Amos 5 27

Amos 5:27 kjv

Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.

Amos 5:27 nkjv

Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," Says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

Amos 5:27 niv

Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.

Amos 5:27 esv

and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

Amos 5:27 nlt

So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus, " says the LORD, whose name is the God of Heaven's Armies.

Amos 5 verses

Amos 5 27 Meaning

The verse pronounces a severe judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel: God will forcibly remove them from their land and send them into exile far beyond Damascus. This declaration highlights Yahweh's absolute sovereignty as the God of armies, emphasizing His power to execute this judgment as a direct consequence of their unrighteousness, idolatry, and formalistic worship which rejected true devotion and justice. It signifies a complete reversal of their privileged status as His chosen people, culminating in a devastating national displacement.

Amos 5 27 Context

Amos 5 is a chapter dominated by calls to repentance followed by declarations of inevitable judgment. It forms a central part of Amos's prophecy against Israel's pervasive social injustice and religious hypocrisy. The prophet mourns over Israel's coming downfall (5:1-3) but then issues a renewed plea for them to "seek the Lord and live" (5:4, 6), contrasting their empty rituals at Bethel and Gilgal with the true righteousness God desires (5:5). He warns that the "day of the Lord" will be one of darkness, not light (5:18-20), as Israel falsely expected. The specific pronouncement in verse 27 directly follows God's rejection of their grand religious festivals and musical offerings because they neglected justice and righteousness (5:21-24) and their past history of idol worship (5:25-26). Their false confidence in their rituals and a distorted understanding of their relationship with God led them to believe they were secure, but God's verdict is definitive: exile will be their fate. The phrase "beyond Damascus" signals a complete and far-reaching displacement.

Amos 5 27 Word analysis

ul

• לָכֵן (lākēn) - "Therefore." This conjunction emphasizes that the impending judgment is a logical and inevitable consequence of the actions detailed in the preceding verses, especially their unrighteousness and idolatry (Amos 5:21-26). It highlights the causal link between Israel's sin and God's response.
• הִגְלֵיתִי (higlêytî) - "I will send into exile." This is the Hiphil perfect form of the verb גָּלָה (gālâ), meaning "to go into exile" or "to be deported." The Hiphil conjugation indicates a causative action: God Himself is the one causing them to be exiled. It's not just something that happens, but an active divine decree. The perfect tense expresses the certainty and completed nature of the future event, as if it has already occurred in God's plan.
• מִדְּמֶשֶׂק (middəmeseq) - "beyond Damascus." This compound phrase uses the preposition מִן (min) which here implies "from," "beyond," or "away from." Damascus was a major Aramaic city to Israel's northeast, often an enemy but also a geographical marker. Going "beyond" it signifies a very distant exile, pointing towards Mesopotamia (Assyria, then Babylonia), which lay further to the northeast, beyond Aram. This emphasizes the totality and vastness of their displacement from their homeland, removing them to an unknown, alien land.
• יְהוָה (YHWH) - "the Lord." This is the sacred covenant name of God, frequently translated as Yahweh. Its use here reminds Israel that it is their covenant Lord, whom they have offended, who is executing this judgment. It signifies His personal, relational authority and unwavering justice.
• אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת (ʾĕlōhê tsᵉvāʾōt) - "the God of hosts." This majestic title refers to God as the commander of all armies – earthly, heavenly, or angelic. It signifies His absolute power, sovereignty, and authority over creation, history, and nations. He commands the very powers that will bring Israel into exile. It also contrasts sharply with Israel's reliance on their own limited armies or the supposed power of their idols. He is the true mighty Warrior.

ul

• "Therefore I will send you into exile": This phrase definitively connects the preceding list of sins (idolatry, social injustice, meaningless ritualism) to their ultimate divine punishment. It underlines the concept of divine retribution where consequences directly follow disobedience. God, as a righteous judge, delivers this sentence.
• "beyond Damascus": This geographical marker denotes not just a near border but a significant distance and removal. Historically, it points to the Assyrian deportation policy, which relocated conquered peoples to distant parts of the empire to break their national identity and prevent rebellion. Spiritually, it symbolizes complete removal from the land of promise, a core element of Israelite identity and covenant blessings.
• "says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts": This concluding declaration powerfully affirms the source and authority of the prophecy. "The Lord" (Yahweh) is the covenant God whom they spurned, making the judgment intensely personal. "The God of hosts" stresses His omnipotence and control over all creation, including the nations that will serve as His instruments of judgment. This combination underscores that the sentence is not merely human pronouncement but the irreversible decree of the all-powerful and covenant-keeping God.

Amos 5 27 Bonus section

The phrase "beyond Damascus" carries significant theological weight. While Damascus itself was a prominent regional city, often involved in conflicts with Israel, the directive to go beyond it implies a journey into truly foreign and unknown territory – specifically, the vast reaches of Mesopotamia (Assyria and later Babylon). This signifies a complete loss of national identity and familiar surroundings, directly contradicting the promises of the land made to their patriarchs. Stephen, in Acts 7:43, later interprets this exile as being "beyond Babylon," reflecting the later historical fulfillment and encompassing a broader theological understanding of Israel's successive exiles due to continued idolatry, thereby demonstrating the verse's prophetic foresight extending beyond just the immediate Assyrian threat. The persistent nature of Israel's idolatry, specifically the worship of "Moloch" and "Rephan" (mentioned in Amos 5:26 and Acts 7:43), made this far-reaching exile a deserved divine decree for generations of unfaithfulness.

Amos 5 27 Commentary

Amos 5:27 is the climax of divine judgment against Israel's chronic sin. It serves as God's unwavering verdict against a nation that mistook ritualistic performance for genuine worship, embraced injustice, and engaged in idolatry. The impending exile, "beyond Damascus," emphasizes the totality and distant nature of their banishment, removing them from their ancestral land, a vital part of their covenant identity and security. This specific judgment, later historically fulfilled by the Assyrian deportations, underscores God's meticulous fulfillment of covenant curses previously warned in the Law. The title "the God of hosts" acts as a profound reminder of God's unassailable authority; He is not just a tribal deity, but the omnipotent commander of all forces, capable of executing even the most severe judgments. The verse powerfully contrasts Israel's false security, based on national pride and empty religiosity, with God's perfect justice and unchallengeable sovereignty. The judgment is not arbitrary but a righteous consequence for sustained rebellion.