Amos 4:3 (YLT)

Passage

And <FI>by<Fi> breaches ye go forth, A woman <FI>at that<Fi> over-against her, And ye have cast down the high place, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Amos 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, Who <FI>are<Fi> in the mountain of Samaria, Who are oppressing the poor, Who are bruising the needy, Who are saying to their lords: `Bring in, and we do drink.'

Amos 4:2 Sworn hath the Lord Jehovah by His holiness, That lo, days are coming upon you, And he hath taken you away with hooks, And your posterity with fish-hooks.

Amos 4:3 And <FI>by<Fi> breaches ye go forth, A woman <FI>at that<Fi> over-against her, And ye have cast down the high place, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Amos 4:4 Enter ye Beth-El, and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression, And bring in every morning your sacrifices, Every third year your tithes.

Amos 4:5 And perfume with leaven a thank-offering, And proclaim willing gifts, sound ye! For so ye have loved, O sons of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breaches", "forth", "woman", "over-against", "cast", "down", "high", and "place". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "breaches" and "forth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Sworn hath the Lord Jehovah by His..." into verse 4's "Enter ye Beth-El and transgress At Gilgal...", so "breaches" and "forth" 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 "breaches" and "forth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.