Amos 5 16

Amos 5:16 kjv

Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

Amos 5:16 nkjv

Therefore the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, says this: "There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.

Amos 5:16 niv

Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: "There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.

Amos 5:16 esv

Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,

Amos 5:16 nlt

Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven's Armies, says: "There will be crying in all the public squares
and mourning in every street.
Call for the farmers to weep with you,
and summon professional mourners to wail.

Amos 5 verses

Amos 5 16 Meaning

This verse describes a future national catastrophe for Israel, where widespread, public, and intense lamentation will engulf the entire land. It signifies a profound divine judgment that will cause such extreme sorrow that even those not typically involved in mourning rituals, like farmers, will be compelled to lament, and professional mourners will be extensively employed, as if the whole nation were a giant funeral.

Amos 5 16 Context

Amos 5:16 is part of a prophetic lamentation and pronouncement of judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel for their deep-seated sins. The preceding verses (Amos 5:4-15) contain the Lord's call for Israel to "Seek me and live" (Amos 5:4), urging them to abandon their false worship centers at Bethel and Gilgal, and instead "Seek good and not evil, that you may live" (Amos 5:14). Despite this gracious call, the people, particularly the leaders and wealthy, were characterized by injustice, oppressing the poor, accepting bribes, and perverting justice (Amos 5:7, 10-12). They despised those who spoke truthfully and embraced wickedness.

Because Israel refused to seek the Lord in truth and righteousness, turning their backs on justice, the divine pronouncement of inevitable judgment follows in Amos 5:16-17. Their festivals (Amos 5:21) and songs (Amos 5:23) will be turned into lamentation (Amos 8:10). The historical context is Israel's period of prosperity under Jeroboam II (circa 793–753 BC), during which religious hypocrisy and social injustice flourished. Amos, a prophet from Judah, confronts this moral decay with uncompromising messages of doom from the Sovereign God, Who demands righteousness and justice from His covenant people.

Amos 5 16 Word analysis

• Therefore (`lākēn` - Hebrew): This particle acts as a consequence indicator, directly linking the severity of the coming judgment described in this verse to Israel's prior persistent refusal to seek the Lord and practice justice, despite the gracious appeals in the preceding verses. It marks the shift from potential repentance to inevitable divine wrath.
• thus says (`kōh ’āmar` - Hebrew): This is a standard prophetic formula, used by prophets to declare messages directly from God. It imbues the following statement with ultimate divine authority, ensuring it is not the prophet's own word, but the infallible declaration of the Almighty.
• the LORD (`YHWH` - Hebrew Tetragrammaton, the personal name of God), the God of hosts (`ʾelōhê ṣevāʾôt` - Hebrew), the Lord (`ʾăḏōnāy` - Hebrew): This powerful tripartite divine title emphasizes the absolute sovereignty, omnipotence, and military power of the One pronouncing judgment. "YHWH" denotes His covenant faithfulness, "God of hosts" (or armies/heavenly beings) points to His command over all cosmic and earthly forces, indicating overwhelming power for both salvation and judgment. "Adonai" reinforces His position as the supreme Master and ruler. The cumulative effect underscores the irreversible nature of this divine decree.
• Wailing (`mispēd` - Hebrew): Refers to a public, formalized, and often very loud expression of grief or lamentation, typically associated with death or great national catastrophe. It signifies deep, unbearable sorrow rather than just sadness.
• in all the streets (`chûṣōt` - Hebrew): Refers to open public spaces outside houses or buildings.
• and in all the highways (`reḥōbōt` - Hebrew): Refers to broader public squares or open spaces, larger than streets. The combination emphasizes that mourning will be pervasive and inescapable, filling every public thoroughfare throughout the land. There will be no private corners left untouched by grief.
• they shall say (`ʾāmərû` - Hebrew): Implying a general, spontaneous, and unified outcry from the populace.
• "Alas! Alas!" (`hôy hôy` - Hebrew): An exclamation of deep distress, woe, or lament. This term often appears in prophetic pronouncements of judgment (a "woe oracle"), indicating impending doom and intense suffering. Its repetition here intensifies the expression of sorrow and alarm.
• They shall call the farmer (`ʾikkār` - Hebrew) to mourning: Farmers, the backbone of the agrarian society, typically engaged in planting and harvesting, not mourning. Their inclusion here highlights the comprehensive nature of the calamity. It suggests that the judgment will be so widespread and severe that even ordinary citizens, who are busy with daily tasks, will be forced to participate in the public lament, symbolizing disruption to daily life and loss of livelihood.
• and skillful lamenters (`ḥakamî-nehiy` - Hebrew) to wailing: `ḥakamî` means "wise" or "skillful," and `nehiy` refers to lamentation or dirge. These were professional mourners, usually women, hired to lead elaborate mourning rituals, sing dirges (elegies), and intensify public grief. Their employment signifies that the national tragedy will be so profound and extensive that it demands the expertise of professional mourners, typically reserved for funerals of the prominent or large-scale mourning. The entire nation is depicted as if experiencing a massive funeral.

Words-group Analysis

• "Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord": This introduction is a weighty and authoritative declaration. The three divine titles underline the source of the judgment—the all-powerful, covenant-keeping, sovereign God Who is not merely a distant deity but the one in complete control of historical events and destiny.
• "Wailing shall be in all the streets, and in all the highways": This imagery depicts widespread public grief. The open spaces, usually vibrant with daily life or festive occasions, will be filled with expressions of deep sorrow, making it impossible for anyone to escape the sight or sound of the calamity. This contrasts sharply with Israel's complacent, self-assured prosperity.
• "they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!'": The repetition of "Alas!" amplifies the desperation and confirms the universal recognition of the overwhelming tragedy. It is the spontaneous outcry of a people realizing their doom. This sound is a polemic against the joyful sounds of their illegitimate festivals and false worship.
• "They shall call the farmer to mourning and skillful lamenters to wailing": This phrase underlines the unparalleled scale and nature of the calamity. It's not just a private grief for a few; it’s a national collapse. Farmers, the ordinary folk, symbolize the common suffering that impacts everyone from the ground up, disrupting their livelihoods. The "skillful lamenters" are normally brought in for great sorrow, like the death of a king or widespread loss; their necessity points to a national death-like experience, where ritual grief is demanded due to immense loss of life or catastrophic judgment.

Amos 5 16 Bonus section

The strong imagery in Amos 5:16 challenges Israel’s self-deceptive spiritual security. They expected blessing from their outward religious rituals and material prosperity, yet the Lord reveals that their future holds only lamentation. This verse also serves as a sharp contrast to the joyful feasts and music often associated with Israelite worship. The shift from joyful festivals to public wailing illustrates the covenant consequence of abandoning genuine obedience. The "Alas!" (hôy) pronouncement is not just an expression of sorrow, but often a prophetic indictment that reveals the specific sins leading to the woe, signifying a deliberate divine judgment against wickedness rather than just an unfortunate event.

Amos 5 16 Commentary

Amos 5:16 vividly portrays the inescapable consequences of Israel's persistent social injustice and spiritual apostasy. Rather than heeding God's call to repentance and righteousness (Amos 5:4-5, 14-15), they chose wickedness, bribery, and oppression. Consequently, the Triune titles of God here emphatically convey that the ensuing judgment is not random misfortune, but a deliberate and sovereign act from the Omnipotent Lord. The public spaces—streets and highways—which might have hosted religious festivals or daily commerce, will instead resonate with the widespread cries of "Alas! Alas!" This profound shift highlights the reversal of fortune and the comprehensive nature of God's wrath. The judgment is so pervasive that both the ordinary citizenry (farmers) and the professional purveyors of grief (skillful lamenters) will be enlisted in the national wailing. This means that daily life will cease, and the nation as a whole will be plunged into a state of profound lamentation, a veritable national funeral, as if many lives have been lost simultaneously or the very essence of their nation is dying. It's a striking fulfillment of the covenant curses (Deut 28) and a clear indictment of their refusal to seek justice and live by God's commands.