Amos 9:7 (GNV)

Passage

Are ye not as the Ethiopians vnto mee, O children of Israel, sayeth the Lord? haue not I brought vp Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistims from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?

Nearby Context

Amos 9:5 And the Lord God of hosts shall touch the land, and it shall melt away, and al that dwel therein shall mourne, and it shall rise vp wholy like a flood, and shall bee drowned as by the flood of Egypt.

Amos 9:6 He buildeth his spheres in the heauen, and hath laide the foundation of his globe of elements in the earth: hee calleth the waters of the sea, and powreth them out vpon the open earth: the Lord is his Name.

Amos 9:7 Are ye not as the Ethiopians vnto mee, O children of Israel, sayeth the Lord? haue not I brought vp Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistims from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?

Amos 9:8 Beholde, the eyes of the Lord God are vpon the sinfull kingdome, and I will destroy it cleane out of the earth. Neuerthelesse I will not vtterly destroy the house of Iaakob, saith the Lord.

Amos 9:9 For loe, I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corne is sifted in a sieue: yet shall not the least stone fall vpon the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ethiopians", "vnto", "children", "israel", "sayeth", "lord", "haue", and "brought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ethiopians" and "vnto", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "He buildeth his spheres in the heauen..." into verse 8's "Beholde the eyes of the Lord God...", so "ethiopians" and "vnto" 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 "ethiopians" and "vnto" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.