James R. Linville, «Visions and Voices: Amos 7–9», Vol. 80 (1999) 22-42

The final chapters of Amos are read synchronically to highlight the relationship between the divine voice, which demands that its hearers prophesy (Amos 3,8), the voice of Amos, and those of other characters. Amos’ intercessions soon give way to entrapping word-plays and these are related to the rhetorical “traps” in Amos 1–2. Divine and prophetic speech defy the wish of human authority that they be silent. The figure of Amos eventually disappears from the reader’s view, but not before the prophet has been used as a focal point for the readers’ projections of themselves into the literary world of the text. As the scenes change from ultimate destruction to restoration, the readers appropriate the prophetic voice themselves, especially in the final verse which ends with a declaration of security uttered by “your God”.

Even so, the interjection may be God’s, predicting the words of the howling women, who cannot remain quiet for all their suffering, and yet cannot bear living human voices in view of the silent dead. This reading makes sense in view of 6,9-10, in which the survivors of divine punishment forbid the uttering of the name of YHWH.

        Verse 3’s "Silence" also provides a catchword to the initial phrase in v. 4, "Hear this". The accent on speaking is continued throughout the section. The corruption of Israel’s traders is illustrated by quoting their desires that they may soon resume their exploitation (8,4-6). YHWH’s vow not to forget the sins of the corrupt is followed by an echo of the preceding vision with the transformation of songs into laments (v. 10). Next there is a prophecy of a famine of the word of YHWH, which again reflects the Bethel episode in which such a lack was desired (vv. 11-12)⁴⁰. Now a search for the divine word will be vain. With so many corpses, YHWH himself is silent. But as much as the divine word will be withdrawn, so too has the author withdrawn the prophet; his presence is not implied in the series of oracles. The effect of the call to silence and the absence of the prophet from the text centres the reader’s attention on the judgment itself. And so, perhaps the collocation of "Silence!" and "Hear this" is directed to the reader as much as any character.

        In the subsequent passage, the immediacy of the visions is supplanted by the vision of a future day. The longing of the corrupt traders for the Sabbath rest to end (v. 5) is set against a day envisioned by YHWH. "On that day", he says, the women shall howl (v. 3). "On that day", the sun will set; the earth will be darkened "on a bright day" (v. 9). The people shall mourn as on a "bitter day" (v. 10). "Days are coming" when the divine voice shall not be found (v. 11). "On that day", the young shall faint from thirst (v. 13). A vision of a future day and a coming time close the book, but here it is one of salvation and security (9,11-15, see especially v. 11 "On that day", and v. 13 "Days are coming"). Back in chap. 8’s oracles, it is only the possessives attached to the formula "oracle of my lord YHWH" in vv. 3.9.11 that imply the continued presence of the prophet who spoke in the first person in the vision. Yet, since these are outside of an obvious narratorial framework, one might see these possessives spoken in earnest by both the character and the reader.