Amos 9:1

Amos 9:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
• New International Version (NIV)I 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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: "Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: “Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, And break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.

Context of Amos 9:1

Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said, “Strike the tops of the Temple columns, so that the foundation will shake. Bring down the roof on the heads of the people below. I will kill with the sword those who survive. No one will escape! 2“Even if they dig down to the place of the dead, I will reach down and pull them up. Even if they climb up into the heavens, I will bring them down. 3Even 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.

Amos 9:1 word by word

רָאִ֨יתִי אֶת־אֲדֹנָ֜י נִצָּ֣ב עַֽל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַ וַיֹּאמֶר֩ הַ֨ךְ הַכַּפְתּ֜וֹר וְיִרְעֲשׁ֣וּ הַסִּפִּ֗ים וּבְצַ֙עַם֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ כֻּלָּ֔ם וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖ם בַּחֶ֣רֶב אֶהֱרֹ֑ג לֹֽא־יָנ֤וּס לָהֶם֙ נָ֔ס וְלֹֽא־יִמָּלֵ֥ט לָהֶ֖ם פָּלִֽיט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• standingנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• upon the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• the lintel of the doorכַּפְתּוֹרkaphtôr kaphtôr · capitalH3730
• that the postsסַףsaph · thresholdH5592
• may shakeרָעַשׁrâ‛ash · to shakeH7493
• and cutבָּצַעbâtsa‛ · to cut offH1214
• them in the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• all of them; and I will slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• the lastאַחֲרִית'achărîyth · endH319
• of them with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• he that fleethנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• and he that escapethפָּלִיטpâlîyţ pâlêyţ pâlêţ · survivorH6412
• of them shall not be deliveredמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422

Cross-references for Amos 9:1

• 2 Chronicles 18:18Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left.
• Isaiah 6:1It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.
• Ezekiel 1:28All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.
• John 1:18No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
• Acts 26:13About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.
• Revelation 1:17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.
• Amos 3:14“On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
• Ezekiel 9:2Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man dressed in linen, who carried a writer’s case at his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar.
• Ezekiel 10:4Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the entrance of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord.
• Isaiah 6:3They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
• Zechariah 11:1Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedar forests.
• Psalms 68:21But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
• Habakkuk 3:13You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe.
• Amos 2:14Your fastest runners will not get away. The strongest among you will become weak. Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
• Isaiah 24:17Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth.
• Isaiah 30:16You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!

Commentaries on Amos 9:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I saw the Lord standing upon the altar - As this is a continuation of the preceding prophecy, the altar here may be one of those either at Dan or Beer-sheba. Smite the lintel - Either the piece of timber that binds the wall above the door, or the upper part of the door frame, in which the cheeks, or side posts, are inserted, and which corresponds to the threshold, or lower part of the door frame. And cut them in the head - Let all the lintels of all the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1I saw the Lord - He saw God in vision; yet God no more, as before, asked him what he saw. God no longer shows him emblems of the destruction, but the destruction itself. Since Amos had just been speaking of the idolatry of Samaria, as the ground of its utter destruction, doubtless this vision of such utter destruction of the place of worship, with and upon the worshipers, relates to those same idolaters and idoltries. True, the condenmation of Israel…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The ruin of Israel. (1-10) The restoration of the Jews and the gospel blessing. (11-15) Verses 1-10 The prophet, in vision, saw the Lord standing upon the idolatrous altar at Bethel. Wherever sinners flee from God's justice, it will overtake them. Those whom God brings to heaven by his grace, shall never be cast down; but those who seek to climb thither by vain confidence in themselves, will be cast down and filled with shame. That which makes escape…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1I saw the Lord (see Amos 7:1): God stopped explaining how or why he would punish Israel; he was ready to act. beside the altar: Judgment must start at the center of worship (compare 1 Peter 4:17). This altar likely refers to the Bethel shrine, but it could also mean the temple in Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-15None can escape the coming judgment in any hiding-place: for God is omnipresent and irresistible (Am 9:1-6). As a kingdom, Israel shall perish as if it never was in covenant with Him: but as individuals the house of Jacob shall not utterly perish, nay, not one of the least of the righteous shall fall, but only all the sinners (Am 9:7-10). Restoration of the Jews finally to their own land after the re-establishment of the fallen tabernacle of David…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 9:1

• Judgments
• Prophets
• Readings, Select
• Sin
• Vision
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Lintel
• Raise
• Amos (1)
• Bethel
• Cut; Cutting

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