👉 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed [that is] full of sheaves.
Explanation: Okay, letās break down this verse from Amos 2:13. Itās a really powerful and poignant image! Here's the explanation in simpler terms: The Basic Idea: Amos is speaking to a community facing severe hardship ā likely poverty, injustice, and broken promises. Heās using a metaphor to describe how they are being treated unfairly. Heās saying heās pressed under their weight, just like a cart full of sheaves (grain) would be pressed down. Let's unpack it: āBeholdā : This is a dramatic opening ā itās drawing attention to whatās happening. āI am pressedā¦ā : This means Amos is feeling overwhelmed, burdened, and perhaps experiencing hardship. Heās not strong or capable on his own. āā¦under youā : He's being burdened by the people ā their actions, their choices, their failures, their disrespect towards God. Itās like a heavy weight pressing down. āas a cart is pressedā¦ā : This is the key image. A cart (or wagon) carries sheaves of grain. The image of a cart being pressed highlights the volume of something ā in this case, the suffering and injustice. It suggests that there's a huge amount of negativity being piled on him. ā[that is] full of sheavesā : This means the people are overflowing with problems - they are producing too much, creating too much hardship. Overall Meaning: Amos is expressing profound frustration and despair because he feels like heās unable to effectively help or correct the situation. He's saying that their actions are crushing him under a tremendous amount of weight ā both literally (the sheaves) and figuratively (the burden of suffering). Why is this important? This image is a stark warning about the consequences of societal problems. Itās not just about Amos himself; it's about the entire community heās addressing. It suggests that when people are burdened by injustice, they become difficult to help and can even be destructive themselves. --- Do you want me to: Explain another verse? Discuss the context of this passage in more detail?