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

Then I saw a vision of the Lord. He was standing beside the altar in the temple. The Lord said, ‘Hit the tops of the pillars so that the whole foundation shakes! Cause the building to fall on the heads of all the people. If anyone is still alive after that, I will cause them to die in battle. Nobody will escape! 2They might try to dig deep into the earth to save themselves. But my strong hand will pull them out of there. They might climb up into the sky. But I will pull them down from there. 3They might try to hide on the top of Mount Carmel. But I will find them and I will take them from there. They might try to hide from me deep down in the sea. But I will command the great sea snake 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, ‘So now listen to the Lord's message! I saw the Lord as he was sitting on his throne. The great crowd of his angels in heaven were standing around him, on his right side and on his left side.
• Isaiah 6:1In the year when King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord God. He was sitting high up, on a throne. The ends of his long coat filled the temple.
• Ezekiel 1:28It shone with the colours of a rainbow in the clouds when there is rain. This bright light showed the glory of the Lord, who was there. When I saw this, I bent down low with my face on the ground. I heard a voice that was speaking to me.
• John 1:18Nobody has ever seen God. But God's only Son has shown God to us. He is very near to the Father, and he himself is God.
• Acts 26:13Listen to this, King Agrippa! I was travelling along the road at midday. Suddenly I saw a very bright light in the sky. It was much brighter than the sun. It shone all round me and also round the men who were with me.
• Revelation 1:17When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead person. Then he put his right hand on me, and he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid! I am the one who is the first and also the last.
• Amos 3:14I will punish them because they have not obeyed my Law. I will destroy the altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will break off and they will fall to the ground.
• Ezekiel 9:2Then I looked and I saw six men. They were coming from the higher gate that is on the north side of the temple. Each man carried his weapon and he was ready to kill. A man who was wearing white linen clothes was among them. At his side he had a small box with pens in it. They came in and they stood next to the bronze altar.
• Ezekiel 10:4Then the Lord's bright glory rose up. It went up from above the cherubs. It moved to the entrance of the temple. The cloud filled the temple. The bright glory of the Lord's shone everywhere in the yard.
• Isaiah 6:3The seraphs called out to one another. They said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is full of his great glory.’
• Zechariah 11:1Open your gates, Lebanon, so that the fires can burn down your cedar trees.
• Psalms 68:21He will knock down the heads of his enemies. He will destroy their skulls and their long hair, if they continue to turn against him.
• Habakkuk 3:13You have marched out to rescue your people, and to save your special servant. You have knocked down the leader of the wicked nation. You have removed all his clothes, from head to foot. Selah.
• Amos 2:14You might try to run away. But nobody will get free. Even the fastest runner will not get free. The strong people will not be strong enough to stop me. The soldiers will not be able to save their lives.
• Isaiah 24:17People everywhere on the earth, terror is ready to catch you! You will fall into a deep hole, and a trap will catch you!
• Isaiah 30:16Instead, you say, ‘No! We will run away on horses and we will escape.’ Yes, you will run away! You say, ‘Our horses will run very fast!’ But your enemies who chase you will also be very fast!

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