Amos 9:3
in Amos 9Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 it shall bite them.
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:
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This verse in Amos 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
He 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” Psa 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.
This site's exposition
Though they dig into hell
on Amos 9:2-4
Four directions are named and each is closed: dig into hell and the Lord's hand reaches there, climb to heaven and he brings them down, hide in the top of Carmel and he searches them out, hide in the bottom of the sea and he commands the serpent to bite them, go into captivity and he commands the sword to follow. The bench reads the four-fold sweep as a deliberate answer to any hope of escape by height, depth, wilderness or exile, and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good reverses the covenant blessing of eyes upon the land for good, the same divine attention now working the other way.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Vers. 2 seqq.) If they descend to the depths, my hand will bring them up from there. And if they ascend to heaven, I will bring them down from there. And if they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search and take them from there. And if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, I will command the serpent to bite them. And if they go into captivity before their enemies, I will command the sword to kill them. I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.
A commentator
Augustine of HippoEXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 89:11 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
While the little one is nourished by the example of the one who from greatness descended to humility, the devil has lost what he held: because the proud held only the proud. When such an example of humility was displayed before them, people learned to condemn their own pride and to imitate the humility of God. Thus also the devil, by losing those whom he had in his power, has even himself been humbled; not chastened, but thrown prostrate. "You have humbled the proud like one that is wounded." You have been humbled and have humbled others. You have been wounded and have wounded others, for your blood as it was shed to blot the handwriting of sins could not but wound him. For what was the ground of his pride, except the bond that he held against us? This bond, this handwriting, you have blotted out with your blood. Him therefore you have wounded, from whom you have rescued so many victims. You must understand the devil wounded, not by the piercing of the flesh, which he has not, but by the bruising of his proud heart. "You have scattered your enemies abroad with your mighty arm."
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Though they hide themselves - All these are metaphorical expressions, to show the impossibility of escape.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יֵחָֽבְאוּ֙ | yechaveu | they will hide themselves | H2244 → | |
| בְּרֹ֣אשׁ | berosh | on [the] top of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הַכַּרְמֶ֔ל | hakarmel | <the> Carmel | H3760 → | |
| מִשָּׁ֥ם | misham | from there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אֲחַפֵּ֖שׂ | ʾachapes | I will search for [them] | H2664 → | |
| וּלְקַחְתִּ֑ים | ulekachtim | and I will take them | H3947 → | 966 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יִסָּ֨תְר֜וּ | yisateru | they will hide themselves | H5641 → | |
| מִנֶּ֤גֶד | mineged | from before | H5048 → | |
| עֵינַי֙ | ʾeinai | eyes my | H5869 → | 887 times |
| בְּקַרְקַ֣ע | bekarka' | at [the] bottom of | H7172 → | |
| הַיָּ֔ם | haiyam | the sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
| מִשָּׁ֛ם | misham | from there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אֲצַוֶּ֥ה | ʾatzaveh | I will command | H6680 → | 494 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַנָּחָ֖שׁ | hanachash | the snake | H5175 → | |
| וּנְשָׁכָֽם׃ | uneshakham | and it will bite them | H5391 → |
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
יֵחָֽבְאוּ֙they will hide themselves
yechaveuH2244 →
בְּרֹ֣אשׁon [the] top of
beroshH7218 →599 times
הַכַּרְמֶ֔ל<the> Carmel
hakarmelH3760 →
מִשָּׁ֥םfrom there
mishamH8033 →834 times
אֲחַפֵּ֖שׂI will search for [them]
ʾachapesH2664 →
וּלְקַחְתִּ֑יםand I will take them
ulekachtimH3947 →966 times
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
יִסָּ֨תְר֜וּthey will hide themselves
yisateruH5641 →
מִנֶּ֤גֶדfrom before
minegedH5048 →
עֵינַי֙eyes my
ʾeinaiH5869 →887 times
בְּקַרְקַ֣עat [the] bottom of
bekarka'H7172 →
הַיָּ֔םthe sea
haiyamH3220 →396 times
מִשָּׁ֛םfrom there
mishamH8033 →834 times
אֲצַוֶּ֥הI will command
ʾatzavehH6680 →494 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַנָּחָ֖שׁthe snake
hanachashH5175 →
וּנְשָׁכָֽם׃and it will bite them
uneshakhamH5391 →
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
Isaiah 27:1In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:16
For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
- Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says,…
- Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the…
- Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
- Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
- Isaiah 66:16
Through
Amos 1:2He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.”
it leads to
- Joel 3:16
The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.
- Joel 3:16
Through
Jeremiah 16:16But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain…
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:14–15
You have made men like the fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler.
- Habakkuk 1:14–15
Through
Job 34:22There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide.
it leads to
- Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- Hebrews 4:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
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About Amos
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 89:11; Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jerome, Commentary on Amos and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).