Amos 9:4

Amos 9:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
• New International Version (NIV)Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. “I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword, And it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”

Context of Amos 9:4

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. And if they are driven by their enemies into captivity, from there I will command the sword to kill them. I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good. 5The Lord, the God of Armies — he touches the earth; it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn; all of it rises like the Nile and subsides like the Nile of Egypt. 6He builds his upper chambers in the heavens and lays the foundation of his vault on the earth. He summons the water of the sea and pours it out over the surface of the earth. The Lord is his name.

Amos 9:4 word by word

וְאִם־יֵלְכ֤וּ בַשְּׁבִי֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹֽיבֵיהֶ֔ם מִשָּׁ֛ם אֲצַוֶּ֥ה אֶת־הַחֶ֖רֶב וַהֲרָגָ֑תַם וְשַׂמְתִּ֨י עֵינִ֧י עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם לְרָעָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א לְטוֹבָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And though they goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• into captivityשְׁבִיshebîy · captivityH7628
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• their enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• thence will I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• and it shall slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• them: and I will setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• mine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• upon them for evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
• and not for goodטוֹבָהţôb · welfareH2896

Cross-references for Amos 9:4

• Leviticus 26:33But I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw a sword to chase after you. So your land will become desolate, and your cities will become ruins.
• Deuteronomy 28:64Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.
• Ezekiel 5:2You are to burn a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword to chase after them.
• Zechariah 13:8In the whole land — this is the Lord’s declaration — two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it.
• Leviticus 17:10“Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them who eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people.
• Deuteronomy 28:63Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess.
• 2 Chronicles 16:9For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.”
• Psalms 34:15The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.
• Jeremiah 24:6I will keep my eyes on them for their good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not demolish them; I will plant them and not uproot them.
• Jeremiah 44:11“Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster, to cut off all Judah.

Commentaries on Amos 9:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4I will set mine eyes upon them for evil - I will use that very providence against them which before worked for their good. Should they look upward, they shall see nothing but the terrible lightning-like eye of a sin-avenging God.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Captivity - , at least, seemed safe. The horrors of war are over. Men enslave, but do not commonly destroy those whom they have once been at the pains to carry captive. Amos describes them in their misery, as “going” willingly, gladly, “into captivity before their enemies,” like a flock of sheep. Yet “thence” too, out of “the captivity,” God would command the sword, and it should slay them. So God had forewarned them by Moses, that captivity should be an…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4God is everywhere (compare Psalm 139:7–12). When people trust, believe, and obey God, his presence is a great blessing. However, because Israel rejected God's message, his presence would bring judgment instead of comfort.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. though they go into captivity--hoping to save their lives by voluntarily surrendering to the foe.Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 9:4

• God Continued...
• Judgments
• Readings, Select
• Sin
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Raise
• Amos (1)

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