Amos 8:12 kjv
And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Amos 8:12 nkjv
They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.
Amos 8:12 niv
People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.
Amos 8:12 esv
They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.
Amos 8:12 nlt
People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border
searching for the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.
Amos 8 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 8:11 | "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine...of hearing the words of the LORD." | Amos (Chapter context) |
| Jeremiah 7:23 | "But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people...'" | Jeremiah (Conditional Covenants) |
| Lamentations 2:9 | "Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken down her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations; the law is no more..." | Lamentations (Loss of Divine Order) |
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Hosea (Consequences of Ignorance) |
| John 6:63 | "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." | John (Spiritual Life from Words) |
| Matthew 4:4 | "But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."'" | Matthew (Dependence on God's Word) |
| Acts 3:21 | "...whom heaven must receive until the time for the restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." | Acts (Prophetic Fulfillment) |
| Romans 10:13 | "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" | Romans (Call to Salvation) |
| Romans 10:14 | "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?" | Romans (Hearing the Word) |
| 2 Timothy 3:16 | "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..." | 2 Timothy (Divine Inspiration) |
| 1 Samuel 28:6 | "When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets." | 1 Samuel (Lack of Divine Answer) |
| Psalm 74:9 | "We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long..." | Psalm (Loss of Guidance) |
| Proverbs 1:24-26 | "Because I called and you refused to listen, because I stretched out my hand and no one attended to me, but you have ignored all my counsel and would not heed my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you..." | Proverbs (Rejection of Wisdom) |
| Isaiah 30:10 | "...who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions...'" | Isaiah (Rejection of True Prophecy) |
| Ezekiel 7:26 | "Disaster comes on disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders." | Ezekiel (Impending Judgment) |
| Amos 5:10 | "They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks truthfully." | Amos (Rejection of Truth) |
| Amos 5:21-23 | "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them..." | Amos (Fruitless Worship) |
| Revelation 22:11 | "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” | Revelation (State of End Times) |
| Acts 13:46 | "And Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly, saying, 'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.'" | Acts (Rejection and Turning) |
| Luke 11:52 | "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to enter.” | Luke (Hindering Access to Knowledge) |
Amos 8 verses
Amos 8 12 Meaning
This verse declares that people will search for God's word and find it unavailable. They will seek prophetic messages, teachings from prophets, and divine guidance but will be unable to obtain them. This absence signifies a spiritual drought, a time when God's people are cut off from His direct communication due to their disobedience and rejection of His prophets.
Amos 8 12 Context
Amos is a prophet of social justice sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a period of outward prosperity but severe moral and spiritual decay. The people have become complacent, oppressing the poor and indulging in corrupt worship. In chapter 8, Amos vividly portrays God's impending judgment upon Israel. The preceding verses speak of God's unwavering judgment and the approaching day of the Lord, a day of darkness, not light. This verse is part of a pronouncement of punishment for their sins, particularly their rejection of God's truth and messengers.
Amos 8 12 Word Analysis
- וְחִפְּשׂוּ (v'chippesu): "and they shall search" or "and they will seek." This imperfect verb suggests a future, continuous action, implying a desperate, prolonged effort.
- אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהוָה (et-d'var-Yahweh): "the word of the LORD." "Davar" means word, utterance, or matter. Here it specifically refers to divine revelation, prophetic pronouncements, and God's commandments.
- וְלֹא־יִמְצְאוּ (v'lo-yimt'u): "and they will not find." This negation of finding underscores the unavailability of God's message.
- חֲרוֹן־אַף (charon-af): "burning anger" or "fury." This phrase depicts the intensity of God's wrath, a direct consequence of their actions.
- יָמִים (yamim): "days." Indicating a period of time, emphasizing that this lack of divine communication is not temporary but extended.
- קְרִיאָה (kri'ah): "calling" or "reading" (of prophecy/scripture). This term implies both the spoken message and the written word, highlighting the overall lack of divine instruction.
- וּנְבוּאָה (un'vu'ah): "and prophecy." Specifically referring to messages delivered by God's prophets, signifying the cessation of direct divine communication through human agents.
Words Group Analysis
- "search for the word of the LORD and will not find it": This phrase encapsulates the consequence of actively turning away from God's guidance. The inability to find His word indicates a spiritual disconnect, not because God has gone silent, but because Israel's sin has created a barrier to receiving His messages. It’s a consequence of their deliberate disregard and suppression of divine truth.
- "famine... of hearing the words of the LORD": This metaphorical famine is a severe spiritual deprivation. Unlike a physical famine that affects the body, this famine affects the soul. It highlights the critical necessity of God's word for spiritual sustenance and direction.
Amos 8 12 Bonus Section
The "day of the LORD" referred to in the broader context of Amos (5:18-20) was not initially understood by Israel as a day of judgment but as a day of victory and deliverance. Amos's prophecy fundamentally reshapes this understanding, revealing it as a day of darkness and judgment due to their unrighteousness. This verse is a poignant example of that judgment: the silence of God's voice is a manifestation of His displeasure and the severity of the impending consequences for a people who have ears to hear but refuse to listen to His life-giving word. This silence prepares the way for the more direct pronouncements of judgment in the subsequent verses.
Amos 8 12 Commentary
Amos 8:12 describes a critical consequence of persistent disobedience: spiritual famine. When a people reject God’s clear warnings and rebukes, and scorn His messengers, they sever their connection to divine guidance. This verse predicts a future time for Israel when they will desperately seek God’s voice through His prophets and His word but will be unable to find it. This is not an arbitrary act by God, but a judicial sentence pronounced because of their active rebellion and their desire for false comforts over truth. This famine of hearing God's word is the inevitable result of despising God's grace and turning His counsel into a cause for mockery. It is a profound indicator of a community left to its own spiritual devices, alienated from the source of truth and life.