Amos 5:8

Amos 5:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:
• New International Version (NIV)He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land— the Lord is his name.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name;
• New King James Version (NKJV)He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.

Context of Amos 5:8

6Return to the Lord and you will live. If you do not do that, he will come like fire to punish you. He will completely destroy Joseph's descendants. Bethel and all its people will burn. Nobody will be able to stop the fire. 7You people change what is right and true to make lies. You are not fair or honest. The Lord made the groups of stars called Pleiades and Orion. The Lord changes the night into dawn, and he changes the day back to night again. He takes the water in the sea, and he pours it out as rain on the earth. The Lord is his name! 9He quickly destroys strong people. He knocks down their strong buildings and their walls. 10‘You Israelites hate honest judges. You laugh at anyone who speaks the truth.

Amos 5:8 word by word

עֹשֵׂ֨ה כִימָ֜ה וּכְסִ֗יל וְהֹפֵ֤ךְ לַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ צַלְמָ֔וֶת וְי֖וֹם לַ֣יְלָה הֶחְשִׁ֑יךְ הַקּוֹרֵ֣א לְמֵֽי־הַיָּ֗ם וַֽיִּשְׁפְּכֵ֛ם עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ יְהוָ֥ה שְׁמֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• that makethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• the seven starsכִּימָהkîymâh · PleiadesH3598
• and Orionכְּסִילkesîyl · OrionH3685
• and turnethהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• the shadow of deathצַלְמָ֫וֶתtsalmâveth · shadowH6757
• into the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• and maketh the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• darkחָשַׁךְchâshak · to darkenH2821
• with nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• that callethקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• for the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and poureth them outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
• upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• his nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034

Cross-references for Amos 5:8

• Job 9:9He put the groups of stars in their places. He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades. He put the groups of stars in the southern sky.
• Job 38:31You cannot make the stars of the Pleiades stay in their places. You cannot change the shape of Orion.
• Job 12:22He shows people things that have been secrets. He shines light into dark places.
• Job 38:12But you, Job, did you ever command the morning to begin? No! You have never in your whole life told the sun when it should rise.
• Psalms 107:10Some people sat in a completely dark place. Iron chains held them as prisoners, and they were very sad.
• Matthew 4:16They are like people who are living in the dark. They live in the shadow which death brings. God will send a light to shine on them.’
• Luke 1:79He will bring light to people who are living without God. It is like those people are living in the dark. They are afraid to die. But he will shine on them. He will show us how to live so that we will not be afraid.’
• Amos 4:13I made the mountains and I made the wind. I tell people what I have decided to do. I change dawn into night. I walk on the high places of the earth. My name is the Lord God Almighty.’
• Amos 8:9The Lord God says, ‘At that time, I will make the sun go down at noon. I will make the earth become dark in the daytime.
• Exodus 10:21Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift up your hand towards the sky. Then it will become dark over the whole country of Egypt. It will be so dark that people will be able to feel it.’
• Exodus 14:24Just before dawn, the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud with fire in it. He saw the Egyptian army and he made them become confused.
• Psalms 104:20At night you make it dark, so that the forest animals come out.
• Psalms 105:28God made all the land become dark. But the Egyptians did not obey God's command.
• Isaiah 59:10Like blind people, we touch the wall to find our way. It seems that we have no eyes to see with. Even at midday, we trip and we fall down, as if it was dark. We are like dead people who live among strong people.
• Amos 9:6The Lord builds his palace up into heaven, with its foundation on the earth. He takes up the water from the sea, and he pours it out on the earth as rain. The Lord is his name.
• Genesis 7:11When Noah was 600 years old, on the 17th day of the second month, streams of water came up everywhere from below the earth. Also, the water in the heavens poured down on the earth.

Commentaries on Amos 5:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8That maketh the seven stars and Orion - Or, Hyades and Arcturus, Kimah and Kesil. See my notes on Job 9:9; Job 38:32, where the subject of this verse is largely considered. Turneth the shadow of death into the morning - Who makes day and night, light and darkness. Calleth for the waters of the sea - Raising them up by evaporation, and collecting them into clouds. And poureth them out - Causing them to drop down in showers upon the face of the earth. Who…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Seek Him that maketh the seven stars - Misbelief effaces the thought of God as He Is. It retains the name God, but means something quite different from the One True God. So people spoke of “the Deity,” as a sort of First Cause of all things, and did not perceive that they only meant to own that this fair harmony of things created was not (at least as it now exists,) self-existent, and that they had lost sight of the Personal God who had made known to them…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-17Verses 7-17 The same almighty power can, for repenting sinners, easily turn affliction and sorrow into prosperity and joy, and as easily turn the prosperity of daring sinners into utter darkness. Evil times will not bear plain dealing; that is, evil men will not. And these men were evil men indeed, when wise and good men thought it in vain even to speak to them. Those who will seek and love that which is good, may help to save the land from ruin. It…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9Amos quotes another hymn fragment (see Amos 4:13; 9:5–6). The prophet highlights the difference between the cosmic God and local gods. Stars, celestial bodies, and constellations like Pleiades and Orion were seen as gods in ancient times. Amos says this is not true; the Lord created them and placed them in the sky. waters: People in ancient times observed a process they did not understand, such as evaporation and condensation (when water turns into vapor…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. the seven stars--literally, the heap or cluster of seven larger stars and others smaller (Job 9:9; 38:31). The former whole passage seems to have been in Amos' mind. He names the stars well known to shepherds (to which class Amos belonged), Orion as the precursor of the tempests which are here threatened, and the Pleiades as ushering in spring. shadow of death--Hebraism for the densest darkness. calleth for the waters of the sea--both to send deluges…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 5:8

• Astronomy
• Colors
• Constellations
• Evaporation
• God
• Orion
• Pleiades
• Seekers
• Seven
• Stars
• War

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Seven Stars
• Shadow of Death
• Astronomy
• Manifold
• Orion
• Pleiades
• Seek
• Stars
• Amos (1)

Commentaries on Amos 5

• 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