Amos 4:2 (GNV)

Passage

The Lord God hath sworne by his holines, that loe, the dayes shall come vpon you, that hee wil take you away with thornes, and your posteritie with fish hookes.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:1 Heare this worde, ye kine of Bashan that are in the mountaine of Samaria, which oppresse the poore, and destroy the needie, and they say to their masters, Bring, and let vs drinke.

Amos 4:2 The Lord God hath sworne by his holines, that loe, the dayes shall come vpon you, that hee wil take you away with thornes, and your posteritie with fish hookes.

Amos 4:3 And ye shall goe out at the breaches euery kow forward: and ye shall cast your selues out of the palace, saith the Lord.

Amos 4:4 Come to Beth-el, and transgresse: to Gilgal, and multiplie transgression, and bring your sacrifices in the morning, and your tithes after three yeres.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "hath", "sworne", "holines", "dayes", "shall", "come", and "vpon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Heare this worde ye kine of Bashan..." into verse 3's "And ye shall goe out at the...", so "lord" and "hath" 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 "lord" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.