ABSTRACT
The simple image of plenty is turned into Israel's doom as the basket of fruit ironically plays with the meaning of 'dripping' prophecy that Amos claimed Amaziah tried to end. Just as the locusts transformed into fire in the first two visions, the game of luring the prophet grows more serious. The directions of the search for god in 8:12 are curious. 'Sea to sea' has sometimes been taken to mean the Dead Sea on the east to the Mediterranean in the west. With the previous references to divine control over waters, an allusion to the cosmic sea surrounding the earth may be found. The situation pertaining to Samaria and Dan is compounded by the enigmatic second oath, by the life of the 'way' or 'path' derek of Beersheba. The compulsion of the prophet to speak has been graphically portrayed.
