The Meaning of Amos 5:6 Explained

Amos 5:6

KJV: Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

YLT: Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire against the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

Darby: Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

ASV: Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.

Discover Amos 5:6

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Amos 5:6?

MEANING: What does Amos 5:6 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Amos 5:6 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Amos 5:6?

What is the context of Amos 5:6?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Bethel.

What does Amos 5:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Amos , as well as the Lord ( Amos 5:4), invited the Israelites to seek the Lord by doing good and refraining from evil so they might live (cf. Amos 5:14-15). The alternative would be God"s judgment breaking forth and unquenchably consuming the whole house of Joseph (i.e, the Northern Kingdom, whose main tribe was Ephraim, a son of Joseph).

"Fear of judgment may not be the highest motive for obeying God, but the Lord will accept it." ^[1]

Context Summary

Amos 5:1-15 - "prepare To Meet Thy God"

Worse judgments than those mentioned in the previous verses were in store but before they are inflicted, the entire nation is summoned to the divine bar. Whether we choose or not, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of God." Prepare, my soul, to meet Him! Note the sublimity of that last verse of Amos 4:1-13. How great is God, who made the mountains! How mysterious, who made the wind! How sublime, who calls to the dawn! How mighty, to whom mountains and peaks are stepping-stones!

But great and holy though God is, we are invited to seek Him. He desires to bless, but He must be sought. Were we more diligent in seeking, as the miner for gold, or the scientific man for nature's secrets, we should be marvelously repaid. "Eye hath not seen," etc. Amos speaks as nature's child. Often as he had tended his flocks, he had watched the Pleiades with their gentle radiance, and Orion, the herald of storm. He had listened to God calling across the waters, and had drawn life from Him. "Seek and live!" O soul, what a God is thine! Thy springs and storms await His word of command. He can turn thy darkness into the morning. Be of good cheer! [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 5:6 mean?

Seek - Yahweh and live lest He break out like fire [in] the house of Joseph and devour [it] and with no one to quench [it] in Bethel

דִּרְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־ יְהוָ֖ה וִֽחְי֑וּ פֶּן־ יִצְלַ֤ח כָּאֵשׁ֙ בֵּ֣ית יוֹסֵ֔ף וְאָכְלָ֥ה וְאֵין־ מְכַבֶּ֖ה לְבֵֽית־ אֵֽל

דִּרְשׁ֥וּ	Seek
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
אֶת־	-
Parse: Direct object marker Root: אֹות Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֖ה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וִֽחְי֑וּ	and live
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural Root: חָיָה Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
פֶּן־	lest
Parse: Conjunction Root: פֶּן Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
יִצְלַ֤ח	He break out
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: צָלַח Sense: (Qal) to rush.
כָּאֵשׁ֙	like fire
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular Root: אֵשׁ Sense: fire.
בֵּ֣ית	[in] the house
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: בַּיִת Sense: house.
יוֹסֵ֔ף	of Joseph
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יׄוסֵף Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel.
וְאָכְלָ֥ה	and devour [it]
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular Root: אָכַל Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְאֵין־	and with no one
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb Root: אַיִן Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מְכַבֶּ֖ה	to quench [it]
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular Root: כָּבָה Sense: to quench, put out, be put out, be quenched, be extinguished.
אֵֽל	Bethel
Parse: Preposition, Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: בֵּית־אֵל Sense: ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name).

What are the major concepts related to Amos 5:6?

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Similar Scriptures for Amos 5:6

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