Amos 8:12

Amos 8:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
• New International Version (NIV)People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it.

Context of Amos 8:12

10I will turn your festivals into funerals and all your songs into funeral songs. I will put sackcloth around everyone’s waist and shave everyone’s head. I will make that day seem like a funeral for an only child, and its end will be bitter. 11The days are going to come, declares the Almighty Lord, when I will send a famine throughout the land. It won’t be an ordinary famine or drought. Instead, there will be a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will wander from sea to sea and roam from the north to the east, searching for the Lord’s word. But they won’t find it. 13On that day beautiful young women and strong young men will faint because of their thirst. 14⌞How horrible it will be for⌟ those who swear by Ashimah, the idol of Samaria, and say, “I solemnly swear, Dan, as your god lives….” “I solemnly swear as long as there is a road to Beersheba….” Those who say this will fall and never get up again.

Amos 8:12 word by word

וְנָעוּ֙ מִיָּ֣ם עַד־יָ֔ם וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח יְשֽׁוֹטְט֛וּ לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִמְצָֽאוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they shall wanderנוּעַnûa‛ · to shakeH5128
• from seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and from the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
• even to the eastמִזְרָחmizrâch · eastH4217
• they shall run to and froשׁוּטshûţ · to roveH7751
• to seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and shall not findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672

Cross-references for Amos 8:12

• Proverbs 14:6A mocker searches for wisdom without finding it, but knowledge comes easily to a person who has understanding.
• Daniel 12:4“But you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal the book until the end times. Many will travel everywhere, and knowledge will grow.”
• Matthew 11:25At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from wise and intelligent people and revealing them to little children.
• Matthew 12:30“Whoever isn’t with me is against me. Whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.
• Matthew 24:23“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’
• Romans 9:31The people of Israel tried to gain God’s approval by obeying the laws in Moses’ Teachings, but they did not reach their goal.
• Romans 11:7So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed,
• 2 Timothy 3:6Some of these men go into homes and mislead weak-minded women who are burdened with sins and led by all kinds of desires.

Commentaries on Amos 8:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12They shall wander front sea to sea - From the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea or from west to east, and from north to south, to seek the word of the Lord; to find a prophet, or any person authorized by God to show them the end of their calamities. In this state they shall continue, because they have rejected Him who is the bread of life.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12They shall wander - Literally, “reel.” The word is used of the reeling of drunkards, of the swaying to and fro of trees in the wind, of the quivering of the lips of one agitated, and then of the unsteady seeking of persons bewildered, looking for what they know not where to find. “From sea to sea,” from the sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean, that is, from east to west, “and from the north even to the sunrising,” round again to the east, from where their…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-14Verses 11-14 Here was a token of God's highest displeasure. At any time, and most in a time of trouble, a famine of the word of God is the heaviest judgment. To many this is no affliction, yet some will feel it very much, and will travel far to hear a good sermon; they feel the loss of the mercies others foolishly sin away. But when God visits a backsliding church, their own plans and endeavours to find out a way of salvation, will stand them in no stead…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12from sea to sea: Israel's natural boundaries stretch from sea to sea. The Mediterranean Sea is on the west, and the Dead Sea is on the east. The other borders are simply called the north and the east.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. they shall wander from sea to sea--that is, from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean, from east to west. from ... north ... to ... east--where we might expect "from north to south." But so alienated was Israel from Judah, that no Israelite even then would think of repairing southward, that is, to Jerusalem for religious information. The circuit is traced as in Nu 34:3, &c., except that the south is omitted. Their "seeking the word of the Lord" would not…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 8:12

• Hunger
• Seekers
• Thirst
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Vision

Commentaries on Amos 8

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings