Amos 7 17

Amos 7:17 kjv

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

Amos 7:17 nkjv

"Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Your land shall be divided by survey line; You shall die in a defiled land; And Israel shall surely be led away captive From his own land.' "

Amos 7:17 niv

"Therefore this is what the LORD says: "?'Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.'?"

Amos 7:17 esv

Therefore thus says the LORD: "'Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'"

Amos 7:17 nlt

But this is what the LORD says:
'Your wife will become a prostitute in this city,
and your sons and daughters will be killed.
Your land will be divided up,
and you yourself will die in a foreign land.
And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile,
far from their homeland.'"

Amos 7 verses

Amos 7 17 meaning

Amos 7:17 declares God's severe judgment upon Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, for his opposition and attempt to silence the prophet Amos. The verdict includes the public disgrace and destitution of his wife, the violent death of his children, the confiscation and division of his family's ancestral land, and his own demise in a ritually unclean, foreign land. This personal judgment serves as a concrete manifestation and confirmation of Amos's broader prophecy that the nation of Israel itself would inevitably go into exile from its own land.

Amos 7 17 Context

Amos 7:17 is the prophet Amos's immediate and climactic response to Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. Prior to this verse, Amaziah directly confronts Amos, accusing him of treason against King Jeroboam II by prophesying Israel's destruction (Amos 7:10-11). Amaziah then commands Amos to cease his prophetic activities in Bethel, referring to it as the king's sanctuary and the house of Israel (Amos 7:12-13). In response, Amos reaffirms his divine calling, emphasizing that he was a simple shepherd, not a professional prophet, before God called him (Amos 7:14-15). Therefore, Amaziah's opposition is not to Amos personally but to God's direct command. This specific, personal judgment on Amaziah then serves to underscore the certainty and severity of God's larger judgment on the idolatrous and unjust nation of Israel, which Amos has consistently been proclaiming. Bethel was a significant cultic site, a royal sanctuary established by Jeroboam I for calf worship (1 Ki 12:28-33), making Amaziah's role particularly problematic as he oversaw idolatry.

Amos 7 17 Word analysis

• Therefore: Hebrew "לָכֵן" (lakhen). A transitional particle, linking God's judgment directly and causally to Amaziah's preceding actions and words—his command to Amos to stop prophesying and his accusation of treason. It signifies a direct divine response.
• thus says: Hebrew "כֹּה אָמַר" (koh amar). A standard prophetic formula, emphasizing that the message is not Amos's opinion but the direct, authoritative word of the Lord (יהוה, YHWH). It carries the weight of divine decree, making the judgment irreversible and certain.
• the LORD: Hebrew "יהוה" (YHWH), the covenant name of God, indicating His faithfulness to His covenant, which includes judgment for disobedience, and His sovereign power over all creation and human affairs.
• Your wife shall be a harlot: Hebrew "אִשְׁתְּךָ תִזְנֶה" (ish'tekha tizneh). "Harlot" (zanah) refers to literal prostitution or, figuratively, idolatry. In this context, it primarily signifies public shame, utter humiliation, and the loss of social standing and protection for Amaziah's wife, a fate often befalling women in conquered cities. It targets his household's honor directly.
• in the city: Hebrew "בָעִיר" (ba'ir). Specifically refers to the urban center, emphasizing the public and shameful nature of her prostitution. This would likely occur during a siege or capture, where societal order breaks down and women become vulnerable.
• Your sons and daughters shall fall: Hebrew "וּבָנֶיךָ וּבְנֹתֶיךָ֙ יִפְּל֣וּ" (uvanekha uvenotekha yippelu). Denotes death by violence. It signifies the utter destruction of his family line and legacy, striking at the heart of an ancient patriarch's identity and hope for the future.
• by the sword: Hebrew "בַחֶ֔רֶב" (bacherev). A clear reference to warfare and military conquest. This detail emphasizes the violent, external nature of the coming judgment, most likely at the hands of foreign invaders.
• Your land shall be divided: Hebrew "וְאַדְמָֽתְךָ֙ בַּחֶ֣בֶל תְּחֻלַּ֔ק" (ve'admatekha bakhevel tekhullaq). "Land" (admah) here means ancestral inheritance, crucial for identity and sustenance. "Divided by line" (bakhevel) refers to using a measuring cord for the allocation of land, signifying its confiscation and reallocation to new owners, likely foreign invaders, depriving his family of their essential heritage and livelihood.
• and you yourself shall die: Hebrew "וְאַתָּ֗ה ... תָּמ֔וּת" (ve'attah ... tamut). This is a direct pronouncement of Amaziah's personal end, with emphasis on "you yourself," distinguishing his fate from that of his family.
• in an unclean land: Hebrew "עַל־אֲדָמָה֙ טְמֵאָה֙" (‘al-adamah t’me’ah). "Unclean land" refers to any land outside Israel, ritually defiling to an Israelite, especially a priest. This is a severe curse, implying death far from home, without proper burial rites by his family, and separation from the holy land and its God in a deep, spiritual sense. It contrasts with Amaziah's desire for Amos to leave "clean" Israel.
• And Israel shall surely go into exile: Hebrew "וְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ גָּלֹ֤ה יִגְלֶה֙" (v'Yisra’el galoh yigleh). "Galoh yigleh" is an infinitive absolute, emphasizing the absolute certainty and totality of the exile. This final statement connects Amaziah's personal doom to the broader national destiny, proving the veracity of Amos's main prophetic message that Amaziah sought to suppress.
• away from its land: Hebrew "מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמָת֔וֹ" (me'al admato). Reaffirms the loss of ancestral territory, paralleling the judgment on Amaziah's land. The nation's inheritance is lost, just as the priest's.

Amos 7 17 Bonus section

The pronounced judgment on Amaziah, a priest, dying in an "unclean land" held particular gravity within Israelite religious thought. For a priest, who was meant to be ritually pure and mediate between God and the people, dying outside the sacred land in a defiled place was the ultimate disgrace and the antithesis of his spiritual office. It would symbolize his complete unsuitability and rejection by God, making his legacy an abject failure from a theological standpoint. Furthermore, Bethel itself was a deeply ironic setting for this confrontation. It was where Jacob encountered God (Gen 28), naming it "house of God," and later became a primary center for Jeroboam's idolatrous golden calf cult. Amaziah's attempt to defend this idolatrous center and silence a true prophet underscored Israel's spiritual decline, where the sacred became perverted. This verse illustrates that leaders who oppose divine truth will bear an even heavier burden of judgment, particularly when their position should ideally protect and promote it.

Amos 7 17 Commentary

Amos 7:17 serves as a powerful testament to the consequences of resisting God's word and His messengers. Amaziah, as the high priest of the state cult at Bethel, embodied the corrupt religious establishment that fostered idolatry and suppressed truth. His attempt to expel Amos was not merely a political maneuver but an act of direct defiance against divine authority. The judgments pronounced upon him are exquisitely tailored to reverse everything he stood for and tried to protect: his family's honor, his lineage, his material security (land), and his priestly purity (dying in an unclean land). This specific and graphic judgment on an individual validates the overarching message of impending national doom that Amos proclaimed. It demonstrates that divine judgment is not abstract but tangible, affecting individuals and their legacies. By linking Amaziah's personal tragedy to the inevitable national exile, the verse underscores the undeniable truth and power of God's word through His prophets, even when fiercely resisted. It exemplifies that opposition to God's appointed spokesmen carries severe personal and collective repercussions.