New International Version
Amos 7:4
4This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.
Amos 7:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
- English Standard Version (ESV)This 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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land.
Context of Amos 7:4
2When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 3So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 6So the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
Read all of Amos 7Amos 7:4 word by word
כֹּ֤ה הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קֹרֵ֛א לָרִ֥ב בָּאֵ֖שׁ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ אֶת־תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה אֶת־הַחֵֽלֶק׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thus hath the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- shewedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- to contendרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
- by fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- and it devouredאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- the greatרַבrab · manyH7227
- deepתְּהוֹםtehôm tehôm · abyssH8415
- a partחֵ֫לֶקchêleq · portionH2506
Cross-references for Amos 7:4
- Amos 7:1This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up.
- Revelation 4:1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
- Amos 1:4I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
- Amos 4:11“I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
- Amos 5:6Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
- Exodus 9:23When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt;
- Leviticus 10:2So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
- Numbers 16:35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
- Isaiah 27:4I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.
- Isaiah 66:15See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
- Jeremiah 4:4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.
- Jeremiah 21:12This is what the Lord says to you, house of David: “ ‘Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.
- Joel 2:30I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
- Micah 1:4The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.
- Nahum 1:6Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
- Hebrews 1:7In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.”
Commentaries on Amos 7:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The Lord God called to contend by fire - Permitted war, both civil and foreign, to harass the land, after the death of Jeroboam the second. These wars would have totally destroyed it, had not the prophet interceded. It devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part - We are here to understand the partially destructive wars which afterwards took place; for the Lord causes all these things to pass before the eyes of Amos in the vision of prophecy; and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4God called to contend by fire - that is, He “called” His people to maintain their cause with Him “by fire,” as He says, “I will plead” in judgment “with him” (Gog) “with” (that is,” by”) pestilence and blood” Ezekiel 38:22; and, “by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh” Isaiah 66:16; and, “The Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge the people” Isaiah 3:13. Man, by rebellion, challenges God‘s Omnipotence. He will have none of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4This fire represents extreme heat and drought. the great deep: The Hebrew word refers to the sea, but Amos likely did not think the Mediterranean would vanish. It is probably a poetic reference to large freshwater bodies, like the Kinnereth Sea or Sea of Galilee, which Israel could use for irrigation.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. called to contend--that is, with Israel judicially (Job 9:3; Is 66:16; Eze 38:22). He ordered to come at His call the infliction of punishment by "fire" on Israel, that is, drought (compare Am 4:6-11), [Maurer]. Rather, war (Nu 21:28), namely, Tiglath-pileser [Grotius]. devoured the ... deep--that is, a great part of Israel, whom he carried away. Waters are the symbol for many people (Re 17:15). did eat up a part--namely, all the land (compare Am 4:7)…Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 7:4
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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries