Amos 3:4 (LSB)

Passage

Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion give forth its voice from its den unless it has captured something?

Nearby Context

Amos 3:2 “You only have I known among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Amos 3:3 Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?

Amos 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion give forth its voice from its den unless it has captured something?

Amos 3:5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?

Amos 3:6 If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity happens in a city has not Yahweh done it?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "does", "lion", "roar", "forest", "prey", and "young". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "does" and "lion", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Do two men walk together unless they..." into verse 5's "Does a bird fall into a trap...", so "does" and "lion" 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 "does" and "lion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.