English Standard Version
Amos 7:2
2When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
Amos 7:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
- New International Version (NIV)When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
- New King James Version (NKJV)And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: “O Lord God, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!”
- New Living Translation (NLT)In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”
Context of Amos 7:2
1This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" 3The Lord relented concerning this: "It shall not be," said the Lord. 4This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land.
Read all of Amos 7Amos 7:2 word by word
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־כִּלָּה֙ לֶֽאֱכוֹל֙ אֶת־עֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָ֔רֶץ וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ סְֽלַֽח־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- when they had made an endכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: finishH3615
- of eatingאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- the grassעֵ֫שֶׂב‛eώeb · vegetationH6212
- of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- then I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- O Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- forgiveסָלַחsâlach · to forgiveH5545
- I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
- ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- smallקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
Cross-references for Amos 7:2
- Exodus 10:15They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
- Revelation 9:4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
- Amos 7:5Then I said, "O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
- Exodus 32:11But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
- Exodus 34:9And he said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance."
- Numbers 14:17And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
- Jeremiah 14:7"Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.
- Daniel 9:19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."
- James 5:15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
- Isaiah 51:19These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you?
- Ezekiel 9:8And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, "Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?"
- Ezekiel 11:13And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, "Ah, Lord God! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?"
- Psalms 12:1Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
- Psalms 44:24Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
- Isaiah 37:4It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.'"
- Jeremiah 42:2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us—
Commentaries on Amos 7:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2By whom shall Jacob arise? - The locusts, the symbols of the many enemies that had impoverished Jerusalem, having devoured much of the produce of the land, were proceeding, till, at the intercession of the prophet, they were removed. Then, seeing in the light of prophecy the nation in every sense brought low, he cries, "By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small." Calmet justly remarks: "After the death of Jeroboam the second, the kingdom, so flourishing…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2since he is so small?: The kingdom's population was too small to survive such a large loss.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. by whom shall Jacob arise?--If Thou, O God, dost not spare, how can Jacob maintain his ground, reduced as he is by repeated attacks of the Assyrians, and erelong about to be invaded by the Assyrian Pul (2Ki 15:19, 20)? Compare Is 51:19. The mention of "Jacob" is a plea that God should "remember for them His covenant" with their forefather, the patriarch (Psa 106:45). he is small--reduced in numbers and in strength.Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 7:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Amos 7
- 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
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Commentaries