Amos 4:10 (WEB)

Passage

“I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt. I have slain your young men with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:8 So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.

Amos 4:9 “I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards; and your fig trees and your olive trees have the swarming locust devoured: yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.

Amos 4:10 “I sent plagues among you like I did Egypt. I have slain your young men with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camp, yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.

Amos 4:11 “I have overthrown some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire; yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.

Amos 4:12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sent", "plagues", "like", "egypt", "slain", "young", "sword", and "carried". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sent" and "plagues", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "I struck you with blight and mildew..." into verse 11's "I have overthrown some of you as...", so "sent" and "plagues" 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 "sent" and "plagues" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.