translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: AMO

label: NET study note

text: The following verses explain what it meant to seek the Lord . Israel was to abandon the mere formalism and distorted view of God and reality that characterized religious activity at the worship sites, as well as the social injustice that permeated Israelite society. Instead the people were to repent and promote justice in the land. This call to seek the Lord echoes the challenge in 4:13 to prepare to meet him as he truly is.


text: Ironically, Israel was to seek after the Lord, but not at Bethel (the name Bethel means “the house of God” in Hebrew). map For location see Map4-G4 ; Map5-C1 ; Map6-E3 ; Map7-D1 ; Map8-G3 .


text: Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.


text: In v. 7 the prophet begins to describe the guilty Israelites, but then interrupts his word picture with a parenthetical, but powerful, description of the judge they must face (vv. 8-9 ). He resumes his description of the sinners in v. 10 .


text: In ancient Israelite culture, legal disputes were resolved in the city gate , where the town elders met.


text: Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate , where the town elders met.


text: Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate (see the note in v. 12 ). This repetition of this phrase serves to highlight a deliberate contrast to the injustices cited in vv. 11-13 .


text: Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.


text: The expression pass through your midst alludes to Exod 12:12 , where the Lord announced he would “pass through” Egypt and bring death to the Egyptian firstborn.