chapter three rhetorical analysis of amos 2:6-8

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CHAPTER THREE
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF AMOS 2:6-8

3.1 RHETORICAL UNIT
Amos 2:6-8 must be discussed in the context of Amos 1:3-2:16. This is a large
unit in the book of Amos known as the Oracle against the Nations (OAN). This
unit is comprised of several smaller oracles found in subunits 1:3-5, 1:6-8, 1:9-10,
1:11-12, 1:13-15, 2:1-3, 2:4-5, and 2:6-16. The division of it can be seen as
follows:
UNIT SUB-UNIT SUB-SUB UNIT
Syria (1:3-5)
Philistia (1:6-8)
Tyre (1:9-10)
Edom (1:11-12)
Ammon (1:13-15)
Oracle against the Nations Moab (2:1-3)
(OAN) Judah (2:4-5)
Amos 1:3-2:16
Description of specific sins of

the Israelites (2:6-8)
Rejection of God‟s acts for the
Israel (2:6-16) Israelites (2:9-12)
Punishment of destruction
upon the Israelites (2:13-16)
This division clearly shows that each oracle of these oracles can be considered as
an independent sub-unit because it contains a specific subject. In this relation,
each sub-sub-unit, for example, Amos 2:6-8 in the sub-unit of the oracle against
Israel, may also be thought as an independent or complete “rhetorical unit.”
Aside from that, the completeness of the unit can be seen in the uniqueness of
elements the oracle against Israel has, as compared to the preceding series. This
uniqueness is found in the length and the details of the contents. Hayes
(1995:163) explains several different aspects, such as the expansion of both
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description of the wrongs (vv. 6-8, 12), the depiction of the coming judgement
(vv. 13-16), the accusation is no longer concerned with international matters but
with domestic ones, the reference is made to specific events in the past, the
interspersion between the second and third person, and the stylized announcement
of judgement—הלכאב תמוחב שא יתחלשו תונמרא (“I will send fire and it will
consume the fortress”)—is dropped. The sharing of common forms while
simultaneously showing unique aspects indicates that each oracle is an
independent and a complete literary unit.
As seen in the divisions of the units earlier, Amos 2:6-8, as sub unit of the oracle
against Israel (Am 2:6-16) and a sub-sub-unit of OAN (Am 1:3-2:16), is an
independent literary unit. As a complete unit, this section starts with the
introduction, followed by the content of the oracle and ends with a conclusion.
The messenger formula הוהי רמא הכ (“Thus says YHWH”) is considered as the
introductory part of the section. It introduces the content of the oracle. In ancient
Near Eastern cultures, this type of introduction was used to introduce letters and
proclamations (cf Gowan 1996:353-354), or simply serve as an announcement
introducing messages. It means that these words mark the beginning of a new
unit.
After elaborating on the contents of the indictments, Amos uses the closing
formula, הוהי־םאנ (“Says the LORD”) and it subsequently closes the oracle. It is
called “the divine oracle formula” (“oracle/utterance of YHWH”), and, in the case
of Amos, this oracle or utterance that the prophet delivered appears in the form of
a speech. According to Wolff (1977:92), this speech “always stands at the end of
an oracle, in order to distinguish it in a solemn way as speech of YHWH,” and it
is also important to be noticed that this closing formula is inseparable with its
twin, the introductory formula. Both of them are considered as definite
boundaries that limit the section as a whole unit and demarcate it from other
sections. Thus, the oracle against Israel forms one independent speech unit that
here can serve as a rhetorical unit.
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The text of Amos 2:6-8 is a sub-unit of the larger unit in 2:6-16 called “the
indictment.” It can be seen that this section does not constitute a complete
statement because the theme of wine is continued in verse 12. Accordingly, this
section (2:6b-8, and continued in 12) is the most difficult part to be analyzed
because the crimes committed by the Israelites may be counted as 7, 9 or even 10,
depending on how the units are arranged, but “if allowance is made for the
virtually synonymous parallelism throughout and the sins are viewed
conceptually, only four crimes appear” (Chisholm 1990:193). In the same vein,
telescoping an N+1 (“N” represents a number usually 3 or 7) pattern in the book
of Amos, O‟Connell (1996:60) maintains that the author deliberately and
consistently used 3+1 pattern in presenting the indictments against Israel, for
example, oppression of the poor (2:6b-7a), cultic profanity (2:7b), abusing pledges
and fines (2:8), and Israel‟s disrespect for prophets and Nazirites (2:12).
In contrast to this, others prefer not to see verses 7b-8 as parallelism. It is because
“the elements are not identical and therefore no two are quite parallel, and it is
simply thought that this section is structured in a total of seven charges (2:6b-8),
which the adding of another accusations (v. 12) would then constitute the eighth
wrong” (Hayes 1995:163). It is important then to think that, whatever forms the
enumeration takes, this section (2:6-8 and 2:12) should be viewed inseparably and
considered as a whole unit. Although the reason for punishment (vv.6b-8) is
interrupted by a historical retrospective (vv. 9-11), Gowan (1996:365) insists,
“that actually leads to a concluding accusation in v. 12, so vv. 6b-12 should be
taken as a whole, leading to the announcement of judgement in vv. 13-16.” To
conclude, it seems that Amos 2:6-8 forms a subunit along with other subunits 2:9-
11 and 2:12-16, and, most importantly, should be read in conjunction with 2:12.
Therefore, this unit will be the main materials to be analyzed in discussing the
issue of social justice.

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3.2 RHETORICAL SITUATION
After the rhetorical unit has been determined, it is important to next concentrate
on the context “behind” the speech, especially on the persons, the circumstances
and the events which led to the composition of the specific text. The creative
speech of the prophet is essentially not delivered in a vacuum. It is his reaction to
a certain situation. In doing rhetorical analysis, it is necessary, therefore, “to trace
the problem which gives rise to the given discourse” (Gitay 1980:296). As
mentioned before, the real audience of the book as a whole is the Israelites. The
question then will be “What does לארשי mean?” or, in a more specific way, “Does
it refer to the state or to the people?” Based on the study of the term as it occured
in the book, Wolff (1977:165) once explains that “when Amos says „Israel‟ he
intends to level the following accusation against the people of God.” The word
“Israel,” therefore, may refer to a group people who have special relationship with
YHWH as expressed by the parallel term לארשי ימע (7:8, 15-17) with its first
person possessive pronominal suffix.
This term, however, is contradictory in the sense that it stands in opposition to
reality. Instead of being the people who are very dear to him, God is now
accusing his very people for their wrongdoings. Although it frequently occurs in
the oracles against other nations (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4), the term םיעשפ (pl.
construct of עשפ), which may be literally translated as “transgressions” (ASV,
RSV, NASB and NKJV) has its special meaning in the context of this oracle
against Israel. It may express “the completeness of Israel‟s sinfulness” (Hayes
1988:107) as supported by the using of the enumeration (“three . . . and four”)
formula, and most importantly, the word indicates the excessive rebellion against
a covenant or a divine law (Smith 1989:65). The words of Amos may cause the
hearers to think “Is it true that YHWH will punish us?” since they considered
themselves as God‟s chosen people with all of its privileges.
The OAN (Am 1:3-2:16), as the context of Amos 2:6-8, has its background in the
situation of Israel and the surrounding nations in the eighth century BCE. The
mentioning of other nations, being the enemies of the Israelites, may have caused
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the hearers to be overconfident with their special existence. One after another
Israel‟s neighbours are included in the list of judgment. The charge, after all, is
directed to Israel herself. The listener might think that Judah, the seventh, was the
end of the list, and “his captive northern audience, who must have been enjoying
every minute of it, would psychologically be in a state of mind which would lead
them to believe that he had reached his climax with his fulmination against Judah”
(Paul 1981:197).
Besides, the moving from the foreigners (Aram, Philistia, Tyre) to blood relatives
(Edom, Ammon, Moab), and to Judah, Israel‟s sister kingdom to the south (1:3-
2:5) should create an excitement on the side of the hearers for, as Chisholm
(1990:189) indicates, they “must have listened with delight to this series of
messages, especially when their long-time rival Judah appeared, like a capstone,
as the seventh nation in the list.” Although the prophet also addresses oracles to
other nations, these are actually introductory to the main target of his message, the
Israelites. It is a surprise created by Amos, because the Israelites may have
enjoyed hearing the accusation of the nations without ever realizing that it would
end up with themselves as the prophet‟s intended audience. Dorsey (1992:306-
307) thus concludes that the previous seven oracles against the nations in 1:3-2:5,
“presumably functions as a foil for the unit‟s main objective, the stinging message
of 2:6-16,” and he added that “The 7+1 pattern here would have served a clever
rhetorical function, viz., to ensure the surprise effect.”
The mentioning of Israel at the end of the list of judgment may also mean that the
nation was the culmination or centre point of the judgment of YHWH. Paul
(1981:197) argues that the prophet Amos resorted to this alternate pattern for a
complementary reason, that is, to express finality and climactic culmination. In
the context of religious polemics, Barstad considers this section (2:6-8) as “the
pronouncement against Israel closes the climactic list of words of judgment
toward other nations” (1984:11-15). Chisholm (1990:72) also says that “Chapters
1-2 include a series of oracles against various nations, culminating in splendid
rhetorical fashion with a judgement against Israel,” or, as Hayes (1995:163)
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indicates that Amos “after this rhetorical and geographical circumambulation,
hones in on the center, his actual audience,” the Israelites.
By hearing this indictment the audience could no longer argue against the
accusation addressed to them. It supposedly led them to realize that they were not
better than other nations, because the oppressive acts they committed were equal
to the terrible war crimes committed by the neighbouring nations. The using of
the structure of the oracles thus is effective to corner the listeners because “the
disturbing and shocking message is that the nation‟s socio-economic offences are
comparable to violent acts perpetrated by foreign nations against Israel and other
peoples” (Wood 2002:24).
In addition, Amos seems to challenge the common belief of the audience at that
time that they are the chosen people of God, who have more privileges and favour
from God than any other nation on the earth. In this regard, Barton (1980:47-48)
specifically infers that there were some popular beliefs held by the audience
during the eighth-century BCE Israel, such as, the audience must suppose that
Israel had a specially privileged position and hence was indemnified against
punishment; Amos‟ hearers clearly did not expect their prophets to proclaim
judgement on Israel; and Israelites rather had mutual obligations as individuals
than that they as nation ought to observe the conventions of war. Because of this
deemed special status or privilege they ignored their moral and social
responsibilities, that is, to treat the lowly in a correct manner. In their mind, it is
hard to believe that YHWH will punish his own people who mistreated their
fellow citizens.
However, Amos seems to have made a special effort in order to convince his
audience that things were what they seem to be. By using a rhetorical strategy,
namely “a rhetoric of entrapment” (Alter 1985:144), the prophet mentioned the
preceding seven oracles with the intention to eventually focus the accusation on
Israel. Chisholm (1990:189) pinpoints that “Rather than being self-contained
pronouncements of judgment, the earlier messages set up the climactic
denunciation of the prophet‟s primary target group, the sinful Northern
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Kingdom.” Israel thus can not hide their own status in the presence of YHWH,
because in fact they have violated the covenant by mistreating others.
The formula “for three . . . and for four . . .” (2:6a), also repeated several times in
the preceding oracles, functions not only to bring the audience to realize that they
were the main target of God‟s judgement, but also to prepare them to respond. In
the case of Israel, God could not tolerate the transgression of his people which
have reached its climax. He had to take an action of punishment (v. 6a) against
them in order to reveal his divine justice (2:13-16). In these verses, Amos
dramatically describes the panic that will overwhelm the Israelite military.
It is also important to note here that rhetorically this formula is not just a response
but also initiates a kind of debate. The prophetical utterance, as Möller
(2000:510) describes, is “a form of speech done in the context of presenting
readers with debate between the prophet Amos and his eighth-century audience.”
In an extensive rhetorical study on the book of Amos, it is insisted that the prophet
intentionally uses the rhetoric of persuasion in the sense that “the presentation of
the debating prophet is the primary rhetorical means employed by the book‟s
authors or final redactors in order to achieve their communicative aims” (Möller
2003:2). Therefore, whether this section is viewed as a surprise, a climax, a
debate, or whatever, the bottom line is, the texts are rhetorically arranged or
structured in order to prepare Amos‟ audience to hear the charges.

3.3 RHETORICAL INVENTION
A rhetorical analysis is also concerned with the way the author persuades his
audience, for example, the modes and manner used in the attempt to convince
(Gitay [1980]:297), or simply “the proofs” of a speech or writing, called inventio.
Before stating the indictments, Amos has to establish his position as a prophet of
YHWH. He definitely has to use the messenger formula “Thus said the Lord”
(הוהי רמא הכ 2:6) in order to settle his authority. Since the beginning of his
oracle, the prophet considered himself as a prophet who spoke to the Israelites on
behalf of YHWH. There must be a link between what he prophesies and YHWH
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as the source of his authority. Therefore, the verb הזח intriguingly is translated
not only as “saw” but also as “envisioned in visions” (NAS), or even as
“prophesied” (JPS).
It implies that the words of Amos here should be understood as divinely inspired
because they are revealed directly by YHWH to the prophet. Mays (1969:20)
indicates that this was “a conventional way of saying that his words were received
as revelation before they were spoken” as also experienced by other prophets such
as Isaiah (1:1; 2:1) and Micah (1:1). The source of all utterances of the prophets,
particularly the prophet Amos, is YHWH who roars from Zion and thunders from
Jerusalem. Wolff (1977:91-92) suggests that the use of this formula was “strictly
tied to the commissioned from YHWH and on the principle is formulated in the
divine first person. . . . When YHWH comes to the fore in the messenger speech,
it is consistently as the first person speaker.” The words of Amos thus are the
words of YHWH given through a divine revelation, and as a result, they have
divine authority and origin (cf Smith 1989:22).
In Amos 2:6-8, the enumeration formula of the transgressions ( . . . העברא־לע
השלש־לעו) committed by the people may function as a preliminary pointer to the
“proofs” of the accusation, and by elaborating their wrongdoings, the people will
soon realize that they are worthy to be punished. According to Mays (1969:24),
the use of the formula by the prophet generally was “in order to present the
coming action of YHWH as a response to an accumulation of offences that has
outrun the tolerance of God.” Amos pointed out that there was a relationship of
cause and effect between Israel‟s sins and God‟s punishment. It applies a kind of
“action and reaction” or “sow and reap” principle for, according to Blenkinsopp
(1984:88-89), there is a close link between indictment (Am 2:6-8) and verdict (vv.
13-16).
Jeremias (1998:34) also notes that the sequence of the listed transgressions
possibly underscore a continual increase in culpability. All listed transgressions
seem to expose not only the total or complete quantity of the rebellion but also the
quality of the “sins” (NIV). In this context, the enumeration formula also
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expresses the seriousness of the transgression by the people in the eyes of YHWH
because it points to “the multiplicity and intensity of the atrocities committed by
the nation” (Kim 1996:40). Through the elaboration of the wrongdoings of the
people, Amos most likely is trying to state that his charges are not going in the
wrong direction.
The use of the word םיעשפ (pl. construct of עשפ) in Amos 2:6a may indicate that
the prophet rhetorically envisages what the sins were. The word translated as
“crimes” moreover, cannot be understood as merely crimes in an ordinary sense
but refers also to crimes in a moral sense, a rebellion against authority. Paul
(1991:45) considers it a revolt against YHWH when he said that “for such crimes
they are found guilty of revolting against the Lord of history, who, in turn, holds
them directly accountable and executes punitive action against them.” In a more
concrete way, Andersen and Freedman (1989:231-232) argue that “Just offences
against conscience in days long before any declarations of human rights as such,
or more specifically wilful violations of formal agreements, which made them
directly answerable to YHWH himself.” Thus, the word “crimes” here is closely
related to the sins against YHWH, the God of covenant.
This implies that all the violations committed by the Israelites were actually
actions that break the covenant that YHWH established, being acts of
“rebelliousness against YHWH‟s sovereign law” (Stuart 1987:310). Based on the
study of Ancient Near Eastern treaties, Niehaus (1992:340) specifically points out
that the rebellious acts performed by the nations, including Israel, were seen as
violations against the covenant of YHWH. He established the covenant of
creation with all creatures and conducted a recreation in the covenant of Noah
which demanded respectful treatment for all human beings as creatures created in
God‟s image. The above views therefore are in agreement with the nature of the
word “crimes” that must be placed in a covenantal framework, as effectively used
by the prophet to prove his charge of the people of the covenant.
Different to other oracles, the prophet announced Israel‟s crimes in a long and
detailed list of indictments. Listing the crimes in such an extended form seems to
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demonstrate that he was intending to prove the wrongs in a concrete and all
encompassing description. It needs actually more than eight lines, even if Amos
6:12 is included, with its sevenfold sinful acts—following Dorsey‟s suggestion
(1992:277)—in order to explain all the crimes of Israel (Am 2:6-8). In
comparison with other oracles, the intention to extend Israel‟s transgressions is to
describe the sins in a more tangible way.
Coote (1981:16, 32)—categorizing Israel‟s section as “Stage A,” the original
edition of the prophet Amos—argues that the oracle was quite distinctive because
all indictments contributed to a single basic message: the powerful in Israel have
oppressed the powerless, or the ruling elite have oppressed the poor. With a
clearer picture of the societal conditions prevailing in the time of Amos, the terms
of his announcement take on a new concreteness. In the same vein, Dorsey
(1999:278) maintains that “Both its accusation section and its punishment section
are several times longer than those preceding oracles, serving to highlight this
oracle” (italics mine).
The extended list is also aimed at portraying the completeness or totality of
Israel‟s sins. If it is related to the use of the “sevenfold” pattern in the section, it
seems that the prophet was proposing the notion of completeness. Rosenbaum
(1990:55) once reminds us that “whatever one decides about the formula „three,
yea four‟ in the oracles against other nations, in the Israel oracle three plus four
equals seven—the number of completeness even if used in negative situations.”
Paul (1991:30, 76) similarly argues that Amos‟ using of a series of wrongdoings
in an elaborated and extensive way was to convey the concept of totality, and the
reason behind it was that the Israelites have received abundant ongoing blessings
from YHWH (vv. 9-12). Therefore, there is no way of escape or self justification
to be made by the audience after hearing the charges that the prophet announced
to them.

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