עמוס, פרק ו׳, פסוק ד׳

A wealthy elite often blinds itself to approaching disaster, sinking instead into a world of extreme luxury and physical indulgence. Completely ignoring the impending ruin, these individuals dedicate their lives entirely to bodily pleasures, filling their days with lavish food, drink, and endless lounging, free from any worry or concern for the world around them. Their extravagance is on full display in their homes, where they rest upon magnificent beds decorated with elephant ivory [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Rather than using standard beds meant for ordinary daily rest, they recline on specialized couches designed specifically for the nighttime comfort of highly pampered individuals, the sick, and women [מלבי"ם].

The manner in which they occupy these beds reflects their deep corruption, viewed by commentators in two distinct ways. One perspective sees this as a display of sheer idleness and excess. The wealthy simply sprawl out in lazy inactivity, doing absolutely nothing [רש"י, אבן עזרא, שטיינזלץ]. This excess is also reflected in their bedding, as they drape their couches with unusually long, wide sheets that trail lavishly onto the floor as a show of status and splendor [מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. A second, much darker interpretation points to profound moral decay. In this view, their lounging is actually a scene of severe sexual immorality. While gorging themselves on food and drink, they engage in wife-swapping, thoroughly defiling their beds in the process [רש"י, רד"ק, מלבי"ם].

This moral rot is matched by their culinary gluttony. When it comes to their meals, they are highly selective, choosing only the absolute largest and fattest sheep from the flock [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, they dine on calves taken directly from closed fattening stalls. In these special pens, the young animals are intentionally overfed until they grow so large that they resemble mature cattle [רש"י, מצודות, רד"ק, מלבי"ם].