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:
• 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;
• 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 by the altar, and he said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape. 2Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens above, from there I will bring them down. 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. 4Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. “I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good.” 5The Lord, the Lord Almighty— he touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn; the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt;

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 is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide.
• Jeremiah 23:23“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?
• Psalms 139:9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
• Jeremiah 16:16“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.
• Isaiah 27:1In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of 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