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Amos 2:16

Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day," declares the LORD.

Mark 14:51

A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Does Mark 14:51 allude to Amos 2:16?

agarza
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2 Answers2

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Does Mark 14:51 Allude to Amos 2:16

I'm afraid the answer to this question is decidedly no.

Amos 2:16 refers to the humiliation that would consume Israel's/Judah's mightiest warriors when God brought judgment against them long before Jesus' ministry in the first century:

Amos 2:16: "Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day," declares the LORD."

The "nakedness" is likely a reference to these men casting off their armor and weapons in order to flee from the enemy in great haste. On the other hand, the wording from Mark's Gospel does not have anything to do with Amos 2 at all:

Mark 14:51-52: A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

This is speaking literally of one of the disciples (many believe he is Mark himself) fleeing from arresting officers and priests who came to take Jesus by force.

I suggest there is no connection between the two.

SDG
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Xeno
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I think there's an allusion. You must take in consideration Mark 14:52 and Amos 2:16 in their context.

And what can we read in Mark 14 ?

From Mark 14:

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.

11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money (ἀργύριον δοῦναι)

42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him,

52 he fled naked (γυμνὸς), leaving his garment behind.

Same in Amos 2 :

6 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, (ἀργυρίου δίκαιον) and the needy for a pair of sandals.

16 And he who is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked (γυμνὸς) on that day, says the Lord.

So basically, i don’t think it can be a coincidence that both Mark and Amos wrote about the righteous being sold for money and the naked man flying away. In the same context respectively.

If this is a coincidence, it would be a great one.

Hold To The Rod
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Anthony DL
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  • Hi Anthony, welcome to Stack Exchange, we are glad you are here. Good analysis of the surrounding passages, upvoted +1. I edited formatting for readability but can roll back if you don't like it. Please be sure to take the site tour and read up on how this site is a little different than other sites around the web. Thanks! – Hold To The Rod Apr 29 '21 at 13:07
  • Thanks Hold. I was searching how to make a quotation for my post so it’s perfect. Thanks – Anthony DL Apr 29 '21 at 15:49