Amos 3:2 (YLT)

Passage

Only you I have known of all families of the land, Therefore I charge on you all your iniquities.

Nearby Context

Amos 3:1 Hear ye this word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O sons of Israel, concerning all the family that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

Amos 3:2 Only you I have known of all families of the land, Therefore I charge on you all your iniquities.

Amos 3:3 Do two walk together if they have not met?

Amos 3:4 Roar doth a lion in a forest and prey he hath none? Give out doth a young lion his voice from his habitation, If he hath not caught?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iniquities", "only", "known", "families", "land", "therefore", and "charge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iniquities" and "only", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Hear ye this word that Jehovah hath..." into verse 3's "Do two walk together if they have...", so "iniquities" and "only" 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 "iniquities" and "only" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.