The Meaning of Amos 7:4 Explained

Amos 7:4

KJV: Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

YLT: Thus hath the Lord Jehovah shewed me, and lo, the Lord Jehovah is calling to contend by fire, and it consumeth the great deep, yea, it hath consumed the portion, and I say:

Darby: Thus did the Lord Jehovah shew unto me; and behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and ate up the inheritance.

ASV: Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, the Lord Jehovah called to content by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus hath the Lord  GOD  shewed  unto me: and, behold, the Lord  GOD  called  to contend  by fire,  and it devoured  the great  deep,  and did eat up  a part. 

What does Amos 7:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Sovereign Yahweh also showed Amos a vision of a great fire that was burning up everything. Like a great drought it consumed all the water and all the farmland (or people) in Israel (cf. Amos 1:9-10). What he saw may have been a scorching heat wave that resulted in a drought.
The "great deep" is a phrase that refers to subterranean waters that feed springs (cf. Genesis 1:2; Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:2; Genesis 49:25; Deuteronomy 8:7; Ezekiel 31:4). So intense was the fire that Amos saw that it dried up even these underground water reservoirs. Great heat with consequent drought was another of the punishments that the Lord warned of for covenant unfaithfulness ( Deuteronomy 28:22).

Context Summary

Amos 7:1-17 - The Herdsman's Message
The king's mowings were the earliest yield of the grasslands, which were exacted by him. Our King also has His mowings, when He takes to Himself our dearest and best while the dew of youth is still upon them-but He is only claiming His own.
Three disasters threatened the guilty land-locusts, fire, and plague; but the prophet's intercessions warded off the blow. The Bible often tells a similar story of the power of intercession. If only the Church were united and prayed with one voice, she would be able to secure deliverance for the smitten earth. When God is said to repent, we must not attribute to Him changeableness of purpose, but He seems to repent, because man has changed his attitude. If you walk against the wind, it resists you; but if you turn and walk in the opposite direction, it helps you. The plumbline, Amos 7:7, is used to discover the extent of the mischief, before the order, for destruction is issued.
Amaziah, the chief priest of the national idolatry, found the stalwart witness of the herdsman-prophet extremely inconvenient and wanted to get rid of him. There was great simplicity and dignity in the reply. Like Luther in after years, Amos could "do no other." [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 7

1  The judgments of the grasshoppers,
4  and of the fire are diverted by the prayer of Amos
7  By the wall of a plumb line is signified the rejection of Israel
10  Amaziah complains of Amos
14  Amos shows his calling
16  and Amaziah's judgment

What do the individual words in Amos 7:4 mean?

Thus showed me the Lord GOD and behold called for conflict by fire GOD and it consumed - the deep great and devoured the territory
כֹּ֤ה הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קֹרֵ֛א לָרִ֥ב בָּאֵ֖שׁ יְהוִ֑ה וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ אֶת־ תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה הַחֵֽלֶק

כֹּ֤ה  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
הִרְאַ֙נִי֙  showed  me 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֔ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וְהִנֵּ֥ה  and  behold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
קֹרֵ֛א  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
לָרִ֥ב  for  conflict 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רִיב  
Sense: to strive, contend.
בָּאֵ֖שׁ  by  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
יְהוִ֑ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙  and  it  consumed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
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.
תְּה֣וֹם  the  deep 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: תְּהֹום  
Sense: deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea.
רַבָּ֔ה  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
וְאָכְלָ֖ה  and  devoured 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
הַחֵֽלֶק  the  territory 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵלֶק 
Sense: portion, share, part, territory.