Amos 1:3 (LSB)

Passage

Thus says Yahweh, “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not turn back its punishment Because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron.

Nearby Context

Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he beheld in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:2 And he said, “Yahweh roars from Zion And from Jerusalem He gives forth His voice; And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, And the top of Carmel dries up.”

Amos 1:3 Thus says Yahweh, “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not turn back its punishment Because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron.

Amos 1:4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael, And it will consume the citadels of Ben‑hadad.

Amos 1:5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus And cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven And him who holds the scepter from Beth‑eden; So the people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” Says Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "thus", "says", "yahweh", "three", "damascus", "four", and "turn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "transgressions" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And he said Yahweh roars from Zion..." into verse 4's "So I will send fire upon the...", so "transgressions" and "thus" 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 "transgressions" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.