Amos 5 8

Amos 5:8 kjv

Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

Amos 5:8 nkjv

He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The LORD is His name.

Amos 5:8 niv

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land? the LORD is his name.

Amos 5:8 esv

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name;

Amos 5:8 nlt

It is the LORD who created the stars,
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning
and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The LORD is his name!

Amos 5 verses

Amos 5 8 Meaning

Amos 5:8 proclaims the unchallengeable sovereignty of Yahweh over all creation. It reveals Him as the sole Creator and Controller of the celestial bodies (Pleiades and Orion), the cycles of light and darkness, and the mighty waters of the sea. The verse emphasizes God's immense power, omnipresence, and just character, asserting that His judgments are inevitable and unavoidable. It serves as a call for the northern kingdom of Israel to abandon their false gods and corrupt practices and to seek the true God who alone orchestrates the cosmos and executes justice.

Amos 5 8 Context

Amos, a prophet from Tekoa in Judah, was called by God to prophesy primarily against the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (c. 793–753 BCE). Despite economic prosperity, Israel had fallen into deep spiritual apostasy, social injustice, and moral decay. They maintained outward religious observances (such as calf worship at Bethel and Gilgal) but combined it with pagan practices and neglected true righteousness and justice. Amos 5 contains a lament over Israel’s impending doom, followed by repeated calls to "seek the LORD and live" (Amos 5:4, 6), juxtaposed with severe condemnations ("woe to you"). Verse 8 functions as a hymnic fragment, inserted to underscore the identity and incomparable power of the God whom Israel is called to seek. It contrasts Yahweh’s true cosmic control with the impotent claims of local Baal gods or the superstitious belief in the astrological powers of celestial bodies that some Israelites might have entertained, unknowingly or knowingly, by adopting pagan practices. It also foreshadows the complete disruption of natural order as part of God's coming judgment.

Amos 5 8 Word analysis

• He who made the Pleiades: Hebrew: עֹשֵׂה כִּימָה (`‘oseh Kiymah`).
  • עֹשֵׂה (`‘oseh`): "He who made," "He who forms," "He who creates." Emphasizes God's active, continuous role as Creator and Designer. Not merely an initial creation but ongoing power.
  • כִּימָה (`Kiymah`): "Pleiades" (literally "heap," "cluster," "group"). This well-known star cluster is visible to the naked eye. In ancient cultures, it was associated with agricultural cycles (planting, harvest). By attributing its making to Yahweh, Amos challenges any pagan deity or cosmic force believed to control seasons or destiny. God controls the very markers of time and agriculture.
• and Orion: Hebrew: וּכְסִיל (`u’Kĕsil`).
  • וּכְסִיל (`u’Kĕsil`): "and Orion." `Kĕsil` literally means "fool," but here refers to the constellation Orion, perhaps suggesting its foolishness or unruliness if it were not under God's control. Also associated with stormy, cold weather. Like the Pleiades, mentioning Orion signifies God's absolute sovereignty over cosmic phenomena and seasonal changes, again dismantling any belief in independent star-gods or astrological fate.
• and turns deep darkness into the morning: Hebrew: וְהֹפֵךְ לַבֹּקֶר צַלְמָוֶת (`vĕhofekh laboḳer tsalmaveth`).
  • וְהֹפֵךְ (`vĕhofekh`): "and turns," "He who turns." Points to God's continuous control over fundamental daily cycles.
  • צַלְמָוֶת (`tsalmaveth`): "deep darkness," "shadow of death." This is not just ordinary night but an intense, often oppressive, darkness associated with despair or judgment.
  • לַבֹּקֶר (`laboḳer`): "into the morning." The radical transformation from profound darkness to dawn highlights God's power to reverse circumstances and bring light, metaphorically suggesting salvation from dire situations, but here also points to a reversal in judgment – God can turn Israel’s ‘day’ into night.
• and darkens the day into night: Hebrew: וְיוֹם לַיְלָה יַחְשִׁיךְ (`vĕyom laylah yachshikh`).
  • וְיוֹם (`vĕyom`): "and day."
  • לַיְלָה (`laylah`): "into night."
  • יַחְשִׁיךְ (`yachshikh`): "darkens." This emphasizes God’s equal power to reverse the process, bringing darkness upon light. This specific imagery serves as a dire warning for Israel: their prosperous "day" can be turned into a "night" of judgment and distress (Amos 5:18, 20). It counters the false security that light and prosperity would last.
• who calls for the waters of the sea: Hebrew: הַקּוֹרֵא לְמֵי הַיָּם (`hakkore lemei hayam`).
  • הַקּוֹרֵא (`hakkore`): "He who calls," "He who summons." This implies absolute command and authority over the vast, powerful, and often fearsome elements.
  • לְמֵי הַיָּם (`lemei hayam`): "for the waters of the sea." In the ancient Near East, the sea represented untamable chaos (Tiamat in Babylonian myths, or Leviathan in other biblical allusions to chaos). By stating that God "calls for" the waters, Amos depicts Him as effortlessly commanding the mightiest natural forces, far surpassing the rain-giving claims of Baal.
• and pours them out on the face of the earth: Hebrew: וַיִּשְׁפְּכֵם עַל פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ (`vayyishpechem ‘al pene ha’arets`).
  • וַיִּשְׁפְּכֵם (`vayyishpechem`): "and pours them out," "He pours them." The act of pouring out emphasizes divine control and execution of His will. It refers to God’s power to bring devastating floods, just as He controls life-giving rain. This aspect relates to both creation (Gen 1:9-10) and judgment (Gen 6-7).
  • עַל פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ (`‘al pene ha’arets`): "on the face of the earth." Underscores the global reach of God’s power.
• The LORD is His name: Hebrew: יְהוָה שְׁמוֹ (`YHWH shĕmo`).
  • יְהוָה (`YHWH`): The covenant name of God, often translated "LORD." This asserts the exclusive identity and authority of Israel’s covenant God. It is a powerful polemical statement: this Creator is not Baal or any other god, but Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  • שְׁמוֹ (`shĕmo`): "is His name." Confirms that all the power described belongs uniquely to the God of Israel. It’s an affirmation of monotheism and His exclusive claim as the Sovereign of creation and justice.

