Amos 9:10 (KJV)

Passage

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

Nearby Context

Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.

Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Amos 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sinners", "people", "shall", "sword", "evil", "overtake", and "prevent". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sinners" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "For lo I will command and I..." into verse 11's "In that day will I raise up...", so "sinners" and "people" 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 "sinners" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.