עמוס, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ז

A severe personal punishment is handed down to Amaziah the priest, directly reflecting his failures toward the Israelites and his interference with the prophet Amos. The unfolding tragedy operates on the strict principle of measure for measure, matching his specific sins with precise consequences [אברבנאל, מלבי״ם].

Because Amaziah actively encouraged the nation to pursue spiritual infidelity through idol worship and prevented them from repenting, his own wife will become a prostitute in the city. The primary approach among commentators is that she will do this of her own free will due to her character, rather than being assaulted as a captive of war heading into exile [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. However, another perspective suggests she will suffer this fate by force at the hands of conquering enemies [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. According to one tradition, this tragic chain of events is triggered when a rebellion breaks out against the king, forcing Amaziah to flee and leave his wife abandoned and exposed [מלבי״ם].

The consequences extend to his children, who will be killed by the sword. This directly mirrors Amaziah's own failure to protect the Israelites from the threat of enemy violence [אברבנאל]. It is likely that the rebelling king is the one who will execute his children [מלבי״ם].

Amaziah's property will also be plundered. Invading forces will conquer the territory, measure it out with a line, and divide it among themselves [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These invaders are the foreign nations brought by the king of Assyria to settle the cities of Samaria [אברבנאל]. Furthermore, Amaziah himself will not be allowed to remain in the land of Israel. Instead, he will be exiled and ultimately die in the foreign, impure lands of idol worshippers [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Finally, the prophecy seals the fate of the nation, confirming that the Israelites will indeed be exiled [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. An ironic twist lies behind this final decree. Prior to this confrontation, Amaziah had falsely accused Amos of predicting the nation's exile. Amos responds that until that very moment, he had never actually made such a prediction. However, because Amaziah invented this lie and spoke the evil decree into existence, his fabricated accusation will now become a harsh reality, and the exile will take place exactly as he described [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד].