Amos 3:3 (ASV)

Passage

Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?

Nearby Context

Amos 3:1 Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying,

Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.

Amos 3:3 Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?

Amos 3:4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Amos 3:5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is [set] for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "walk", "together", "except", and "agreed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "walk", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "You only have I known of all..." into verse 4's "Will a lion roar in the forest...", so "shall" and "walk" 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 "shall" and "walk" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.