Amos 9:4 (WEB)

Passage

Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

Nearby Context

Amos 9:2 Though they dig into Sheol, there my hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, there I will bring them down.

Amos 9:3 Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them.

Amos 9:4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

Amos 9:5 For the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, is he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell in it will mourn; and it will rise up wholly like the River, and will sink again, like the River of Egypt.

Amos 9:6 It is he who builds his rooms in the heavens, and has founded his vault on the earth; he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth; Yahweh is his name.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "for good", "though", "captivity", "before", "enemies", "command", "sword", and "kill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "for good" and "though", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Though they hide themselves in the top..." into verse 5's "For the Lord Yahweh of Armies is...", so "for good" and "though" 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 "for good" and "though" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.