Amos 4:6

4:6 “But surely I gave you no food to eat in any of your cities;

you lacked food everywhere you live.

Still you did not come back to me.”

The Lord is speaking!

Amos 8:12

8:12 People will stagger from sea to sea,

and from the north around to the east.

They will wander about looking for a revelation from the Lord,

but they will not find any.


tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic (pronoun + verb). It underscores the stark contrast between the judgments that the Lord had been sending with the God of blessing Israel was celebrating in its worship (4:4-5).

tn Heb “But I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of food in all your places.” The phrase “cleanness of teeth” is a vivid way of picturing the famine Israel experienced.

tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn That is, from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east – that is, across the whole land.

tn Heb “looking for the word of.”

tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the Lord or the prophet.