Amos 5:20 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Amos 5:22 Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "yahweh", "instead", "even", "thick", and "brightness". 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 19's "As when a man flees from a..." into verse 21's "I hate I reject your feasts Nor...", so "light" and "darkness" 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 "light" and "darkness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.