Amos 2:16
in Amos 2Even the bravest of mighty men will flee naked on that day,” declares the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith Jehovah.
KJV
And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord.
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This verse in Amos 2
Commentary
6 notes on this verse(Verse 13 onwards) Behold, I will roar underneath you, like a heavily loaded wagon roars with hay, and the fleet warrior shall perish, and the strong shall not retain his strength, and the mighty shall not save his soul, and the archer shall not stand, and the swift-footed one shall not be saved, and the rider of the horse shall not save his soul, and the strong of heart among the strong ones, shall flee naked on that day, says the Lord.
This site's exposition
ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink
on Amos 2:12-16
The grace just recited is answered with its own rejection, wine given to Nazarites to break the very vow of Numbers 6 that set them apart, and prophets commanded outright, prophesy not, the silencing of the voice Amos himself will meet again at Amaziah's mouth in chapter 7. The judgment that follows is the covenant curse of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 enacted as a battlefield collapse rather than described in the abstract, the swift unable to flee, the strong stripped of strength, the archer and the horseman both failing, until the most courageous man in the army runs away naked, having thrown down even his weapons to survive. Amos closes the whole opening section on that image, courage itself unable to save when the Lord himself is the adversary.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): He that is courageous among the mighty, that used to look danger in the face, and not be dismayed at it, shall flee away naked in that day, not only disarmed, having thrown away his weapons both offensive and defensive, but plundered of his treasure, which he thought to carry away with him, and he shall think it as much as he could expect that he has his life for a prey.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And he that is courageous among the mighty,....
The judgment of Moab, another of the nations that bordered upon Israel. They are reckoned with and shall be punished for three transgressions and for four, as those before. Moab's fourth transgression, as theirs who were before set to the bar, was cruelty.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Shall flee away naked - In some cases the alarm shall be in the night; and even the most heroic shall start from his bed, and through terror not wait to put on his clothes.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַמִּ֥יץ | veamitz | and [the] [person] strong | H533 → | |
| לִבּ֖וֹ | libo | of heart his | H3820 → | |
| בַּגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים | bagiborim | among the warriors | H1368 → | |
| עָר֛וֹם | arom | naked | H6174 → | |
| יָנ֥וּס | yanus | he will flee | H5127 → | 159 times |
| בַּיּוֹם־ | baiyom- | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֖וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ פ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְאַמִּ֥יץand [the] [person] strong
veamitzH533 →
לִבּ֖וֹof heart his
liboH3820 →
בַּגִּבּוֹרִ֑יםamong the warriors
bagiborimH1368 →
עָר֛וֹםnaked
aromH6174 →
יָנ֥וּסhe will flee
yanusH5127 →159 times
בַּיּוֹם־on the day
baiyom-H3117 →2304 times
הַה֖וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 times
יְהוָֽה׃ פYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 4:17Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
it leads to
- Isaiah 57:21
“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
- Psalms 37:35–36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
- Psalms 69:22
May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.
- Isaiah 57:21
Through
Jeremiah 48:41Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
it leads to
- Isaiah 13:8
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.
- Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
- Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Jeremiah 30:6
Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?
- Micah 4:9–10
Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
- Isaiah 13:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Amos
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jerome, Commentary on Amos; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.