Amos 2 · Verse 4

Amos 2:4

Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

Amos 2:4, King James Version

Amos 2:4 in other translations

BSB	This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked.
WEB	The LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have rejected the LORD’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;
ASV	Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk.
YLT	Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, And for four, I do not reserve it, Because of their loathing the law of Jehovah, And His statutes they have not kept, And their lies do cause them to err, After which their fathers did walk,
DARBY	Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke its sentence; because they have despised the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes; and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers walked.
BBE	These are the words of the Lord: For three crimes of Judah, and for four, I will not let its fate be changed; because they have given up the law of the Lord, and have not kept his rules; and their false ways, in which their fathers went, have made them go out of the right way.
Webster	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away their punishment: because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after which their fathers have walked:

What does Amos 2:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

4. From foreign kingdoms he passes to Judah and Israel, lest it should be said, he was strenuous in denouncing sins abroad, but connived at those of his own nation. Judah's guilt differs from that of all the others, in that it was directly against God, not merely against man. Also because Judah's sin was wilful and wittingly against light and knowledge. law--the Mosaic code in general. commandments--or statutes, the ceremonies and civil laws. their lies--their lying idols (Psa 40:4; Jr 16:19), from which they drew false hopes. The order is to be observed. The Jews first cast off the divine law, then fall into lying errors; God thus visiting them with a righteous retribution (Ro 1:25, 26, 28; 2Th 2:11, 12). The pretext of a good intention is hereby refuted: the "lies" that mislead them are "their (own) lies" [Calvin]. after ... which their fathers ... walked--We are not to follow the fathers in error, but must follow the word of God alone. It was an aggravation of the Jews' sin that it was not confined to preceding generations; the sins of the sons rivalled those of their fathers (Mt 23:32; Ac 7:51) [Calvin].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 4 For three transgressions of Judah - We may take the three and four here to any latitude; for this people lived in continual hostility to their God, from the days of David to the time of Uzziah, under whom Amos prophesied. Their iniquities are summed up under three general heads: 1. They despised, or rejected the law of the Lord. 2. They kept not his statutes. 3. They followed lies, were idolaters, and followed false prophets rather than those sent by Jehovah.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Amos 2:1-8

The evil passions of the heart break out in various forms; but the Lord looks to our motives, as well as our conduct. Those that deal cruelly, shall be cruelly dealt with. Other nations were reckoned with for injuries done to men; Judah is reckoned with for dishonour done to God. Judah despised the law of the Lord; and he justly gave them up to strong delusion; nor was it any excuse for their sin, that they were the…

Read the full comment on Amos 2:1-8 →

Amos 2:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כֹּ֚הkohthusH3541

אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe saysH559

יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068

עַל\־'al-onH5921

שְׁלֹשָׁה֙she.lo.ShahthreeH7969

פִּשְׁעֵ֣יpish.'Ei<the> transgressions ofH6588

יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063

וְעַל\־ve.'al-and onH5921

אַרְבָּעָ֖ה'ar.ba.'AhfourH702

לֹ֣אlo'notH3808

אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ'a.shi.Ve.nuI will revoke itH7725

עַֽל\־'al-becauseH5921

מָאֳסָ֞םmo.'o.Samhave rejected theyH3988

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

תּוֹרַ֣תto.Rat[the] law ofH8451

יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068

וְחֻקָּיו֙ve.chu.Kavand statutes hisH2706

לֹ֣אlo'notH3808

שָׁמָ֔רוּsha.Ma.ruthey have keptH8104

וַיַּתְעוּם֙vai.yat.'Umand they have misled themH8582

כִּזְבֵיהֶ֔םkiz.vei.Hemlies theirH3577

אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834

הָלְכ֥וּha.le.Khuthey walkedH1980

אֲבוֹתָ֖ם'a.vo.Tamancestors theirH1

אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם\׃'a.cha.rei.Hemafter themH310

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Amos 2:4

Ezekiel 20:24
Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
Ezekiel 20:16
Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Hosea 12:2
The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
Habakkuk 2:18
What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
Isaiah 28:15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Jeremiah 16:19-20
O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?
Leviticus 26:14-15
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
Ezekiel 20:18
But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
Isaiah 5:24-25
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Jeremiah 8:9
The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
Jeremiah 9:14
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

For.
De 31:16-18; 32:15-27
Judah.
3:2; 2Ki 17:19; Jer 9:25,26; Ho 5:12,13; 6:11; 12:2
because.
Le 26:14,15; Jud 2:17-20; 2Sa 12:9,10; 2Ki 22:11-17; 2Ch 36:14-17
Ne 1:7; 9:26,29,30; Isa 5:24,25; Jer 8:9; Eze 16:1-63; 20:13,16,24
Eze 22:8; 23:11-21; Da 9:5-12; 1Th 4:8
and their.
Isa 9:15,16; 28:15; 44:20; Jer 16:19,20; 23:13-15,25-32; 28:15,16
Eze 13:6-16,22; 22:28; Hab 2:18; Ro 1:25
after.
Jud 2:11-17; 10:6; 2Ch 30:7; Jer 8:2; 9:14; Eze 20:13,16,18,24,30
1Pe 1:18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Amos 2:3
And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the Lord.
Amos 2:4
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
Amos 2:5
But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

Read all of Amos 2

Amos 2:4 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Así ha dicho Jehová: Por tres pecados de Judá, y por el cuarto, no desviaré su castigo; porque menospreciaron la ley de Jehová, y no guardaron sus ordenanzas; é hiciéronlos errar sus mentiras, en pos de las cuales anduvieron sus padres.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ainsi dit l’ Éternel: À cause de trois transgressions de Juda, et à cause de quatre, je ne le révoquerai point, parce qu’ils ont méprisé la loi de l’ Éternel et n’ont pas gardé ses statuts, et que leurs mensonges, après lesquels leurs pères ont marché, les ont fait errer;
German Elberfelder 1871	So spricht Jehova: Wegen drei Freveltaten von Juda und wegen vier werde ich es nicht rückgängig machen: Weil sie das Gesetz Jehovas verworfen und seine Satzungen nicht bewahrt haben, und ihre Lügen sie verführten, denen ihre Väter nachgewandelt sind,
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Hæc dicit Dominus: Super tribus sceleribus Juda, et super quatuor non convertam eum, eo quod abjecerit legem Domini et mandata ejus non custodierit: deceperant enim eos idola sua, post quæ abierant patres eorum.