Amos 3:5 (GNV)

Passage

Can a birde fall in a snare vpon the earth, where no fouler is? or will he take vp the snare from the earth, and haue taken nothing at all?

Nearby Context

Amos 3:3 Can two walke together except they bee agreed?

Amos 3:4 Will a lion roare in ye forest, when he hath no pray? or wil a lions whelpe cry out of his den, if he haue taken nothing?

Amos 3:5 Can a birde fall in a snare vpon the earth, where no fouler is? or will he take vp the snare from the earth, and haue taken nothing at all?

Amos 3:6 Or shall a trumpet be blowen in the citie, and the people be not afraide? or shall there be euil in a citie, and the Lord hath not done it?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will doe nothing, but he reueileth his secrete vnto his seruantes the Prophets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "birde", "fall", "snare", "vpon", "earth", "where", "fouler", and "take". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "birde" and "fall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Will a lion roare in ye forest..." into verse 6's "Or shall a trumpet be blowen in...", so "birde" and "fall" 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 "birde" and "fall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.