4:13 4:13

Amos 5:1

5:2 5:2

Bible Versions

¶ Hear ye this word which I take up against you, [even] a lamentation, O house of Israel.
Hear {H8085} ye this word {H1697} which I take up {H5375} against you, even a lamentation {H7015}, O house {H1004} of Israel {H3478}.
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.

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

  • Divine Pronouncement: Amos emphasizes that this is not merely his opinion but "this word which I take up against you," highlighting the divine origin and authority behind the message of judgment.
  • Imminent Judgment: The very nature of a "lamentation" (Hebrew: qinah) underscores the certainty of Israel's downfall and destruction, as if they were already dead. It’s a powerful metaphor for their spiritual and national demise.
  • Call to Attention: "Hear ye this word" serves as an urgent command for the complacent people of Israel to listen intently to the severe warning being delivered by God's messenger.
  • Focus on Israel: The specific address to the "house of Israel" clarifies that this prophecy is directed at the northern kingdom, which had strayed far from the covenant ways of the Lord.

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:

  • Examine Our Hearts: Are we truly listening to God's word, or are we complacent in our prosperity? True blessing comes from walking in obedience and justice, not merely material wealth.
  • Address Injustice: The prophet Amos consistently condemns social injustice and oppression. This verse calls us to recognize and lament the injustices in our own societies and to seek righteousness, as urged later in Amos 5:24.
  • Heed Warnings: God often sends warnings before judgment. This verse encourages us to take divine warnings seriously and to respond with genuine repentance and a turning back to Him (Amos 5:4).
Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 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.
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