English Standard Version
Amos 9:3
3If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
Amos 9:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
- New International Version (NIV)Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
- New Living Translation (NLT)Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel, I will search them out and capture them. Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean, I will send the sea serpent after them to bite them.
Context of Amos 9:3
1I 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. 2"If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. 4And 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." 5The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
Read all of Amos 9Amos 9:3 word by word
וְאִם־יֵחָֽבְאוּ֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הַכַּרְמֶ֔ל מִשָּׁ֥ם אֲחַפֵּ֖שׂ וּלְקַחְתִּ֑ים וְאִם־יִסָּ֨תְר֜וּ מִנֶּ֤גֶד עֵינַי֙ בְּקַרְקַ֣ע הַיָּ֔ם מִשָּׁ֛ם אֲצַוֶּ֥ה אֶת־הַנָּחָ֖שׁ וּנְשָׁכָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And though they hideחָבָאchâbâ' · to hideH2244
- themselves in the topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- of Carmelכַּרְמֶלkarmel · CarmelH3760
- I will searchחָפַשׂchâphaώ · to searchH2664
- and take them outלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- thence; and though they be hidסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641
- from my sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
- in the bottomקַרְקַעqarqa‛ · floorH7172
- of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- thence will I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- the serpentנָחָשׁnâchâsh · serpentH5175
- and he shall biteנָשַׁךְnâshak · to biteH5391
Cross-references for Amos 9:3
- Job 34:22There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.
- Jeremiah 23:23"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away?
- Psalms 139:9If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
- Jeremiah 16:16"Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
- Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Commentaries on Amos 9:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Though they hide themselves - All these are metaphorical expressions, to show the impossibility of escape.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3He had contrasted heaven and hell, as places impossible for man to reach; as I David says, “If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there: If l make my bed in hell, behold Thee” Psalm 139:8. Now, of places in a manner accessible, he contrasts Mount Carmel, which rises abruptly out of the sea, with depths of that ocean which it overhangs. Carmel was in two ways a hiding place. 1) Through its caves (some say 1,000, some 2,000) with which it is perforated, whose…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Mount Carmel is not the tallest mountain in the area, but it often symbolizes the land's beauty and richness. the serpent: In the ancient Near East, people saw the sea as a symbol of chaos, often opposing the national god (compare Psalms 74:14; 89:10; 104:26). The biblical text does not treat the sea monster as a god. Leviathan, also called Rahab, is shown as a creature under the Lord’s authority (Psalm 89:9–10). God commands and judges this creature…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Carmel--where the forests, and, on the west side, the caves, furnished hiding-places (Am 1:2; Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6). the sea--the Mediterranean, which flows at the foot of Mount Carmel; forming a strong antithesis to it. command the serpent--the sea-serpent, a term used for any great water monster (Is 27:1). The symbol of cruel and oppressive kings (Psa 74:13, 14).Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 9:3
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries