What does "three transgressions, even four" signify in Amos 1:6? Historical and Literary Setting Amos ministered c. 760–750 BC during the reigns of Jeroboam II and Uzziah, a time of prosperity masking moral decay (2 Kings 14:23-29; 2 Chronicles 26). A Judean shepherd called to prophesy primarily against Israel, he opens with an international judgment oracle that sweeps from foreign nations (1:3-2:3) to Judah (2:4-5) and finally Israel (2:6-16). Each oracle is framed by the refrain, “For three transgressions of ___, even four, I will not relent.” Purpose in Amos 1–2 Amos repeats the formula eight times (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, Israel). The rhythm lulls the listener into agreement as judgment falls on hated neighbors, then turns the spotlight on God’s covenant people. The idiom thus functions as a rhetorical trap (1 Peter 4:17). Specific Meaning in Amos 1:6 Text : “Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not relent, because they took captive a whole community and exiled them to Edom.’” 1. Cumulative Guilt—Gaza (representing Philistia) had not merely sinned once but repeatedly. “Three … four” stresses a piled-up record of atrocities, reaching and surpassing divine tolerance. 2. Imminent Judgment—The unrelenting resolve “I will not relent” (lō’ ’ăšîbennû) follows the idiom each time, showing that God’s long-suffering has limits (Nahum 1:3). 3. Specific Charge—Human trafficking (“a whole community,” Heb. gālût šĕlēmâ) clinches the indictment. The numeric formula heightens the shock of this particular sin among many. Theological Implications • Divine Patience and Justice—Yahweh records every offense; ultimate justice is certain though delayed (Romans 2:4-6). • Universal Moral Order—The nations are accountable even outside Mosaic covenant; natural law written on the heart (Romans 1:19-20, 2:14-15). • Corporate Responsibility—Entire city-states stand judged, prefiguring final judgment of nations (Matthew 25:31-46). Consistency with the Whole Canon The incremental-number idiom harmonizes with Christ’s teaching on accumulated guilt (Matthew 23:32 “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers”) and with Revelation’s picture of sins “heaped up” to heaven (Revelation 18:5). Scripture consistently portrays sin’s cup filling until overflowing triggers judgment (Genesis 15:16; Daniel 8:23). Applications for Today 1. Personal Introspection—Repeated, unrepented sin invites divine discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11). 2. Social Ethics—Human trafficking remains a modern plague; Amos warns that God judges societies tolerating such evil. 3. Evangelistic Challenge—If even pagan Gaza faced justice, how much more individuals who reject the risen Christ, the only sufficient atonement (Acts 17:30-31). Summary “Three transgressions, even four” in Amos 1:6 is a Hebrew idiom of climax signifying a full, overflowing measure of sin that has exhausted God’s patience. It underlines cumulative guilt, ensures certain judgment, and fits seamlessly with the Bible’s unified testimony of divine holiness and mercy offered ultimately through the crucified and risen Lord. |
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