Amos 3:6 (KJV)

Passage

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?

Nearby Context

Amos 3:4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Amos 3:5 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?

Amos 3:6 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?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "trumpet", "blown", "city", "people", "afraid", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "trumpet", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Can a bird fall in a snare..." into verse 7's "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing...", so "shall" and "trumpet" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "trumpet" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.