Amos 1:6 (ASV)

Passage

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole people, to deliver them up to Edom:

Nearby Context

Amos 1:4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

Amos 1:5 And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith Jehovah.

Amos 1:6 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole people, to deliver them up to Edom:

Amos 1:7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

Amos 1:8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "thus", "saith", "jehovah", "three", "gaza", "four", and "turn". 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 5's "And I will break the bar of..." into verse 7's "but I will send a fire on...", 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.