Amos 9:3 (DRB)

Passage

And though they be hid in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them away from thence: and though they hide themselves from my eyes in the depth of the sea, there will I command the serpent and he shall bite them.

Nearby Context

Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar, and he said: Strike the hinges, and let the lintels be shook: for there is covetousness in the head of them all, and I will slay the last of them with the sword: there shall be no flight for them: they shall flee, and he that shall flee of them shall not be delivered.

Amos 9:2 Though they go down even to hell, thence shall my hand bring them out: and though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down.

Amos 9:3 And though they be hid in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them away from thence: and though they hide themselves from my eyes in the depth of the sea, there will I command the serpent and he shall bite them.

Amos 9:4 And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall kill them. And I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Amos 9:5 And the Lord the God of hosts is he who toucheth the earth, and it shall melt: and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up as a river, and shall run down as the river of Egypt.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "though", "carmel", "search", "take", "away", "thence", and "hide". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "though" and "carmel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Though they go down even to hell..." into verse 4's "And if they go into captivity before...", so "though" and "carmel" 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 "though" and "carmel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.