and to those who trust in the mountain of Samaria.
They picked the rulers of the nations,
and they entered.
O house of Israel, walk, all of you, and see,
and pass through from that place to Hamath Rabbah,
and go down from that place to Gath of foreigners,
the nobles from all these kingdoms,
if their borders are greater than your borders.
Those who are coming to a bad day,
who are drawing near and holding false sabbaths,
those laying down to sleep upon beds of ivory
and living luxuriously upon their beds,
and eating kids from the flocks
and suckling little calves from the midst of herds,
those clapping to the music of the instruments,
since they considered them as having stood and not as fleeting,
those drinking filtered wine
and those anointing themselves with first-rate myrrh,
and they would not suffer anything
because of the ruin of Joseph.
On account of this, now they will be captives
from the beginning of the mighty ones,
and the neighing of horses
will be removed from Ephraim. (Amos 6:1–7 LXX)
It is not that we esteem the crimes of the poor as less serious, but a greater hatred of your crimes strikes you, whom greater wealth has magnified. For what is the point of your being more illustrious in respect to public honor and wealth? It behooved you to have a greater zeal for religion. But now you strive to be rich no less in impiety than in money. Therefore, the lamentations will lay hold of you, but serious ones. For with respect to the divine judgment, some mercy may be applied to them that are of little account, “but the mighty shall be mightily tormented.” Therefore, among such great misfortunes of the lands, which experience such things either on account of lost strength or on account of the calamities that are already invading, you trust in the defenses and fortification of your locations (namely, in Zion and Samaria) thinking that you will be guarded against the wrath of the judge. Woe to you who are wealthy in Zion, and who trust in the mountain of Samaria, you nobles, heads of the people who enter the house of Israel with a great pomp. For you have never prostituted yourself more than in the time of adversities, so great was the greed for excess that filled you. When the power of your nation was already for the most part destroyed, nevertheless you swell with opulence and are abandoned to luxury within your besieged cities.
Julian of Eclanum, Commentary on Amos 2.6
The Lord now threatens for the reasons that the prophetic message lists above: because of those who sleep on ivory beds and frolic on their couches, who eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the herd, who sing to the sound of the harp and drink wine in bowls, who anoint themselves with the best ointment. In addition to all this, they suffer in no way concerning the destruction of his people, the people begotten from the line of Joseph. And he says: Because they have done these sorts of things, now they will go away at the head of those who are transmigrating. And the meaning is: Punishment will not be put off until the future, nor is it prophesied about times far distant. What my word predicts has now fallen on them; it is about to come. They will go at the beginning of those transmigrating, that is, the princes and the powerful to whom he had said above: “Hear this word, you fat cows who are on the mountain of Samaria.” And again: “Woe to you who are wealthy in Zion and who trust in the mountain of Samaria; you nobles, heads of the peoples who enter the house of Israel with great pomp.” You who are first in riches will be the first to bear the yoke of captivity, according to what is written in Ezekiel: “Begin from my sanctuary.” Not from the holy ones, as many people think, but from the destruction of the temple, which was the holy place. For “the mighty will be tormented mightily,” and to whom more is entrusted more will also be demanded from him.
Jerome, Commentary on Amos 3.6