


Amos 5:1
Bible Versions
¶ Hear ye this word which I take up against you, [even] a lamentation, O house of Israel.
Hear this word that I take up against you in lament, house of Isra'el:
Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:
Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.
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Ezekiel 19:1
¶ Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, -
Jeremiah 9:17
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning [women], that they may come: -
Jeremiah 7:29
¶ Cut off thine hair, [O Jerusalem], and cast [it] away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. -
Jeremiah 9:10
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through [them]; neither can [men] hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. -
Ezekiel 28:12
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. -
Amos 3:1
¶ Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, -
Amos 5:16
¶ Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing [shall be] in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
Amos 5:1 begins a new section of prophetic pronouncements, setting a somber tone for the impending message of judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel. The prophet Amos, a shepherd from Judah, delivers a direct and weighty word from God, urging the people to pay close attention.
Historical and Cultural Context
The prophet Amos prophesied during a period of relative peace and economic prosperity in Israel (the "house of Israel"), under the reign of King Jeroboam II. Despite outward success, the nation was rife with deep-seated spiritual corruption, widespread idolatry, and severe social injustice. Amos’s message cuts through this facade of prosperity, revealing God’s righteous indignation. The phrase "lamentation" immediately signals a funeral dirge or mournful song, a shocking and provocative way to begin a prophecy to a nation that felt secure and blessed. It foreshadows the tragic end of their national existence.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew word translated "lamentation" is qinah (קִינָה). This term specifically refers to a funeral dirge or a song of mourning, traditionally sung at a burial or in anticipation of death. By using this term, Amos immediately conveys that God views Israel as spiritually dead or on the verge of national death, despite their outward appearance of vitality. This stark imagery would have been profoundly unsettling to his original audience, emphasizing the severity and inevitability of the coming judgment, a common theme in prophetic literature when warning of impending doom (e.g., Jeremiah 7:13).
Practical Application
Amos 5:1 serves as a timeless reminder that God observes the spiritual and moral condition of nations and individuals. It challenges us to: