Amos 8:11

Amos 8:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
• New International Version (NIV)“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord God, "when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.

Context of Amos 8:11

9“In that day,” says the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth while it is still day. 10I will turn your celebrations into times of mourning and your singing into weeping. You will wear funeral clothes and shave your heads to show your sorrow— as if your only son had died. How very bitter that day will be! “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. 13Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word.

Amos 8:11 word by word

הִנֵּ֣ה׀ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹֽא־רָעָ֤ב לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹֽא־צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold, the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
• that I will sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• a famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
• nor a thirstצָמָאtsâmâ' · thirstH6772
• for waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• but of hearingשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Amos 8:11

• 1 Samuel 3:1Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.
• 1 Samuel 28:6He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets.
• Psalms 74:9We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end.
• Isaiah 5:6I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.
• Isaiah 30:20Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
• Ezekiel 7:26Calamity will follow calamity; rumor will follow rumor. They will look in vain for a vision from the prophets. They will receive no teaching from the priests and no counsel from the leaders.
• Micah 3:6Now the night will close around you, cutting off all your visions. Darkness will cover you, putting an end to your predictions. The sun will set for you prophets, and your day will come to an end.
• Matthew 9:36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Commentaries on Amos 8:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11A famine in the land - The most grievous of all famines, a famine of the words of Jehovah; a time in which no prophet should appear, no spiritual counsellor, no faithful reprover, none any longer who would point out the way of salvation, or would assure them of the mercy of God on their repentance and return to him. This is the severest of God's judgments on this side the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Not a famine for bread - He does not deny that there should be bodily famine too; but this, grievous as it is, would be less grievous than the famine of which he speaks, “the famine of the word of the Lord.” In distress we all go to God. Rib.: “They who now cast out and despise the prophets, when they shall see themselves besieged by the enemy, shall be tormented with a great hunger of hearing the word of the Lord from the mouths of the prophets, and…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. 11-14a famine of hearing the words of the LORD: God sent prophets to Israel to speak directly to them, but Israel told the prophets not to prophesy (Amos 2:11–12). Now they had what they wanted, but the silence was more terrible than God's roar and thunder. God became distant (see Ezekiel 7:26; 20:3; Micah 3:4, 7). The time for speaking was over; the time of judgment had come.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. famine of ... hearing the words of the Lord--a just retribution on those who now will not hear the Lord's prophets, nay even try to drive them away, as Amaziah did (Am 7:12); they shall look in vain, in their distress, for divine counsel, such as the prophets now offer (Eze 7:26; Mi 3:7). Compare as to the Jews' rejection of Messiah, and their consequent rejection by Him (Mt 21:43); and their desire for Messiah too late (Lu 17:22; Joh 7:34; 8:21). So…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 8:11

• Famine
• Hunger
• Thirst
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Famine
• 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