Amos 1:9 (ASV)

Passage

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole people to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:

Nearby Context

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.

Amos 1:9 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole people to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:

Amos 1:10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "thus", "saith", "jehovah", "three", "tyre", "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 8's "And I will cut off the inhabitant..." into verse 10'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.