Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:
This is what God says: Gaza has crossed the line way too many times, and I'm done looking the other way. They captured entire communities of people and sold them off to Edom like they were nothing.
God doesn't ignore it when people treat others like they're disposable.
📚 Historical Context
In the 8th century BC, during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel, the prophet Amos was sent by God to pronounce judgments on neighboring nations for their persistent sins. Gaza, a prominent Philistine city, was condemned for its role in capturing and selling entire groups of people as slaves to Edom, which violated ancient codes of warfare and human decency in the Near East. This reflects God's broader pattern in the Bible of holding nations accountable for cruelty and injustice toward the vulnerable.
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