The Meaning of Amos 8:9 Explained

Amos 8:9

KJV: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

YLT: And it hath come to pass in that day, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I have caused the sun to go in at noon, And caused darkness on the land in a day of light,

Darby: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the land in the clear day.

ASV: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.

Discover Amos 8:9

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Amos 8:9?

MEANING: What does Amos 8:9 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Amos 8:9 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Amos 8:9?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass in that day,  saith  the Lord  GOD,  that I will cause the sun  to go down  at noon,  and I will darken  the earth  in the clear  day: 

What does Amos 8:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

On the day of judgment sovereign Yahweh would send darkness over the land. This may refer to an eclipse of the sun, or it may be a figurative description of the coming judgment as an unnaturally bad day. I prefer the metaphorical interpretation since this whole chapter contains many metaphors. The figure of the sun going down at noon was particularly appropriate since Jeroboam"s reign was the zenith of Israel"s prosperity, power, and glory.

Context Summary

Amos 8:1-14 - The Worst Famine Of All
What is more fragile than summer fruit! So beautiful, so refreshing, yet so readily corrupted and diseased. To Amos it was an emblem of the rapidity with which dissolution would overtake his rebellious nation. The end had arrived. The Great Husbandman could do no more. When the harvest has come, separation between good and bad is inevitable. See Isaiah 5:4; Matthew 13:30.
The crimes of the ruling class were enormous. Eager to increase their stores, they wearied of time given to religion. They grudged passing a day without opening their salesrooms. They did not scruple to make their measures (ephah) small, and to demand a greater weight of money (shekel) from their clients. These were crimes that could not be passed over. It is an awful sentence when God says, "I will never forget," Amos 8:7. Invasion would sweep the land like an inundation. Since the people would not heed the God-sent messengers, they would be withdrawn. There would be a famine of the Word of God, and those who had most despised it, because enamored with the fascinations of youth, would be smitten with an insatiable appetite for it. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 8

1  By a basket of summer fruit is shown the approach of Israel's end
4  Oppression is reproved
11  A famine of the word of God threatened

What do the individual words in Amos 8:9 mean?

And it shall come to pass in day that says the Lord GOD that I will make go down the sun at noon and I will darken the earth in daylight broad
וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּי֥וֹם אֽוֹר

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַּיּ֣וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַה֗וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
נְאֻם֙  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
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’.
וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י  that  I  will  make  go  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ  the  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם  at  noon 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: צֹהַר 
Sense: noon, midday.
וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י  and  I  will  darken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָשַׁךְ 
Sense: to be or become dark, grow dim, be darkened, be black, be hidden.
לָאָ֖רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בְּי֥וֹם  in  daylight 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
אֽוֹר  broad 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.

What are the major concepts related to Amos 8:9?

Loading Information...

Similar Scriptures for Amos 8:9

Mark 15:33 [8]
Matthew 27:45 [7]
Jeremiah 15:9 [7]
Matthew 24:29 [6]
Isaiah 59:9-10 [6]
Micah 3:6 [6]
Luke 23:44 [6]
Amos 5:8 [6]
Job 5:14 [5]
Isaiah 13:10 [5]
Amos 4:13 [4]
read more (4)
Revelation 8:12 [3]
Isaiah 29:9-10 [3]
Revelation 6:12 [3]
Exodus 10:21-23 [2]
read less