Amos 5:9 (LSB)

Passage

It is He who flashes forth with devastation upon the strong So that devastation comes upon the fortification.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:7 For those who overturn justice into wormwood And put righteousness down to the earth.”

Amos 5:8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion And overturns the shadow of death into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is His name.

Amos 5:9 It is He who flashes forth with devastation upon the strong So that devastation comes upon the fortification.

Amos 5:10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity.

Amos 5:11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And take a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of cut stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted desirable vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flashes", "forth", "devastation", "upon", "strong", and "comes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flashes" and "forth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "He who made the Pleiades and Orion..." into verse 10's "They hate him who reproves in the...", so "flashes" and "forth" 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 "flashes" and "forth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.