Amos 5:18 (LSB)

Passage

Woe, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, For what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

Nearby Context

Amos 5:16 Therefore thus says Yahweh God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They also call the farmer to mourning And professional weepers to wailing.

Amos 5:17 And in all the vineyards there is wailing Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says Yahweh.

Amos 5:18 Woe, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, For what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

Amos 5:19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him; Or he goes home, leans his hand against the wall, And a snake bites him.

Amos 5:20 Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness instead of light, Even thick darkness with no brightness in it?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "purpose", "light", "darkness", "longing", and "yahweh". It is saying that the contrast between light and darkness marks a real divide in how people respond to God's work.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And in all the vineyards there is..." into verse 19's "As when a man flees from a...", so "purpose" and "light" 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 "purpose" and "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.