Amos 4:1 (ASV)

Passage

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink.

Amos 4:2 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.

Amos 4:3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; and ye shall cast [yourselves] into Harmon, saith Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "word", "kine", "bashan", "mountain", "samaria", "oppress", and "poor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his...", so "hear" and "word" should be read forward into that movement. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hear" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.