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:
• New International Version (NIV)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.
• 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;

Context of Amos 9:3

1Then 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. 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. 4Even if their enemies drive them into exile, I will command the sword to kill them there. I am determined to bring disaster upon them and not to help them.” 5The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, touches the land and it melts, and all its people mourn. The ground rises like the Nile River at floodtime, and then it sinks again.

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 34:22No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes.
• Jeremiah 23:23Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time.
• Psalms 139:9If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
• Jeremiah 16:16“But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Lord. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves.
• Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon 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