Amos 5 6

Amos 5:6 kjv

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

Amos 5:6 nkjv

Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel?

Amos 5:6 niv

Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

Amos 5:6 esv

Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

Amos 5:6 nlt

Come back to the LORD and live!
Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire,
devouring you completely.
Your gods in Bethel
won't be able to quench the flames.

Amos 5 verses

Amos 5 6 Meaning

Amos 5:6 is a direct and urgent call to repentance and true faith, urging the Northern Kingdom of Israel ("house of Joseph") to seek the Lord (Yahweh) genuinely in order to experience spiritual and physical life, rather than face inescapable divine judgment likened to a consuming fire. This warning stands in stark contrast to their continued pursuit of idolatry, particularly in places like Bethel, which God would utterly destroy if they failed to turn to Him. It underscores the conditionality of life upon obedience and sincere worship.

Amos 5 6 Context

Amos was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often referred to as Ephraim or "the house of Joseph") during the prosperous but spiritually decadent reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel (around 760-750 BC). Despite material wealth and military success, Israel was plagued by social injustice, oppression of the poor, and rampant idolatry, particularly in places like Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba, which were initially significant sites in Israel's history but had become centers of calf worship and pagan rituals introduced by King Jeroboam I.

Amos 5 opens with a lament over Israel's impending fall (v. 1-3), then immediately pivots to a series of urgent calls to repentance. Verses 4 and 5 establish a direct contrast: "Seek the Lord and live; but do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor cross over to Beersheba." This sets the stage for verse 6, which reemphasizes the life-giving promise of seeking the Lord, while amplifying the dire consequence of not doing so: an unquenchable, devastating judgment from God that specifically targets the "house of Joseph" and their primary idolatrous center, Bethel. The context is one of a final, urgent appeal before the inevitable divine judgment, emphasizing that their continued religious practices at Bethel and other cultic sites were an abomination, not a means of security or favor with God.

Amos 5 6 Word analysis

• Seek (דָּרַשׁ - darash): This Hebrew verb means to inquire, require, resort to, or properly, to frequent for consultation. It implies an earnest, diligent, and intentional seeking, not a casual or superficial act. It signifies actively pursuing knowledge, guidance, or presence, often in a spiritual sense.
• The Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH): This is the divine personal name of God, often transliterated as Yahweh, signifying the covenant-making, self-existent God of Israel. The command to "seek YHWH" means to seek a personal, faithful relationship with the true God of Israel, acknowledging His sovereignty and authority, and returning to the terms of His covenant.
• And live (וִחְיוּ - viḥyu): From the root (חָיָה - chayah), meaning to live, keep alive, revive. In this context, "live" encompasses not only physical preservation from impending judgment but also spiritual vitality, well-being, and true existence in covenant relationship with God. It contrasts sharply with the "death" (judgment, exile, destruction) that awaited those who refused to seek Him. This promise connects spiritual fidelity to physical flourishing, as per the Mosaic Covenant (Deut 30:19-20).
• Lest He break out (פֶּן־יִפְרֹץ - pen-yifrots): "Lest" indicates a warning against a dire consequence. "Break out" (from פָּרַץ - parats) means to break through, burst forth, or to be violent. It conveys the idea of an uncontained, sudden, and forceful eruption, suggesting God's judgment will be overwhelming and unavoidable once it begins.
• Like fire (כָּאֵשׁ - ka'esh): This is a powerful metaphor for God's judgment. Fire in the Bible often represents God's purifying wrath, His consuming holiness, or destruction (Exod 19:18, Deut 4:24, Heb 12:29). It signifies total devastation and irresistible power.
• In the house of Joseph (בֵּית־יוֹסֵף - beit-Yosef): This refers to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Joseph was the progenitor of two powerful tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, with Ephraim becoming the dominant tribe and often used synonymously with Israel. Thus, "house of Joseph" denotes the entire kingdom facing God's judgment, highlighting their historical connection to Jacob's covenant and their deviation from it.
• And devour it (וְאָכְלָה - ve'akhla): From (אָכַל - akhal), meaning to eat, consume, destroy. Reinforces the destructive nature of the "fire" of judgment; it will completely consume and leave nothing remaining.
• With none to quench it (וְאֵין מְכַבֶּה - ve'ein mekhabbeh): "None to quench" emphasizes the finality, inevitability, and utter hopelessness of the impending judgment. It means no human effort, no idolatrous ritual, no political alliance, no military strength will be able to stop or diminish God's consuming wrath once it has begun.
• In Bethel (בְּבֵית־אֵל - b'Bet-El): A city of profound biblical significance. While originally "house of God" (Gen 28:19) where Jacob encountered God, it had tragically become one of the primary centers for Jeroboam's idolatrous golden calf worship (1 Kgs 12:28-29). The mention of Bethel specifically here underscores that the judgment is directed at their religious apostasy.

Words-group analysis:

• "Seek the Lord and live": This phrase encapsulates the central choice and covenant demand. It offers hope for salvation conditioned on sincere turning to God. This reflects the Deuteronomic covenant where life and blessing depended on obedience to Yahweh.
• "Lest He break out like fire... with none to quench it": This vividly describes the overwhelming and irresistible nature of God's judgment. The metaphor of uncontrollable fire signifies total destruction from which there is no escape or rescue, once divine wrath is kindled.
• "In the house of Joseph, and devour it... in Bethel": These phrases pinpoint the exact target of God's wrath – the entire Northern Kingdom ("house of Joseph") for its collective sin, specifically highlighting Bethel as a focal point of their religious corruption and apostasy. The specific inclusion of Bethel serves as a stark warning to those who continued their false worship there.

Amos 5 6 Bonus section

The choice to "seek the Lord" in Amos 5:6 carries an implied condemnation of what they were seeking instead. The preceding verses (Amos 5:4-5) explicitly command them not to seek Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba, places of syncretic worship and idolatry. Thus, the urgency of "seek the Lord and live" is heightened by the immediate contrast with the false paths to death. The reference to Bethel specifically connects back to its history as a holy site to Jacob, highlighting the deep tragedy and irony of its degradation into a center of pagan worship. God's judgment on Bethel is not just punitive but redemptive, aiming to cleanse the land of its apostasy and call His people back to Himself. This verse functions as a final call to genuine covenant faithfulness, highlighting the mercy of God in extending such an opportunity even on the brink of devastating judgment.

Amos 5 6 Commentary

Amos 5:6 serves as a climactic warning and invitation amidst a series of laments and exhortations. The call to "Seek the Lord and live" presents a foundational biblical truth: life, in its truest sense, spiritual and temporal, stems from a right relationship with God. This directly counters Israel's reliance on their false religious rituals and security in idolatrous shrines like Bethel (mentioned in Amos 5:4-5), which were leading them not to life, but to destruction.

The vivid imagery of God breaking out "like fire" is a powerful portrayal of divine judgment – fierce, irresistible, and comprehensive. The addition of "with none to quench it" amplifies the unmitigated severity and finality of this judgment; once God's wrath is unleashed due to persistent rebellion, no human power or spiritual defense can withstand or extinguish it. The mention of "the house of Joseph" underscores that the entire Northern Kingdom is in jeopardy, a fate brought upon them by their systemic injustice and religious apostasy. Specifying "Bethel" underscores that the very places where they sought "divine" comfort and performed rituals were, in God's eyes, epicenters of sin deserving the deepest destruction. The verse encapsulates a divine dilemma: God desires for His people to live, but their persistent rebellion demands justice. It is a concise, urgent plea for a covenant people to remember their true God before it is too late.