John Calvin Commentary Amos 9:13

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." — Amos 9:13 (ASV)

Here the Prophet describes the blessedness that will be under the reign of Christ. We know that whenever the Prophets present promises of a happy and prosperous state to God’s people, they adopt metaphorical expressions, saying that an abundance of all good things will flow, that there will be the most fruitful produce, and that provisions will be bountifully supplied.

They adapted their way of speaking to the understanding of those ancient people; it is therefore no wonder if they sometimes speak to them as if to children. At the same time, the Spirit, through these figurative expressions, declares that the kingdom of Christ will in every way be happy and blessed, or that the Church of God—which means the same thing—will be blessed when Christ begins to reign.

Thus he says, Coming are the days, saith Jehovah, and the plowman shall draw nigh, or meet, the reaper. The Prophet undoubtedly refers to the blessing mentioned by Moses in Leviticus 26:5, for the Prophets borrowed their way of speaking from there to add more credit and authority to what they taught.

And Moses uses nearly the same words—that the vintage will meet the harvest, and also that sowing will meet the plowing. This is the case when God supplies an abundance of grain and wine, and when the season is pleasant and favorable. We then see what the Prophet means: that God would so bless his people that they would experience no lack of good things.

The plowman then shall come nigh the reaper; and the treader of grapes, the bearer of seed. When they finish the harvest, they will begin to plow, for the season will be most favorable; and then when they complete their vintage, they will sow. Thus, as I have said, the fruitfulness of all produce is mentioned.

The Prophet now speaks in hyperbolical language and says, Mountains shall drop sweetness, and all the hills shall melt, that is, milk shall flow down. We indeed know that this has never happened, but this manner of speaking is common and often occurs in Scripture. The sum of the whole is that there will be no common or ordinary abundance of blessings, but an abundance that will exceed belief and even the course of nature, as the very mountains will, as it were, flow down.