The next section (9:11-12) seems
to be an addition from the time of the Exile. The “booth of David” need not of
course refer to the temple which was destroyed in 586, but such a reference
seems to be the most plausible meaning of the term. It could be a word
portraying the people of God in general; if so, the possibility exists that
Amos is the author. More decisive, however, is the reference to the “remnant of
Edom.” In our treatment of other prophetic texts we have frequently referred to
the enmity of the Edomites against the Judean community destroyed by
Nebuchadrezzar. We conclude, therefore, that this ' word of hope is not from
Amos. It has been affixed to his message by the later tradition, probably
during the time of the Babylonian Exile. The hope expressed is similar to that
found in Jeremiah and Ezekiel as well as in II Isaiah. The nations called by
Yahweh’s name are presumably those nations in which God’s people are scattered,
where Yahweh’s name is still revered by the exiles in their midst. (Walter
Harrelson, Interpreting the Old Testament [New York: Holt, Rinehart
& Winston, 1964], 355)
Further Reading:
