Amos 8 10

Amos 8:10 kjv

And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Amos 8:10 nkjv

I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day.

Amos 8:10 niv

I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

Amos 8:10 esv

I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

Amos 8:10 nlt

I will turn your celebrations into times of mourning
and your singing into weeping.
You will wear funeral clothes
and shave your heads to show your sorrow ?
as if your only son had died.
How very bitter that day will be!

Amos 8 verses

Amos 8 10 Meaning

This verse describes a widespread mourning and distress, particularly affecting women, caused by a significant calamity that strikes the land. The phrase "hinder the Sun" signifies a time of great darkness, sorrow, and despair, like the blotting out of daylight.

Amos 8 10 Context

Amos 8 prophesies impending judgment upon Israel for their sins, particularly their economic oppression and false religious practices. The chapter begins with a vision of a plumb line, symbolizing God's accurate assessment and judgment of Israel's crookedness. Verse 10 follows this, detailing the specific consequences of their iniquities. The people are living in a period of supposed prosperity and celebration, but God's word through Amos declares that this will be replaced by deep sorrow. The destruction is so complete that it will feel like the sun itself has been extinguished. This highlights the totality of the judgment and the utter devastation that will befall them due to their persistent unfaithfulness.

Amos 8 10 Word analysis

• הפכתי (haphakhti) - "I will turn" or "I will change." This verb implies a complete inversion of the current state of affairs.
• חגיכם (chaggichem) - "your feasts" or "your festivals." Refers to religious celebrations and joyous occasions, central to Israelite life.
• לְמִסְפֵּד (le-misped) - "into mourning." A term denoting deep sorrow, grief, and lamentation, often expressed with specific rituals.
• וְכָל־שִׁירֵיכֶם (ve-chol-shireichem) - "and all your songs." Encompasses all forms of music, joyful singing, and possibly even celebratory pronouncements.
• לְקִינָה (le-qinah) - "into a dirge" or "into a lamentation." Specifically refers to a song or poem of mourning for the dead.
• וְהַעֲלֵיתִי (ve-ha'aliti) - "and I will cause to ascend" or "I will bring up." Implies a forceful or complete bringing of something forth.
• רַבִּים (rabbim) - "many." Indicating a large number.
• וְהַצְדּיעַ (ve-hatzdi'a) - "and cause to play or blow." Refers to sounding trumpets or horns, typically a call to assembly or warning.
• בְּקִרְבֵּיכֶם (be-qirbeichem) - "in your midst" or "among you." Denotes the core of their community.
• מַר (mar) - "bitter." Describing the nature of the calamity or the songs of sorrow.
• וְאַחֲרִיתִי (ve-achariti) - "and my end" or "my latter part." Refers to the final outcome or consequence.
• כְּשִׁבּוּלְתִי (ke-shibul'ti) - "as a bitter burning." This phrase is a difficult idiom. It is often translated as "a bitter wind" or "a burning bitterness." Some scholars interpret it as a catastrophic fire or blight that scorches the land. It might also suggest an all-consuming pestilence.
• כְּיוֹם (ke-yom) - "like the day." Drawing a comparison to a specific time.
• עַקָרָה (aqarah) - "a barren woman" or "a virgin." Often symbolizes one who is childless or without posterity, thus experiencing ultimate desolation. In the context of a mother who is barren, it represents extreme sorrow for the loss of a child.
• תֵלֵךְ (telekh) - "shall go up" or "shall go." Indicates movement or occurrence.
• הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ (ha-shemesh) - "the sun." A potent symbol of light, life, and regularity.
• בַּצָהֳרַיִם (batzohorayim) - "at noon" or "in the midday." The time when the sun's power is greatest.
• וְהִחְשַׁכְתִּי (ve-hichshachti) - "and I will darken." To make dark, to obscure the light.

Word Group Analysis:

• "I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation": This powerful juxtaposition highlights the complete reversal of joy into sorrow, signifying the devastation of God's judgment.
• "and I will bring up many over you, and the morning shall be like a bitter burning": This phrase speaks of pervasive death and overwhelming despair that consumes everything.
• "and will darken the sun at noon and cloud the earth with thick darkness": This describes a catastrophic event that blots out the light and plunges everything into despair, metaphorically representing a loss of hope and the finality of the judgment. The comparison to a barren woman in midday is exceptionally striking, suggesting a grief so profound it mimics the barrenness and absence of life that even the midday sun cannot penetrate.

Amos 8 10 Bonus section

The imagery of God darkening the sun at noon is found elsewhere in prophetic literature, such as in Joel 2:31, where it's a sign of the Day of the Lord. This signifies a complete disruption of the natural order, mirroring the societal and spiritual disruption that Israel’s sin has caused. The specific mention of women and their mourning underscores a particular vulnerability and deep personal loss associated with this judgment, as families are torn apart. The profound grief depicted by the "barren woman at noon" is the deepest kind of sorrow, suggesting a future devoid of joy and hope, where even the brightest light brings no relief.

Amos 8 10 Commentary

Amos delivers a stark warning about divine retribution. Israel’s celebratory atmosphere, fueled by unjust wealth and spiritual emptiness, will be replaced by widespread lamentation. God will invert their joys (feasts, songs) into symbols of grief (mourning, dirges). The image of the sun darkening at noon, reminiscent of the sorrow of a woman who has lost her children and can find no comfort, powerfully conveys the completeness and depth of the devastation. This is not just a minor setback, but a complete reversal, leaving the land in a state of profound darkness and despair, emphasizing the severe consequences of ignoring God's commands and justice. The "bitter burning" could allude to a drought, famine, or a destructive invasion that scorches the land and its people, leaving them in a state of desolation.