Amos 6:12 kjv
Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
Amos 6:12 nkjv
Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
Amos 6:12 niv
Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness?
Amos 6:12 esv
Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood ?
Amos 6:12 nlt
Can horses gallop over boulders?
Can oxen be used to plow them?
But that's how foolish you are when you turn justice into poison
and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness.
Amos 6 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 6:12 | Shall horses run on the rock? will one plow there with oxen? | Amos 6:12 |
| Deut 28:49 | The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth | Deut 28:49 (Consequences of disobedience) |
| Jer 5:15 | Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, | Jer 5:15 (Warning of foreign invasion) |
| Joel 2:2-11 | A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness | Joel 2:2-11 (Locust plague imagery) |
| Hab 1:8 | Their horses are swifter than leopards, and more fierce than wolves at evening | Hab 1:8 (Enemy's swiftness) |
| Jer 8:6 | They are turned back in their own iniquity. | Jer 8:6 (Result of disobedience) |
| Hos 7:8-10 | Ephraim is a silly dove, without understanding. | Hos 7:8-10 (Spiritual adultery) |
| Ps 33:16-17 | No king is saved by the multitude of a mighty army. | Ps 33:16-17 (Limits of earthly power) |
| Isa 30:16 | You said, “No! we will flee on horses”; therefore you shall flee. | Isa 30:16 (Rejection of God's wisdom) |
| Ezek 27:7 | Your sails came from the oaks of Bashan; they have made your masts of ivory from the islands of the Chittim. | Ezek 27:7 (Symbol of maritime power) |
| Ps 20:7 | Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. | Ps 20:7 (Contrast in trust) |
| Jer 46:7-12 | Who is this that comes up like the Nile, whose waters are turbulently rising? | Jer 46:7-12 (Judgment on Egypt) |
| Nahum 2:12 | The lion has torn enough for his cubs and strangled for his lionesses. | Nahum 2:12 (Aggression of Assyria) |
| Luke 14:31-32 | Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? | Luke 14:31-32 (Cost of conflict) |
| Matt 24:7 | For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. | Matt 24:7 (Signs of the end) |
| 1 Cor 1:27 | But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; | 1 Cor 1:27 (God's wisdom vs. man's) |
| Gal 5:17 | For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. | Gal 5:17 (Internal conflict) |
| Prov 24:34 | and your poverty will come like a robber, and your want like an armed man. | Prov 24:34 (Sudden calamity) |
| Hos 10:11 | Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh, but I will lay on her the yoke of her fair neck. | Hos 10:11 (Yoked for judgment) |
| Ps 49:6-7 | about those who are so foolish. What is the legacy of their descendants? They leave their wealth to others. | Ps 49:6-7 (Folly of wealth accumulation) |
Amos 6 verses
Amos 6 12 Meaning
This verse declares that the prosperity and privileges of Israel, symbolized by chariots and horses, will be used as instruments of their destruction. The imagery highlights the consequence of their corrupt and unjust actions, indicating that the very things they relied upon will turn against them, leading to their downfall and dispersion. It’s a severe warning about the misuse of God-given blessings and the inevitable judgment for societal sin.
Amos 6 12 Context
Amos prophesies to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of outward prosperity and security, under King Jeroboam II. However, this material wealth was built on social injustice, oppression of the poor, and religious syncretism. God, through Amos, denounces the complacency and extravagance of Israel’s elite who are secure in their material possessions and military strength. Chapter 6 is particularly harsh in its condemnation of their self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and denial of impending judgment. The prophet’s message serves as a severe warning that their misplaced trust in earthly power and luxury will ultimately lead to their ruin.
Amos 6 12 Word analysis
- Shad: "Will" (Hebrew: 'al-hāyiym) - indicates a negation or impossibility; expresses an emphatic "no."
- yeu: "horses" (Hebrew: susim) - often symbolizes military might, speed, and human strength; here, it represents the sophisticated weaponry and cavalry of Israel.
- run: "gallop" or "race" (Hebrew: pārûşû) - signifies swift movement and progress.
- on: "upon" or "over" (Hebrew: 'al) - preposition indicating location or surface.
- the: definite article.
- rock: (Hebrew: şûr) - refers to a steep, barren, or impassable place; implies unsuitability and impossibility of sustained, fruitful progress.
- Will: (Hebrew: 'im-la) - similar to the first 'al, asking a question about possibility.
- one: "a man" or "one" (Hebrew: 'îyš) - a generic human subject.
- plow: (Hebrew: yaḥarûşû) - a farming implement, symbolizing cultivation, agriculture, and labor on fertile ground.
- there: indicating the place mentioned, the rock.
- with: "by" or "with" (Hebrew: bə-) - preposition indicating instrumentality or accompaniment.
- oxen: (Hebrew: baqār) - signifies strength for work, agriculture, and sustenance; representing the tools and power of productive labor.
- The entire phrase "Shall horses run on the rock? will one plow there with oxen?" uses rhetorical questions to highlight the absurdity and futility of expecting normal, productive results in an unsuitable environment. Horses are meant for plains, and plowing requires fertile ground, not a rocky outcrop. This is a metaphor for Israel's spiritual state – their actions and reliance on material might are completely misapplied and ultimately pointless in the face of God's impending judgment. The rock symbolizes desolation, impassibility, and a place where God's judgment will make true productivity impossible.
Amos 6 12 Bonus section
The imagery of horses and plowing relates to common agricultural and military contexts familiar to the ancient Near East. Horses were prized for warfare and speed, while oxen were essential for farming. To use them in barren or unsuitable places points to utter devastation. This also echoes God's consistent theme: that human pride and reliance on self-sufficiency lead to judgment, while humility and reliance on God lead to true sustenance and protection. The judgment described here will make even basic functioning, let alone prosperity, impossible. It’s a warning that God can nullify human strength and provision when they are turned against His purposes.
Amos 6 12 Commentary
Amos's rhetorical questions vividly illustrate the pointlessness of Israel's current lifestyle and security measures. Their trust in military power (horses) and their confidence in continuing their luxurious existence (plowing with oxen) are as illogical as trying to run horses on sheer rock or plow barren stone. It underscores that God's judgment will render their strengths useless. Their misplaced priorities mean that the very systems they employ will be rendered ineffective when God withdraws His favor due to their sin. Their dependence on worldly means rather than divine covenant will result in ultimate failure. The inability to "plow with oxen" speaks of the failure of their agricultural or economic systems due to desolation brought by judgment.