Amos 9:1

Amos 9:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
• New International Version (NIV)I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: "Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: “Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, And break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.

Context of Amos 9:1

I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the capitals of the pillars so that the thresholds shake; knock them down on the heads of all the people. Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape. 2If they dig down to Sheol, from there my hand will take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. 3If they hide on the top of Carmel, from there I will track them down and seize them; if they conceal themselves from my sight on the sea floor, from there I will command the sea serpent to bite them.

Amos 9:1 word by word

רָאִ֨יתִי אֶת־אֲדֹנָ֜י נִצָּ֣ב עַֽל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַ וַיֹּאמֶר֩ הַ֨ךְ הַכַּפְתּ֜וֹר וְיִרְעֲשׁ֣וּ הַסִּפִּ֗ים וּבְצַ֙עַם֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ כֻּלָּ֔ם וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖ם בַּחֶ֣רֶב אֶהֱרֹ֑ג לֹֽא־יָנ֤וּס לָהֶם֙ נָ֔ס וְלֹֽא־יִמָּלֵ֥ט לָהֶ֖ם פָּלִֽיט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• standingנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• upon the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• the lintel of the doorכַּפְתּוֹרkaphtôr kaphtôr · capitalH3730
• that the postsסַףsaph · thresholdH5592
• may shakeרָעַשׁrâ‛ash · to shakeH7493
• and cutבָּצַעbâtsa‛ · to cut offH1214
• them in the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• all of them; and I will slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• the lastאַחֲרִית'achărîyth · endH319
• of them with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• he that fleethנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• and he that escapethפָּלִיטpâlîyţ pâlêyţ pâlêţ · survivorH6412
• of them shall not be deliveredמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422

Cross-references for Amos 9:1

• 2 Chronicles 18:18Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing at his right hand and at his left hand.
• Isaiah 6:1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple.
• Ezekiel 1:28The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the Lord’s glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
• John 1:18No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side — he has revealed him.
• Acts 26:13King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.
• Revelation 1:17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
• Amos 3:14I will punish the altars of Bethel on the day I punish Israel for its crimes; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
• Ezekiel 9:2And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen, carrying writing equipment. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
• Ezekiel 10:4Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.
• Isaiah 6:3And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.
• Zechariah 11:1Open your gates, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars.
• Psalms 68:21Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies, the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.
• Habakkuk 3:13You come out to save your people, to save your anointed. You crush the leader of the house of the wicked and strip him from foot to neck.Selah
• Amos 2:14Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not maintain his strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
• Isaiah 24:17Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth.
• Isaiah 30:16You say, “No! We will escape on horses” — therefore you will escape! — and, “We will ride on fast horses” — but those who pursue you will be faster.

Commentaries on Amos 9:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I saw the Lord standing upon the altar - As this is a continuation of the preceding prophecy, the altar here may be one of those either at Dan or Beer-sheba. Smite the lintel - Either the piece of timber that binds the wall above the door, or the upper part of the door frame, in which the cheeks, or side posts, are inserted, and which corresponds to the threshold, or lower part of the door frame. And cut them in the head - Let all the lintels of all the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1I saw the Lord - He saw God in vision; yet God no more, as before, asked him what he saw. God no longer shows him emblems of the destruction, but the destruction itself. Since Amos had just been speaking of the idolatry of Samaria, as the ground of its utter destruction, doubtless this vision of such utter destruction of the place of worship, with and upon the worshipers, relates to those same idolaters and idoltries. True, the condenmation of Israel…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The ruin of Israel. (1-10) The restoration of the Jews and the gospel blessing. (11-15) Verses 1-10 The prophet, in vision, saw the Lord standing upon the idolatrous altar at Bethel. Wherever sinners flee from God's justice, it will overtake them. Those whom God brings to heaven by his grace, shall never be cast down; but those who seek to climb thither by vain confidence in themselves, will be cast down and filled with shame. That which makes escape…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1I saw the Lord (see Amos 7:1): God stopped explaining how or why he would punish Israel; he was ready to act. beside the altar: Judgment must start at the center of worship (compare 1 Peter 4:17). This altar likely refers to the Bethel shrine, but it could also mean the temple in Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-15None can escape the coming judgment in any hiding-place: for God is omnipresent and irresistible (Am 9:1-6). As a kingdom, Israel shall perish as if it never was in covenant with Him: but as individuals the house of Jacob shall not utterly perish, nay, not one of the least of the righteous shall fall, but only all the sinners (Am 9:7-10). Restoration of the Jews finally to their own land after the re-establishment of the fallen tabernacle of David…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 9:1

• Judgments
• Prophets
• Readings, Select
• Sin
• Vision
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Lintel
• Raise
• Amos (1)
• Bethel
• Cut; Cutting

Commentaries on Amos 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings