Amos 5:19 (LSB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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?

Amos 5:21 “I hate, I reject your feasts, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flees", "lion", "bear", "meets", "goes", "home", "leans", and "hand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flees" and "lion", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Woe you who are longing for the..." into verse 20's "Will not the day of Yahweh be...", so "flees" 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 "flees" and "lion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.