I used to watch a captivating television show called Undercover Boss. In each episode, the owner of a company would visit one of his or her branches to see how employees interacted with each other and with customers. Every episode ended with the big reveal of the boss' true identity, which would surprise all the workers.

Amos likes the surprise reveal, too. The prophet has already shocked his listeners by turning from pronouncing judgment on the surrounding nations to targeting Israel (Amos 2:6). But his next surprise will startle his audience even more.

Amos' next address is to the wives of Israel (4:1-3). He grabs their attention by calling them a cow (v. 1), a term of great insult and condemnation.

In a patriarchal society (one that is ruled by men), it would be unusual for a prophet to address the women. But Amos must do so, for the women have played an active role in the injustice and oppression in Israelite society, and are just as culpable as the men.

How are the women guilty? There are two possibilities. First, they may have been taking an active part in the oppression, perhaps by directly suggesting ways to take advantage of the poor. Second–and perhaps more likely, given the last phrase of verse 1, ″Bring us some drinks!″–they may have been the ones demanding an opulent lifestyle and pushing their husbands to find ways to finance their desires. This idea is reinforced by the description of them as cows on Mount Samaria (v. 1)–that is, well fed on the lush grasses on the mountain.

These women are not spared the consequences of their sin. God holds all people accountable for their part in an unjust society. And their punishment is the most graphic of the book of Amos thus far.

Bible scholars are unsure whether the women being taken out through the holes in the wall (v. 3) are alive or dead. On the one hand, it could suggest that they are corpses that are grabbed by hooks (v. 2) and tossed out the holes. On the other hand, the warning of the women being cast out towards Harmon (v. 3) could also suggest a picture of exile, that they are taken away from their homes and led to another land.