John Gill Commentary Amos 7:8

"And Jehovah said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more;" — Amos 7:8 (ASV)

And the Lord said to me, Amos, what do you see? &c.] This question was put to him, the rather, since he was silent, and did not upon this vision, as the former, make any supplication to the Lord; as also, because this vision portended something of moment and importance, which he would have the prophet attend to: and I said, a plumbline ; the same word as before, and is differently rendered, as already observed. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, "a plasterer's" or "mason's trowel"; with which they lay their plaster and mortar on in building: the Septuagint, an adamant: and which, by Pliny {f}, is called "anachites"; a word in sound near to this here used: the Targum renders it, "judgment": but Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, that in the Arabic tongue it signifies lead or tin, as it does ^F7 ; and so a line with lead at the end of it; then said the Lord, behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel ; take an exact account of their actions, and see how they agree or disagree with the rule of the word; and in the most strict and righteous manner deal with them for their sins and transgressions, "lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet", (Isaiah 28:17) ;

I will not again pass by them any more ; wink at their sins, and overlook their transgressions, by not correcting and punishing for them; or will not pardon them, but inflict punishment on them.

So the Targum, ``behold, I will exercise judgment in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not add any more to pardon them.'' Though some understand it of God's making such an utter end of them, that he should no more "pass through them" ^F8 , to destroy them, having done it at once, and thoroughly.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F7: "plumbum, sive nigrum, sive album puriusque", Camusus; "plumbum et stannum", Ibn Maruph apud Golium, col. 176. Avicenna apud Castel. col. 161. Vid. Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. l. 1. c. 7. p. 122.
• F8: (wl rwbe dwe Pyowa al) "non adjiciam ultra pertransire eum", Montanus; "non ultra per eum transibit", some in Mercerus.