Amos 4:9 (LSB)

Passage

“I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; And the gnawing locust was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:7 “And I also withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, And on another city I would not send rain; One portion would be rained on, While the portion not rained on would dry up.

Amos 4:8 So two or three cities would wander around to another city to drink water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Amos 4:9 “I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; And the gnawing locust was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Amos 4:10 “I sent a pestilence among you after the manner of Egypt; I killed your choice men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Amos 4:11 “I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand delivered from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "struck", "scorching", "wind", "mildew", "gnawing", "locust", "devouring", and "gardens". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "struck" and "scorching", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "So two or three cities would wander..." into verse 10's "I sent a pestilence among you after...", so "struck" and "scorching" 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 "struck" and "scorching" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.