Amos 1:3 (YLT)

Passage

And thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their threshing Gilead with sharp-pointed irons,

Nearby Context

Amos 1:1 Words of Amos--who hath been among herdsmen of Tekoa--that he hath seen concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking;

Amos 1:2 and he saith: Jehovah from Zion doth roar, And from Jerusalem giveth forth His voice, And mourned have pastures of the shepherds, And withered hath the top of Carmel!

Amos 1:3 And thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their threshing Gilead with sharp-pointed irons,

Amos 1:4 And I have sent a fire against the house of Hazael, And it hath consumed the palaces of Ben-Hadad.

Amos 1:5 And I have broken the bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from Bikat-Aven, And a holder of a sceptre from Beth-Eden, And removed have been the people of Aram to Kir, said Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "thus", "said", "jehovah", "three", "damascus", "four", and "reverse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "transgressions" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "and he saith Jehovah from Zion doth..." into verse 4's "And I have sent a fire against...", so "transgressions" and "thus" 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 "transgressions" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.