The Meaning of Amos 5:19 Explained

Amos 5:19

KJV: As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

YLT: As when one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten him.

Darby: as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

ASV: As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

As if a man  did flee  from  a lion,  and a bear  met  him; or went  into the house,  and leaned  his hand  on the wall,  and a serpent  bit  him. 

What does Amos 5:19 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The coming day of the Lord would mean inescapable tragedy for Israel. The Israelites may have thought they had escaped one enemy, but they would have to face another. They might think they were secure and safe in their homeland, but deadly judgment would overtake them in that confortable environment. There would be no safe haven from God"s coming judgment, even though they frequented the temple.

Context Summary

Amos 5:16-27 - A Dark Day For Hypocrites
Mighty sins had been committed, and mighty judgments were at hand. The oppression of the poor, Amos 5:11; the erection of elegant dwellings from unrighteous exactions, Amos 5:11; the acceptance of bribes to betray the needy, Amos 5:12 all these must be reckoned with. But if the guilty nation would not seek God and establish judgment in the gate, where magistrates sat to dispense justice, the streets would be filled with wailing, and the husbandmen and vine-dressers would be equally affected by the widespread desolation as the dwellers in the cities.
Moreover, bad as Israel's present condition was, it would become infinitely worse, as though a man fleeing from a lion rushed into the arms of a bear, or, taking refuge in a house, was stung by a serpent that lay hid in a cranny of the wall. Of what avail are religious rites, when the heart is alienated from God, Amos 5:21, etc.? Let us heed well the exhortation of Amos 5:23-24. The martyr Stephen quoted Amos 5:25-27, which accuse the people of carrying about little shrines and pocket-idols, to serve as amulets averting disaster, Acts 7:43. But they might as well have built a bank of sand to arrest an overflowing flood! The one thing which is going to help us is repentance toward God and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 5

1  A lamentation for Israel
4  An exhortation to repentance
21  God rejects their hypocritical service

What do the individual words in Amos 5:19 mean?

It [will be] as though fled a man from a lion and met him a bear Or [as though] he went into the house and Leaned his hand on the wall and bit him a serpent
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָנ֥וּס אִישׁ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָאֲרִ֔י וּפְגָע֖וֹ הַדֹּ֑ב וּבָ֣א הַבַּ֔יִת וְסָמַ֤ךְ יָדוֹ֙ עַל־ הַקִּ֔יר וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ הַנָּחָֽשׁ

כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר  It  [will  be]  as  though 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָנ֥וּס  fled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נוּס  
Sense: to flee, escape.
אִישׁ֙  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָאֲרִ֔י  a  lion 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲרִי 
Sense: lion.
וּפְגָע֖וֹ  and  met  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
הַדֹּ֑ב  a  bear 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֹּב  
Sense: bear.
וּבָ֣א  Or  [as  though]  he  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַבַּ֔יִת  into  the  house 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְסָמַ֤ךְ  and  Leaned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָמַךְ  
Sense: to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon.
יָדוֹ֙  his  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַקִּ֔יר  the  wall 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קִיר  
Sense: wall, side.
וּנְשָׁכ֖וֹ  and  bit  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָשַׁךְ 
Sense: to bite.
הַנָּחָֽשׁ  a  serpent 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָחָשׁ  
Sense: serpent, snake.