English Standard Version
Amos 4:1
1"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!'
Amos 4:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
- New International Version (NIV)Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
- New King James Version (NKJV)Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Listen to me, you fat cows living in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who are always calling to your husbands, “Bring us another drink!”
Context of Amos 4:1
"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!' 2The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. 3And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon," declares the Lord.
Read all of Amos 4Amos 4:1 word by word
שִׁמְע֞וּ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה פָּר֤וֹת הַבָּשָׁן֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּהַ֣ר שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן הָעֹשְׁק֣וֹת דַּלִּ֔ים הָרֹצְצ֖וֹת אֶבְיוֹנִ֑ים הָאֹמְרֹ֥ת לַאֲדֹֽנֵיהֶ֖ם הָבִ֥יאָה וְנִשְׁתֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- this wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- ye kineפָּרָהpârâh · heiferH6510
- of Bashanבָּשָׁןbâshân · BashanH1316
- in the mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- of Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
- which oppressעָשַׁק‛âshaq · to oppressH6231
- the poorדַּלdal · poorH1800
- which crushרָצַץrâtsats · to crushH7533
- the needyאֶבְיוֹן'ebyôn · needyH34
- which sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to their mastersאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
- Bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- and let us drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
Cross-references for Amos 4:1
- Deuteronomy 32:14Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
- Psalms 22:12Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
- Jeremiah 50:11"Though you rejoice, though you exult, O plunderers of my heritage, though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture, and neigh like stallions,
- Ezekiel 39:18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan.
- Amos 6:1"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!
- 1 Kings 16:24He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
- Amos 2:6Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—
- Amos 3:9Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst."
- Amos 5:11Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
- Amos 8:4Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end,
- Exodus 22:21"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 15:9Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.
- Psalms 12:5"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord; "I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
- Psalms 140:12I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.
- Proverbs 22:22Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
- Proverbs 23:10Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,
Commentaries on Amos 4:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan - Such an address was quite natural from the herdsman of Tekoa. Bashan was famous for the fertility of its soil, and its flocks and herds; and the prophet here represents the iniquitous, opulent, idle, lazy drones, whether men or women, under the idea of fatted bullocks, which were shortly to be led out to the slaughter.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Hear ye this, ye kine of Bashan - The pastures of Bashan were very rich, and it had its name probably from its richness of soil. The Batanea of later times was a province only of the kingdom of Bashan, which, with half of Gilead, was given to the half tribe of Manasseh. For the Bashan of Og included Golan Deuteronomy 4:43, (the capital of the subsequent Gaulonitis, now Jaulan) Beeshterah Joshua 21:27, (or Ashtaroth) 1 Chronicles 6:71, very probably Bostra…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Israel is reproved. (1-5) Their impenitence shown. (6-13) Verses 1-5 What is got by extortion is commonly used to provide for the flesh, and to fulfil the lusts thereof. What is got by oppression cannot be enjoyed with satisfaction. How miserable are those whose confidence in unscriptural observances only prove that they believe a lie! Let us see to it that our faith, hope, and worship, are warranted by the Divine word.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1you cows of Bashan: Bashan was famous for its fierce, fat bulls (Psalm 22:12; Ezekiel 39:18). Amos uses the feminine form (cows) to describe Israel’s wealthy wives, who ignored the poor. They only cared about taking enough wealth from the needy to support their own lifestyles.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-131. kine of Bashan--fat and wanton cattle such as the rich pasture of Bashan (east of Jordan, between Hermon and Gilead) was famed for (De 32:14; Psa 22:12; Eze 39:18). Figurative for those luxurious nobles mentioned, Am 3:9, 10, 12, 15. The feminine, kine, or cows, not bulls, expresses their effeminacy. This accounts for masculine forms in the Hebrew being intermixed with feminine; the latter being figurative, the former the real persons meant. say to…Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 4:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Amos 4
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries