Amos 9:3

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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;

Context of Amos 9:3

1I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations shake. Cut off everyone’s head. I will kill with a sword all who are left. None of them will be able to get away. None of them will be able to escape. 2Even if they dig their way into Sheol, my hand will take them from there. Even if they go up to heaven, I will bring them down from there. Even if they hide on top of Mount Carmel, I will look for them and take them from there. Even if they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, I will command a sea snake to bite them. 4Even if they go into exile ahead of their enemies, I will command a sword to kill them. I will keep my eyes on them so that I can bring disaster on them and not help them. 5The Almighty Lord of Armies touches the earth. It quakes, and all who live on it mourn. All of it rises like the Nile and sinks like Egypt’s river.

Amos 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’s no darkness or deep shadow where troublemakers can hide.
• Jeremiah 23:23“I am a God who is near. I am also a God who is far away,” declares the Lord.
• Psalms 139:9If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun ⌞or⌟ land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets,
• Jeremiah 16:16“I’m going to send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch the people of Israel. After that, I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt for them on every mountain and hill and even in the cracks in the rocks.
• Isaiah 27:1On that day the Lord will use his fierce and powerful sword to punish Leviathan, that slippery snake, Leviathan, that twisting snake. He will kill that monster which lives 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

• Carmel
• God Continued...
• Judgments
• Readings, Select
• Serpent
• Sin
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Carmel
• Carmel, Mount Carmel
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Raise
• Amos (1)
• Bottom
• Head
• Night-Monster
• Omnipotence
• Serpent

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