Amos 1:13 (ASV)

Passage

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

Nearby Context

Amos 1:11 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:

Amos 1:12 but I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

Amos 1:13 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

Amos 1:14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;

Amos 1:15 and their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "thus", "saith", "jehovah", "three", "children", "ammon", and "four". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "transgressions" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "but I will send a fire upon..." into verse 14's "But I will kindle a fire in...", so "transgressions" and "thus" 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 "transgressions" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.