New King James Version
Amos 7:4
4Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory.
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- 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 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
2And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: “O Lord God, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!” 3So the Lord relented concerning this. “It shall not be,” said the Lord. 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. 5Then I said: “O Lord God, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!” 6So the Lord relented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.
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 7:1Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings.
- Revelation 4:1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
- Amos 1:4But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
- Amos 4:11“I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord.
- Amos 5:6Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel—
- Exodus 9:23And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
- Leviticus 10:2So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
- Numbers 16:35And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
- Isaiah 27:4Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
- Isaiah 66:15For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.
- Jeremiah 4:4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.”
- Jeremiah 21:12O house of David! Thus says the Lord: “Execute judgment in the morning; And deliver him who is plundered Out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.
- Joel 2:30“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
- Micah 1:4The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place.
- Nahum 1:6Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
- Hebrews 1:7And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries