Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageYou who strum away at the lute and fancy yourselves a David, composing new instruments and new songs as if you shared his sacred calling —
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GWho improvise at the mouth of the harp — like David, they devise for themselves instruments of song —
KJV
King James VersionThat chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
BSB
Berean Standard BibleYou improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.
Footnotes
הַפֹּרְטִים (happortim) occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible; its root פָּרַט likely means to pluck or improvise on strings. פִּי הַנָּבֶל ("the mouth of the lute/harp") is an unusual phrase — perhaps the sounding hole or tuning mechanism. The David comparison is Amos at his most biting: David composed psalms in covenant service to YHWH; these men improvise self-serving entertainment. The F.O.G preserves the literal oddness; the F.O.G Message unpacks the satirical sting of the David parallel.
