Changing voice mid-sentence

[Rik Brooks]

I'm confused. Admittedly my slight autism often makes me focus on some things that others ignore. Sometimes to my detriment.

Amos 4:11, NKJV
I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

So at the first part of the sentence He refers to himself as I (first person) but then after the comma as God (third person).

Can anyone explain this? Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[mnorian]

I'm confused. Admittedly my slight autism often makes me focus on some things that others ignore. Sometimes to my detriment.

Amos 4:11, NKJV
I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

So at the first part of the sentence He refers to himself as I (first person) but then after the comma as God (third person).

Can anyone explain this? Maybe I'm missing something.

Some other translations have it as "I" in both parts:

"I destroyed some of your cities, as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like charred sticks pulled from a fire. But still you would not return to me," says the LORD." New Living Translation.

 

[AlexDTX]

I'm confused. Admittedly my slight autism often makes me focus on some things that others ignore. Sometimes to my detriment.

Amos 4:11, NKJV
I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

So at the first part of the sentence He refers to himself as I (first person) but then after the comma as God (third person).

Can anyone explain this? Maybe I'm missing something.

Because God is three persons in one. I is one person of the trinity speaking and God is a reference to another person of the trinity. These examples abound throughout the writings of the prophets. Jews for Jesus uses these many of these examples to witness to non believing Jews.

 

[mnorian]

Because God is three persons in one. I is one person of the trinity speaking and God is a reference to another person of the trinity. These examples abound throughout the writings of the prophets. Jews for Jesus uses these many of these examples to witness to non believing Jews.

Jesus spoke of this Himself; when He said in Mark 12:35-37:

Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”
And the common people heard Him gladly.

 

[Rik Brooks]

So I'll just accept it as a literary tool allowed because of the nature of the trinity. OK. I can live with that.

Thank you all very much

 

[Greg J.]

It reads to me like God (through Amos) is making reference to the historical event of "what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah" with the phrase "as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah."

 

[Jezmeyah]

I'm confused. Admittedly my slight autism often makes me focus on some things that others ignore. Sometimes to my detriment.

Amos 4:11, NKJV
I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

So at the first part of the sentence He refers to himself as I (first person) but then after the comma as God (third person).

Can anyone explain this? Maybe I'm missing something.

Depending on the text, and or context, The use of Elohim can refer to God's judgement nature. While the use of LORD refers to the Hebrew YHVH which refer's to God's merciful nature.

So the Amos verse has God speaking of a recent past event of judgement as reminder to the Israelites of His righteous dealing with them for their sins, and comparing that with His judgement in a more distant past event concerning the unsaved sinners. That comparison shows the present Israelites how far they have gotten away from keeping covenant with God by keeping His commandments. In other words, "they were cruisin for a brusin".

The changes from I, to Elohim is due to the direct translation that is used.. As such it is a bit clunkie regarding the English language, which doesn't point out the meaning behind the actual words that you read.

 

[hedrick]

I see no reason whatever to read the Trinity into this. Prophets spoke for God. The section has several examples of moving between "I" and speaking of God in the third person, e.g. 4:9 which has the form "I ... says the Lord." God himself wouldn't say "says the Lord." That's Amos. Or look at 4:12-13 which moves from first to third person. 4:10 is just the same. The "I" part is where he is quoting God, the references to God in the third person are his own comment.