Amos 3:5 kjv
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
Amos 3:5 nkjv
Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
Amos 3:5 niv
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything?
Amos 3:5 esv
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
Amos 3:5 nlt
Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
when there's nothing to catch?
Amos 3 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 45:7 | "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things." | God's sovereignty over good and evil/calamity. |
| Lam 3:37-38 | "Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?" | God is the ultimate source of all events. |
| Prov 16:33 | "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." | Divine control even over seemingly random events. |
| Job 2:10 | "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" | Acknowledgment of God's hand in all circumstances. |
| Deut 28:15ff | Extensive curses pronounced for disobedience. | Direct cause-effect of divine judgment. |
| Hos 8:7 | "For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." | Inevitable consequences of actions, God's justice. |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Spiritual law of sowing and reaping. |
| Prov 26:2 | "Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land." | A curse or calamity has a cause to alight. |
| Jer 5:26 | "For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers setting a snare..." | Image of setting traps for wicked intent. |
| Eccl 9:12 | "For man also does not know his time: like fish caught in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare..." | Vulnerability to sudden calamity, like a snare. |
| Ps 9:15 | "The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught." | The wicked fall into their own traps. |
| Ps 35:8 | "Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him..." | The swiftness and hidden nature of divine judgment/entanglement. |
| Jer 25:9 | "...Behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants..." | God uses foreign nations as instruments of judgment. |
| Amos 3:6 | "Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?" | Direct continuation, explicit linking disaster to God's action. |
| Amos 3:7 | "For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." | Links divine action to prophetic warning. |
| Gen 8:17 | God instructing Noah on various living creatures to be preserved. | God's specific knowledge and concern for all creatures. |
| Matt 10:29 | "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." | God's sovereignty over even the smallest creature's fall. |
| Phil 2:13 | "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." | God's active work and purpose in believer's lives. |
| Eph 1:11 | "...according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will..." | God's purposeful work in all things. |
| Acts 2:23 | "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God..." | God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge. |
| Hab 1:5 | "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." | God's sovereign and surprising work, even through judgment. |
Amos 3 verses
Amos 3 5 Meaning
Amos 3:5 employs two rhetorical questions, drawing on common hunting imagery, to unequivocally assert the principle of divine cause and effect. It states that events do not occur by accident or without reason, especially in the context of God's interaction with humanity. Just as a bird only falls into a trap if a trap has been set, and a snare only springs if something has activated it, so too the calamitous events facing Israel are not random misfortune but direct, purposeful actions orchestrated by God in response to their unfaithfulness and sin.
Amos 3 5 Context
Amos chapter 3 initiates a series of messages explicitly directed at Israel, beginning by recalling their unique covenant relationship with God (Amos 3:2). This verse (3:5) is part of a series of rhetorical questions (Amos 3:3-6) designed to establish an undeniable principle of cause and effect: every event has a prior cause, particularly when viewed through the lens of divine action. The broader context of the book of Amos reveals a prophet, a shepherd from Tekoa, called to deliver a message of impending judgment to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of outward prosperity but rampant idolatry, social injustice, and moral decay. The people had grown complacent, believing their unique status with God guaranteed immunity from judgment. Amos’s questions dismantle this illusion, preparing them for the pronouncement that the Lord, not chance or external powers, is behind the disaster to come. The hunting metaphors would resonate strongly with an agrarian and rural audience, highlighting a familiar scenario of planned outcomes.
Amos 3 5 Word analysis
- Can...?: (Heb. הֲ - ha-) This is an interrogative particle, marking the sentence as a question. In this context, it is a rhetorical question, designed to elicit an obvious "No" answer, thereby strongly affirming the converse. It challenges the listener to acknowledge undeniable logic.
- Bird: (Heb. צִפּוֹר - tsippor) Refers to any fowl or winged creature, commonly a small bird. It symbolizes a vulnerable, naturally moving creature. In the analogy, it represents a subject upon whom an action (like falling into a trap) happens. It highlights the creature's natural freedom until constrained by an external, deliberate force.
- Fall: (Heb. תִּפֹּל - tippol from נָפַל - naphal, to fall, happen) Indicates an event or an outcome that occurs. The implication is that this "fall" is not accidental but has a definite cause.
- Snare: (Heb. פַּח - paḥ) A general term for a net or trap, typically used for fowling. This word immediately conveys deliberate human intent, planning, and preparation for capture. It signifies a mechanism designed to catch.
- On the earth: (Heb. עַל־פַּח הָאָרֶץ - al-paḥ ha'arets, upon the snare of the ground/earth) Specifies the location of the trap. It grounds the analogy in familiar, practical experience.
- Where no trap is set for it?: (Heb. וּמוֹקֵשׁ אֵין לָהּ - u-moqesh ên lah, and no moqesh for it).
- Trap (specifically): (Heb. מוֹקֵשׁ - moqesh) Often used synonymously or in conjunction with paḥ. It signifies a lure, a bait, or a noose. Its inclusion emphasizes the elaborate and purposeful nature of the capturing device. It underscores the absence of a trapping device.
- No/is not: (Heb. אֵין - ên) This negative particle strongly emphasizes the absence of the stated condition. It reinforces the rhetorical question's obvious "no."
- Can a snare spring up from the ground, with nothing having caught it?: (Heb. הֲתַעֲלֶה פַּח מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְלָכוֹד לֹא יִלְכֹּד - Ha-ta'aleh paḥ min-ha'arets ve-lākhōd lō' yilkōd)
- Spring up: (Heb. תַּעֲלֶה - ta'aleh from עָלָה - 'alah, to ascend, rise) This describes the action of the trap being sprung or activated. It signifies an outcome.
- From the ground: (Heb. מִן־הָאָרֶץ - min ha'arets) Again, anchoring the analogy in a real-world setting.
- With nothing having caught it?: (Heb. וְלָכוֹד לֹא יִלְכֹּד - ve-lākhōd lō' yilkōd, literally "and to catch not catch" or "and caught nothing it will not catch") This phrase signifies the impossibility of the trap activating without an activating agent. The rhetorical force makes it clear that the snare only springs because something has been caught by it. The double negative construction ("not catch") confirms that the action of being caught is the necessary pre-condition for the trap springing.
Words-group analysis:
- "Can a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where no trap is set for it?": This rhetorical question argues for the absolute necessity of a deliberate cause (the trap being set) for an effect (the bird falling). Applied to Israel, it means their impending doom is not random; God, as the Divine Fowler, has purposefully "set the trap" through their covenant obligations and judicial decrees due to their transgressions.
- "Can a snare spring up from the ground, with nothing having caught it?": This second rhetorical question rephrases the same principle from the trap's perspective. It emphasizes that the judgment's activation is also not random. The "snare" of God's judgment will only "spring up" because Israel's sin has indeed "caught" the divine attention, activating the consequences outlined in the covenant. It powerfully conveys the deliberate and triggered nature of divine judgment.
Amos 3 5 Bonus section
- The Chain of Questions: Amos 3:3-6 forms a tightly woven logical sequence of rhetorical questions (often cited as seven, though structure can vary by interpretation of specific pairings). Each question builds upon the principle that "one thing leads to another." Verse 5 specifically takes the analogy from human agency to the natural world (bird/snare), implicitly paving the way for the direct assertion in verse 6 that disaster comes only if the Lord has done it, and subsequently for verse 7 regarding prophetic revelation of divine plans.
- Polemics against Complacency: This verse directly challenges the pervasive complacency of 8th-century BC Israel. They likely rationalized away signs of impending trouble as natural disasters, external threats, or mere misfortune. Amos uses these analogies to expose the divine design behind their coming downfall, making their accountability undeniable.
- Ethical Aspect of Judgment: By emphasizing that the 'trap is set' or 'snare springs' because of a specific trigger (i.e., being caught), Amos subtly highlights that God's judgment is not capricious but an ethical response to Israel's violation of covenant obligations. Their punishment is justified and deserved, the direct outcome of their unfaithfulness.
Amos 3 5 Commentary
Amos 3:5 is a foundational verse in understanding the Old Testament prophetic message, asserting divine sovereignty and the immutable law of cause and effect in God's governance of the world. Through simple, relatable analogies of a bird hunter, Amos systematically demolishes any notion of chance or fate governing the lives of God's people or the nations. Calamity and judgment, the core message of Amos to complacent Israel, are not random occurrences but precise, planned consequences from the hand of God. This verse denies the pagan idea of arbitrary events and emphasizes Yahweh's intelligent and purposeful intervention. It serves as a stark warning to Israel that the coming disaster is not accidental but a divine reaction to their specific sins. Practically, this verse reminds believers today that while God is sovereign over all, human actions have real consequences, and divine discipline, when it comes, is always purposeful. For instance, believers might discern God's refining hand in trials rather than attribute them to mere bad luck (Heb 12:5-11).