Amos 5:1 (ASV)

Passage

Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:1 Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

Amos 5:2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

Amos 5:3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "word", "take", "lamentation", "over", "house", and "israel". 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 virgin of Israel is fallen she...", 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.