Amos 5:19 (KJV)

Passage

As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Amos 5:19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

Amos 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Amos 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flee", "lion", "bear", "went", "house", "leaned", "hand", and "wall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flee" and "lion", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Woe unto you that desire the day..." into verse 20's "Shall not the day of the LORD...", so "flee" and "lion" 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 "flee" and "lion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.