Amos 7:2

And it came to pass, [that] when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he [is] small.

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end {H3615} of eating {H398} the grass {H6212} of the land {H776}, then I said {H559}, O Lord {H136} GOD {H3069}, forgive {H5545}, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob {H3290} arise {H6965}? for he is small {H6996}.

While they were finishing up eating all the vegetation in the land, I said, "Adonai ELOHIM, forgive - please! How will tiny Ya'akov survive?"

And when the locusts had eaten every green plant in the land, I said, β€œLord GOD, please forgive! How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”

And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord Jehovah, forgive, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.

Commentary

Amos 7:2 records a pivotal moment in the prophet Amos's ministry, immediately following his vision of a devastating locust plague. Having witnessed the potential for complete destruction, Amos steps forward as an intercessor for the nation of Israel, pleading with God for mercy.

Context

This verse is part of the first of five prophetic visions given to Amos concerning God's impending judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In the preceding verse, Amos 7:1 describes a vision where God was forming locusts (or grasshoppers) at the time of the latter growth, which was crucial for the harvest after the king's mowings. The imagery of them "eating the grass of the land" signifies a complete and devastating consumption of the nation's agricultural resources, leading to widespread famine and economic ruin. It is at this point of perceived imminent catastrophe that Amos intervenes.

Key Themes

  • Prophetic Intercession: Amos exemplifies the role of a prophet not just as a messenger of judgment, but as one who stands in the gap for his people. His cry, "O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee," is a profound act of intercessory prayer, echoing the actions of other great biblical figures like Moses.
  • Divine Mercy and Repentance: Amos's plea is an appeal to God's inherent compassion. The immediate response from God in the following verse, "The LORD repented for this," highlights God's willingness to relent from judgment in response to earnest prayer and a potential for repentance.
  • Israel's Vulnerability: The desperate question, "by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small," underscores Israel's profound weakness and inability to recover from such a devastating judgment on their own. This "smallness" refers not only to their national size but also their spiritual and moral decay, rendering them utterly dependent on God's grace.

Linguistic Insights

The term "Jacob" is used here as a poetic and ancestral name for the nation of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). It connects the contemporary nation back to their patriarch, emphasizing their covenant relationship with God and implicitly reminding God of His promises to their forefather. The word translated "small" (Hebrew: qaαΉ­an) implies not just physical diminutiveness but also weakness, insignificance, or a lack of resources to recover. Amos highlights Israel's utter destitution if God's full judgment were to fall upon them, making their survival impossible without divine intervention.

Practical Application

Amos 7:2 serves as a powerful reminder of several timeless truths:

  • The Power of Intercessory Prayer: It demonstrates that fervent prayer from even one person can influence divine action and avert judgment. We are called to pray for our communities and nations, recognizing our role in bringing God's mercy to bear.
  • Humility and Dependence on God: Recognizing our own "smallness" or inadequacy in the face of life's challenges or spiritual struggles fosters a vital dependence on God's strength and mercy.
  • God's Compassion: Even in the midst of prophecies of judgment, God remains a God of compassion, ready to hear the pleas of His servants and to relent from wrath when there is a cry for forgiveness, as seen in Joel 2:13.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated β€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Isaiah 37:4

    It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up [thy] prayer for the remnant that is left.

  • Ezekiel 11:13

    And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

  • Exodus 10:15

    For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

  • Ezekiel 9:8

    And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?

  • Jeremiah 42:2

    And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, [even] for all this remnant; (for we are left [but] a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

  • Jeremiah 14:7

    O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou [it] for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

  • Jeremiah 14:20

    We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, [and] the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
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