ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Amos 3.7-8

Book: Amos · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

5. Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all? 6. Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it?

7. Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets. 8. The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy?

  1. Publish ye in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults are therein, and what oppressions in the midst thereof. 10. For they know not to do right, saith Jehovah, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. (Amos 3:5-10, ASV)
WEB

5. Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth, where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when there is nothing to catch? 6. Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it?

7. Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. 8. The lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Yahweh has spoken. Who can but prophesy?

  1. Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see what unrest is in her, and what oppression is among them.” 10. “Indeed they don’t know to do right,” says Yahweh, “Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.” (Amos 3:5-10, WEB)
KJV

5. Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? 6. Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? be afraid: or, run together? the LORD: or, shall not the L.doe somewhat?

7. Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 8. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

  1. Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof. oppressed: or, oppressions 10. For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. robbery: or, spoil (Amos 3:5-10, KJV)
YLT

5. Doth a bird fall into a snare of the earth, And there is no gin for it? Doth a snare go up from the ground, And prey it captureth not? 6. Is a trumpet blown in a city, And do people not tremble? Is there affliction in a city, And Jehovah hath not done [it]?

7. For the Lord Jehovah doth nothing, Except He hath revealed His counsel unto His servants the prophets. 8. A lion hath roared, who doth not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken, who doth not prophesy?

  1. Sound ye unto palaces in Ashdod, And to palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: Be ye gathered on mountains of Samaria, And see many troubles within her, And oppressed ones in her midst. 10. And they have not known to act straightforwardly, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are treasuring up violence and spoil in their palaces. (Amos 3:5-10, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Amos of Tekoa, a herdsman (noqed, sheep breeder) and tender of sycamore figs from Judah, speaking the word of the LORD.
  • Audience: The northern kingdom of Israel, addressed at the height of its prosperity under Jeroboam II.
  • Location: Delivered in the northern kingdom, principally at Bethel, the royal sanctuary and state temple (Amos 7:13).
  • Time period: c. 760-750 BC, in the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel, "two years before the earthquake" (Amos 1:1). Amos is generally reckoned the earliest of the writing prophets.

Theological reading

The close of the seven-question chain that runs from Amos 3:3, and the book's statement of what a prophet is.

Verse 7: the sod of the LORD. "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets." The word sod means both a confidential council and the deliberation that takes place in it, as at Jeremiah 23:18 and 23:22, where the false prophets are those who never stood in it. The claim is that God's action in history is not opaque: it is announced before it arrives, and the prophet is the one admitted to the announcement.

Verse 8: the compulsion. "A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" The two clauses run in parallel, and the logic of the whole chain lands here. Prophecy is presented not as a career or a choice but as the only available response to having heard. Compare Jeremiah 20:9, the fire shut up in the bones, and 1 Corinthians 9:16, "woe to me if I do not preach."

Why this matters for the book. Amos has no institutional credentials, as he says plainly at Amos 7:14-15. Verses 7 and 8 supply the only warrant he claims: he is speaking because he was told, and silence was not an option.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Lexicon:

Passages:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.