• "He who made the Pleiades and Orion... and turns deep darkness into the morning...": This group of phrases highlights God’s creative power over the cosmos and celestial bodies, linking Him to Job 9:9 and 38:31-33 where God challenges Job to control these constellations. It directly contrasts the polytheistic views prevalent in the Ancient Near East, where stellar deities or forces were worshipped. God's complete control over celestial mechanics demonstrates His absolute supremacy.
• "and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth": This section illustrates God’s dominion over terrestrial elements and natural cycles, emphasizing His power to alter conditions—from light to darkness, and to manipulate the mighty waters. This also serves as a polemic against Baal, the Canaanite storm god supposedly in charge of rain. Yahweh, not Baal, controls the waters of the sea, implying power over life-giving rain and destructive floods, as demonstrated in the Noahic flood (Gen 7:4, 11-12) or the drying of the Red Sea (Ex 14:21). The ability to darken the day foreshadows divine judgment (Amos 8:9).
• "The LORD is His name": This climactic declaration reaffirms the personal, covenantal, and unique identity of the God who possesses all these attributes of creation and power. It identifies the omnipotent Creator with the God of Israel, stressing that it is He alone who is capable of such feats, reinforcing the call to seek only Him.

Amos 5 8 Bonus section

This verse (and Amos 4:13; 9:5-6) is often recognized by scholars as part of a series of "hymnic fragments" or "doxologies" interspersed throughout Amos. These fragments interrupt the prophetic denunciations and serve to provide a theological underpinning for God’s right to judge. They reveal His omnipotence and omnicompetence as the basis for His moral authority and prophetic declarations. They might have been snippets from existing Israelite hymns or liturgical confessions known to the audience, strengthening the prophet’s message by invoking shared religious tradition.

The specific mention of the Pleiades (Kimah) and Orion (Kĕsil) and the implied constellations are a demonstration that Yahweh, not Babylonian or Canaanite astral deities, controls time and fate. This was particularly significant given the widespread practice of astrology and astral worship in the ancient Near East, practices explicitly forbidden to Israel (Deut 4:19; 17:3). Amos here elevates Yahweh as utterly unique and distinct from the localized, elemental deities of surrounding cultures. The consistent message is: "There is no God like Yahweh."

Amos 5 8 Commentary

Amos 5:8 is a profound theological statement, asserting God's absolute and incomparable sovereignty over all creation and natural phenomena. It forms a central part of Amos's call to repentance for the wayward northern kingdom of Israel. By portraying Yahweh as the meticulous craftsman of constellations like the Pleiades and Orion, Amos strips any mystical or divine power from these heavenly bodies, challenging the astrological superstitions and astral worship that were common in the Ancient Near East and possibly encroaching upon Israelite practice. These constellations, indicators of agricultural seasons and weather patterns, are firmly declared to be under Yahweh's direct, personal control, not autonomous deities or sources of destiny.

The verse moves from the cosmic to the earthly, emphasizing God’s command over the most fundamental elements of daily life: the cycle of light and darkness. The dual assertion of turning "deep darkness into morning" and "darkening the day into night" serves a dual purpose. First, it reassures that despite any prevailing 'darkness' (affliction or moral decay), God can bring forth salvation or 'morning'. Second, it issues a stark warning that Israel’s present 'day' of prosperity can swiftly be turned into a 'night' of judgment, suffering, and distress (Amos 8:9). This reflects God’s just power to reverse conditions based on human obedience or disobedience.

Furthermore, God’s dominion extends to the mighty "waters of the sea," which in ancient thought represented untamed chaos and raw power. The declaration that God "calls for" and "pours them out on the face of the earth" underscores His unchallenged command over floods, storms, and the very boundaries of the ocean. This directly refutes the claims of Baal, the Canaanite storm god, thereby making an explicit polemical statement against Israel's prevalent idolatry and syncretism. Yahweh is the true orchestrator of all natural forces.

The conclusive phrase, "The LORD is His name," is not merely a formality. It’s a definitive theological claim identifying this supreme, cosmic ruler as YHWH, the covenant God of Israel. This truth compels Israel to understand that their relationship with this incomparable God should manifest in righteousness and justice, rather than empty ritual and social injustice. To ignore this Creator is to invite inevitable judgment. The verse effectively argues that the same God who orders the vast cosmos is meticulously concerned with and actively intervenes in the moral and social order of His people.One practical example: Believers facing anxiety about chaotic world events or natural disasters can find solace in remembering that the Lord, "He who made the Pleiades and Orion... and calls for the waters of the sea," is in absolute control. Another example could be understanding the importance of turning from societal injustices, as the same God who ensures the sun rises also brings judgment upon unrighteousness.