Amos 1:5 (GNV)

Passage

I will breake also the barres of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-auen: and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden, and the people of Aram shall goe into captiuitie vnto Kir, sayth the Lord.

Nearby Context

Amos 1:3 Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Damascus, and for foure I will not turne to it, because they haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron.

Amos 1:4 Therefore will I sende a fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ben-hadad.

Amos 1:5 I will breake also the barres of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-auen: and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden, and the people of Aram shall goe into captiuitie vnto Kir, sayth the Lord.

Amos 1:6 Thus sayth the Lord, For three transgressions of Azzah, and for foure, I will not turne to it, because they caried away prisoners the whole captiuitie to shut them vp in Edom.

Amos 1:7 Therefore will I sende a fire vpon the walles of Azzah, and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breake", "barres", "damascus", "inhabitant", "bikeath-auen", "holdeth", "scepter", and "beth-eden". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "breake" and "barres", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Therefore will I sende a fire into..." into verse 6's "Thus sayth the Lord For three transgressions...", so "breake" and "barres" 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 "breake" and "barres" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.