Amos 3:7 (ASV)

Passage

Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Nearby Context

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?

Amos 3:6 Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:8 The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy?

Amos 3:9 Publish ye in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults are therein, and what oppressions in the midst thereof.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "surely", "lord", "jehovah", "nothing", "except", "reveal", "secret", and "servants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "surely" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Shall the trumpet be blown in a..." into verse 8's "The lion hath roared who will not...", so "surely" and "lord" 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 "surely" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.