uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Amos uses two rhetorical questions to draw attention to the rebuke that follows.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

(Occurrence 0) Do horses run on the rocky cliffs?

(Some words not found in UHB: do,they,run? on,crag[s] horses if plow with,oxen that/for/because/then/when turned into,poison justice and_[the],fruit_of righteousness into,wormwood )

It is impossible for a horse to run on rocky cliffs without getting hurt. Amos uses this rhetorical question to rebuke them for their actions. Alternate translation: [Horses do not run on rocky cliffs.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

(Occurrence 0) Does one plow there with oxen?

(Some words not found in UHB: do,they,run? on,crag[s] horses if plow with,oxen that/for/because/then/when turned into,poison justice and_[the],fruit_of righteousness into,wormwood )

One does not plow on rocky ground. Amos uses this rhetorical question to rebuke them for their actions. Alternate translation: [A person does not plow with oxen on rocky ground.]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) Yet you have turned justice into poison

(Some words not found in UHB: do,they,run? on,crag[s] horses if plow with,oxen that/for/because/then/when turned into,poison justice and_[the],fruit_of righteousness into,wormwood )

Distorting what is just is spoken of as if the leaders “turned justice into poison.” Alternate translation: [Yet you distort what is just] or [But you make laws that hurt innocent people]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

(Occurrence 0) the fruit of righteousness into bitterness

(Some words not found in UHB: do,they,run? on,crag[s] horses if plow with,oxen that/for/because/then/when turned into,poison justice and_[the],fruit_of righteousness into,wormwood )

This means basically the same thing as the first part of the sentence. Alternate translation: [you distort what is right]