Amos 3:12 (YLT)

Passage

Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd delivereth from the lion's mouth Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So delivered are the sons of Israel, Who are sitting in Samaria on the corner of a bed, And in Damascus <FI>on that of<Fi> a couch.

Nearby Context

Amos 3:10 And they have not known to act straightforwardly, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are treasuring up violence and spoil in their palaces.

Amos 3:11 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: An adversary--and surrounding the land, And he hath brought down from thee thy strength, And spoiled have been thy palaces.

Amos 3:12 Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd delivereth from the lion's mouth Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So delivered are the sons of Israel, Who are sitting in Samaria on the corner of a bed, And in Damascus <FI>on that of<Fi> a couch.

Amos 3:13 Hear ye and testify to the house of Jacob, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, God of Hosts.

Amos 3:14 For in the day of My charging the transgressions of Israel on him, I have laid a charge on the altars of Beth-El, And cut off have been the horns of the altar, And they have fallen to the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "said", "jehovah", "shepherd", "delivereth", "lion's", "mouth", and "legs". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Therefore thus said the Lord Jehovah An..." into verse 13's "Hear ye and testify to the house...", so "thus" and "said" 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 "thus" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.