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

1I saw my Lord standing by the altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars, so the porches shake! Break all of them off at the head! Then the last of them I will slay with the sword— none of them fleeing will escape and no fugitive will slip away. 2If they should dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them. If they should go up to heaven, from there will I bring them down. If they should hide themselves at the top of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there. If they hide themselves from My eyes at the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the sea serpent to bite them. 4If they should go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword to slay them. I will set My eyes upon them for calamity and not for prosperity.” 5My Lord is Adonai-Tzva’ot. It is He who touches the land so it melts, and all its inhabitants will mourn. Then it will surge like all the Nile, and sink again like the Nile 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 gloom and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves.
• Jeremiah 23:23“Am I God only when near” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “and not God when far off?
• Psalms 139:9If I take the wings of the dawn and settle on the other side of the sea,
• Jeremiah 16:16“Behold, I will send for many fishers,” says Adonai, “and they will fish for them. After that, I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down from every mountain and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
• Isaiah 27:1In that day Adonai will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent with His fierce, great, strong sword, Leviathan the twisted serpent! He will slay the dragon in 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