Amos 3:5 (WEB)

Passage

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?

Nearby Context

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?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bird", "fall", "trap", "earth", "where", "snare", and "does". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bird" and "fall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Will a lion roar in the thicket..." into verse 6's "Does the trumpet alarm sound in a...", so "bird" and "fall" 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 "bird" and "fall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.