Amos 3:4 (WEB)

Passage

Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?

Nearby Context

Amos 3:2 “I have only chosen you of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.”

Amos 3:3 Do two walk together, unless they have agreed?

Amos 3:4 Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?

Amos 3:5 Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth, where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when there is nothing to catch?

Amos 3:6 Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lion", "roar", "thicket", "prey", "does", "young", and "caught". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lion" and "roar", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Do two walk together unless they have..." into verse 5's "Can a bird fall in a trap...", so "lion" and "roar" 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 "lion" and "roar" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.