ABSTRACT
The fifth vision is horrifying, and the horror is magnified by the suddenness of its reporting and the lack of introductory formulae or narrative details. The emphasis is not so much on Amos, but on what he sees and what he hears. In Amos 9, the prophet is to be much more than merely a neutral observer and reporter. The whole vision is taking place in the presence of the divine, and so symbolic acts can be expected to carry a tremendous significance. Moreover, the impact of this particular act is explained as Yahweh continues to speak about the death of one and all. It is one of the richest parts of Amos for its brilliant manipulation of language with ambiguous terms and difficult syntax masking a whole constellation of mutually supporting meanings and allusions. The vowels required to make a word are different from those needed to render 'all of them', yet the similarities in consonants are suggestive.
