Amos 4:8 (DBY)

Passage

And two, three, cities wandered unto one city, to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet ye have not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

Amos 4:7 And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece [of land] was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

Amos 4:8 And two, three, cities wandered unto one city, to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

Amos 4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; the palmer-worm hath devoured the multitude of your gardens, and your vineyards, and your fig-trees and your olive-trees: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

Amos 4:10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, taking away captive your horses; and I made the stench of your camps to come up, even into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "three", "cities", "wandered", "city", "drink", "water", "satisfied", and "returned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "three" and "cities", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And I also have withholden the rain..." into verse 9's "I have smitten you with blasting and...", so "three" and "cities" 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 "three" and "cities" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.