Amos 5:20 (WEB)

Passage

Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Nearby Context

Amos 5:18 “Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light.

Amos 5:19 As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

Amos 5:20 Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Amos 5:21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

Amos 5:22 Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "yahweh", "even", "very", 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 if a man fled from a..." into verse 21's "I hate I despise your feasts and...", 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.