Amos 4:6 (GNV)

Passage

And therefore haue I giuen you cleannes of teeth in all your cities, and scarcenesse of bread in all your places, yet haue ye not returned vnto me, saith the Lord.

Nearby Context

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.

Amos 4:5 And offer a thankesgiuing of leauen, publish and proclaime the free offrings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

Amos 4:6 And therefore haue I giuen you cleannes of teeth in all your cities, and scarcenesse of bread in all your places, yet haue ye not returned vnto me, saith the Lord.

Amos 4:7 And also I haue withholden the raine from you, when there were yet three moneths to the haruest, and I caused it to raine vpon one citie, and haue not caused it to raine vpon another citie: one piece was rained vpon, and the piece whereupon it rained not, withered.

Amos 4:8 So two or three cities wandred vnto one citie to drinke water, but they were not satisfied: yet haue ye not returned vnto me, saith the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "haue", "giuen", "cleannes", "teeth", "cities", "scarcenesse", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "haue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And offer a thankesgiuing of leauen publish..." into verse 7's "And also I haue withholden the raine...", so "therefore" and "haue" 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 "therefore" and "haue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.