John Calvin Commentary Amos 8:9

"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." — Amos 8:9 (ASV)

The Prophet speaks here metaphorically of the punishments that were then near at hand for the people. Since prosperity and success deceived the Israelites, the Prophet uses this significant way of speaking: “You congratulate yourselves on account of your wealth and other things that delight you, as though God could not turn light into darkness. And because God spares you, you think that it will always be the same with you. But God can,” he says, “turn light into darkness; therefore, a dark night will overtake you even at midday.”

We now understand why the Prophet employed this figurative expression—that God would obscure the sun, or cause it to go down, and would on a clear day send darkness to obscure the earth. It was certainly not an eclipse of the sun, and the Prophet did not mean this. But these figurative expressions must first be noted, and then we must see what they mean.

If anyone were inclined to grasp the literal meaning and cling to it, their ideas would be crude and dull, not only concerning the writings of the Prophets but also concerning all other writings, for every language has its figurative expressions.

So, there is in this passage a remarkably significant way of speaking—that God would make the sun go down or become cloudy at midday. But we must especially note the Prophet's purpose, which was to show that the Israelites, trusting in their prosperity, thought themselves beyond the reach of danger. This led to their security, then their apathy, and eventually their perverseness and contempt of God.

Therefore, when the Prophet saw that they abused God's benefits, he says, “What! The Lord has indeed caused your sun to rise, but can he not make it set, yes, even at midday? You now exult in its light, but God will suddenly and unexpectedly send darkness to cover your heads.”

There is then no reason for hypocrites to flatter themselves when God smiles on them and treats them indulgently, for in this manner he invites them to repentance by the sweetness of his goodness, as Paul says in Romans 2. But when he sees them stubbornly defiant, he then turns his benefits into punishments.

This, then, is what the Prophet means: “God,” he says, “will make the sun to set at midday, and will darken the clear day.” Let us continue.