaz) describes earthquake convulsions, used metaphorically for social upheaval accompanying divine judgment. Mourn (אָבַל, aval) means lament as for the dead—the people will grieve their destruction. The phrase "every one" (kol-yoshev bah, literally "all dwelling in it") universalizes suffering—no one escapes.
The imagery intensifies: it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. The land will surge and subside like the Nile (כַּיְאֹר, kay'or). Egypt's Nile flooded annually—predictable, inexorable, overwhelming. But here the flooding brings destruction, not fertility. The phrase "cast out and drowned" (venigrshah venish'ah) depicts violent upheaval—the land convulses, ejecting and overwhelming its inhabitants like a flood drowning victims.
This earthquake/flood imagery appears frequently in judgment prophecies (Isaiah 24:18-20; Nahum 1:5; Haggai 2:6-7). The created order responds to covenant violation—when humans corrupt God's moral order, physical creation convulses. Romans 8:19-22 declares creation "groans" under sin's curse, awaiting redemption. Here, the land itself reacts to Israel's injustice with earthquake and flood, fulfilling Leviticus 18:25, 28: the land "vomits out" its inhabitants for their wickedness. The reference to Egypt's Nile is bitterly ironic—Israel escaped Egypt's bondage only to experience Egypt-like judgment in their own land.
Historical Context
The Nile's annual flooding was Egypt's defining natural phenomenon, depositing nutrient-rich silt that enabled agriculture in an otherwise desert region. The flood was predictable (June-September) and generally beneficial, though occasionally destructive. Israelites who lived in Egypt (430 years) and traded with Egypt knew the Nile's rhythms intimately.
Amos uses this imagery to describe social upheaval accompanying Assyrian invasion. The historical fulfillment (722 BC) involved literal earthquake-like devastation: cities destroyed, populations deported, land ravaged. The phrase "every one mourn" was fulfilled as families were torn apart, cities burned, and the nation ceased to exist. Archaeological evidence confirms systematic destruction of Israelite cities in this period, validating Amos's prophecy of comprehensive catastrophe.
Questions for Reflection
How does the image of creation itself responding to human sin challenge modern notions that separate morality from physical reality?
What does it mean that the land "vomits out" inhabitants who practice injustice, and how should this shape Christian environmental ethics?
Analysis & Commentary
Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein?—The rhetorical question expects affirmative answer: yes, the land will shake and its inhabitants mourn. Tremble (תִרְגַּז, tirgaz) describes earthquake convulsions, used metaphorically for social upheaval accompanying divine judgment. Mourn (אָבַל, aval) means lament as for the dead—the people will grieve their destruction. The phrase "every one" (kol-yoshev bah, literally "all dwelling in it") universalizes suffering—no one escapes.
The imagery intensifies: it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. The land will surge and subside like the Nile (כַּיְאֹר, kay'or). Egypt's Nile flooded annually—predictable, inexorable, overwhelming. But here the flooding brings destruction, not fertility. The phrase "cast out and drowned" (venigrshah venish'ah) depicts violent upheaval—the land convulses, ejecting and overwhelming its inhabitants like a flood drowning victims.
This earthquake/flood imagery appears frequently in judgment prophecies (Isaiah 24:18-20; Nahum 1:5; Haggai 2:6-7). The created order responds to covenant violation—when humans corrupt God's moral order, physical creation convulses. Romans 8:19-22 declares creation "groans" under sin's curse, awaiting redemption. Here, the land itself reacts to Israel's injustice with earthquake and flood, fulfilling Leviticus 18:25, 28: the land "vomits out" its inhabitants for their wickedness. The reference to Egypt's Nile is bitterly ironic—Israel escaped Egypt's bondage only to experience Egypt-like judgment in their own land.