Amos 5:3 (GNV)

Passage

For thus saith ye Lord God, The citie which went out by a thousand, shall leaue an hundreth: and that which went forth by an hundreth, shall leaue ten to the house of Israel.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:1 Heare ye this worde, which I lift vp vpon you, euen a lamentation of the house of Israel.

Amos 5:2 The virgine Israel is fallen, and shall no more rise: shee is left vpon her lande, and there is none to raise her vp.

Amos 5:3 For thus saith ye Lord God, The citie which went out by a thousand, shall leaue an hundreth: and that which went forth by an hundreth, shall leaue ten to the house of Israel.

Amos 5:4 For thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye me, and ye shall liue.

Amos 5:5 But seeke not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and go not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall goe into captiuitie, and Beth-el shall come to nought.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "saith", "lord", "citie", "went", "thousand", "shall", and "leaue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The virgine Israel is fallen and shall..." into verse 4's "For thus saith the Lord vnto the...", so "thus" and "saith" 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 "thus" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.