Amos 3:2
You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore will I visit upon you all your iniquities.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Tantummodo vos cognovi ex omnibus cognationibus terræ ; idcirco visitabo super vos omnes iniquitates vestras.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Πλὴν ὑμᾶς ἔγνων ἐκ πασῶν φυλῶν γῆς· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκδικήσω ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- רַ֚ק אֶתְכֶ֣ם יָדַ֔עְתִּי מִכֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּח֣וֹת הָאֲדָמָ֑ה עַל כֵּן֙ אֶפְקֹ֣ד עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת כָּל עֲוֺנֹֽתֵיכֶֽם
Haydock's commentary
Known, with love, (Haydock) and favoured with the law, &c. Above all, styling you my people, Exodus xix. 6., and Ezechiel xx. 5. (Calmet)
Visit. That is, punish. (Challoner)
I will treat you like my children, that I may spare you in eternity. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom Treatise Concerning the Christian Priesthood, Book VI
11. For this very cause God accuses the Israelites more vehemently, and shows that they were worthy of greater chastisement, because they sinned after so many honors had come to them from Him, saying in one place: “But you only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore will I punish you for your iniquities,” and again, “and I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites;” and before the times of the prophets, wishing to show that sins receive sorer punishment by far when they occur in the case of the Priest than in the case of the laity, He enjoins as great a sacrifice to be offered for the Priest as for the whole people, and this amounts to a proof on his part, that the wounds of the Priesthood need more assistance, that is, as great as those of all the people together, and they would not have needed a greater, except they were worse; and they …