Amos 3:6 (DBY)

Passage

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and Jehovah not have done [it]?

Nearby Context

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 when no gin [is laid] for him? Will the snare spring up from the earth when nothing at all hath been taken?

Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and Jehovah not have done [it]?

Amos 3:7 But the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, but he revealeth 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?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "trumpet", "blown", "city", "people", "afraid", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "trumpet", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Can a bird fall in a snare..." into verse 7's "But the Lord Jehovah will do nothing...", so "shall" and "trumpet" 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 "trumpet" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.