John Gill Commentary Amos 3:2

"You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities." — Amos 3:2 (ASV)

You only have I known of all the families of the earth
All the families or nations of the earth, and all the inhabitants of it, are known by the Lord, as he is the omniscient God; but none has been known by him as a family, or a nation, with that love and affection as this family has been, or distinguished by his favours and blessings as they, not only temporal, but spiritual; besides the land of Canaan, and all the good things in it, they had the law of the Lord, his word, worship, and ordinances, among them; he chose them for himself above all people, and gave peculiar marks of his affection to them, and special instances of his goodness, and of his care over them, and concern for them; see (Deuteronomy 4:6–8) (Deuteronomy 7:6Deuteronomy 7:7) (Psalms 147:19Psalms 147:20) (Romans 9:4Romans 9:5) ;

therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities ;
or "visit upon you" ^F3 ; or "against you"; in a way of chastisement and correction; they were a family he has highly favoured, and yet departed from him; children he has brought up in a tender manner, and brought out of a most miserable condition, and yet rebelled against him; he has followed and loaded them with his benefits, and they have proved ungrateful to him; he has given them a revelation of his mind and will, and they have rejected it, and therefore knowing, and not doing it, were worthy of more stripes; their sins were more aggravated than others, being against goodness and mercy, light and knowledge; and therefore the Lord was determined to make an example of them; see (1 Peter 4:17) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F3: (Mkyle dqpa) "visitabo super vos", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "visito", i.e. "visitare soleo", Mercerus; "super vobis", Cocceius; "contra vos", Piscator.