Amos 3:8 (LSB)

Passage

A lion has roared! Who will not fear? Lord Yahweh has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

Nearby Context

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?

Amos 3:7 Surely Lord Yahweh does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His slaves the prophets.

Amos 3:8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? Lord Yahweh has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

Amos 3:9 Make it heard on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Gather yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see the great confusions within her and the oppressions in her midst.

Amos 3:10 But they do not know how to do what is right,” declares Yahweh, “these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lion", "roared", "fear", "lord", "yahweh", "spoken", and "prophesy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lion" and "roared", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Surely Lord Yahweh does nothing Unless He..." into verse 9's "Make it heard on the citadels in...", so "lion" and "roared" 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 "lion" and "roared" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.