Amos 3 · Verse 15

Amos 3:15

And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
Amos 3:15, King James Version

Amos 3:15 in other translations

BSBI will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory will also perish, and the great houses will come to an end,” declares the LORD.
WEBI will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses will have an end,” says the LORD.
ASVAnd I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith Jehovah.
YLTAnd I have smitten the winter-house with the summer-house, And perished have houses of ivory, And consumed have been many houses, An affirmation of Jehovah!
DARBYAnd I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and many houses shall have an end, saith Jehovah.
BBEAnd I will send destruction on the winter house with the summer house; the ivory houses will be falling down and the great houses will come to an end, says the Lord.
WebsterAnd I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.

What does Amos 3:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. winter ... summer house--(Jud 3:20; Jr 36:22). Winter houses of the great were in sheltered positions facing the south to get all possible sunshine, summer houses in forests and on hills, facing the east and north. houses of ivory--having their walls, doors, and ceilings inlaid with ivory. So Ahab's house (1Ki 22:39; Psa 45:8).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 I will smite the winter house with the summer house - I will not only destroy the poor habitations and villages in the country, but I will destroy those of the nobility and gentry as well as the lofty palaces in the fortified cities in which they dwell in the winter season, as those light and elegant seats in which they spend the summer season. Dr. Shaw observes that "the hills and valleys round about Algiers are all over beautified with gardens and country seats, whither the inhabitants of better fashion retire during the heats of the summer season. They are little white houses, shaded with a variety of fruit trees and evergreens, which beside shade and retirement, afford a gay and delightful prospect toward the sea. The gardens are all well stocked with melons, fruits, and pot herbs of all kinds; and (which is chiefly regarded in these hot countries) each of them enjoys a great command of water." And the houses of ivory - Those remarkable for their magnificence and their ornaments, not built of ivory, but in which ivory vessels, ornaments, and inlaying abounded. Thus, then, the winter houses and the summer houses, the great houses and the houses of uncommon splendor, shall all perish. There should be a total desolation in the land. No kind of house should be a refuge, and no kind of habitation should be spared. Ahab had at Samaria a house that was called the ivory house, 1Kgs 22:39. This may be particularly referred to in this place. We cannot suppose that a house constructed entirely of ivory can be intended.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Amos 3:9-15

That power which is an instrument of unrighteousness, will justly be brought down and broken. What is got and kept wrongfully, will not be kept long. Some are at ease, but there will come a day of visitation, and in that day, all they are proud of, and put confidence in, shall fail them. God will inquire into the sins of which they have been guilty in their houses, the robbery they have stored up, and the luxury in…

Read the full comment on Amos 3:9-15 →

Amos 3:15 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.

וְהִכֵּיתִ֥יve.hi.kei.Tiand I will strikeH5221
בֵית\־veit-[the] house ofH1004
הַחֹ֖רֶףha.Cho.refthe winterH2779
עַל\־'al-toH5921
בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
הַקָּ֑יִץha.Ka.yitzthe summerH7019
וְאָבְד֞וּve.'a.ve.Duand they will perishH6
בָּתֵּ֣יba.Tei[the] houses ofH1004
הַשֵּׁ֗ןha.Shen<the> ivoryH8127
וְסָפ֛וּve.sa.Fuand people will snatch awayH5595
בָּתִּ֥יםba.TimhousesH1004
רַבִּ֖יםra.BimgreatH7227
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָֽה\׃\ \סYah.wehYahwehH3068

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

Cross references for Amos 3:15

  • 1 Kings 22:39

    Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

  • Jeremiah 36:22

    Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

  • Amos 6:11

    For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

  • Judges 3:20

    And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

  • Isaiah 5:9

    In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

  • Psalms 45:8

    All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

  • Amos 3:11

    Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the winter.
Jer 36:22
the summer.
Jud 3:20
the houses.
1Ki 22:39
the great.
11; 6:11; Isa 5:9

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

Context

  • Amos 3:14

    That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Beth–el: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.

  • Amos 3:15

    And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

Read all of Amos 3

Amos 3:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y heriré la casa del invierno con la casa del verano, y las casas de marfil perecerán; y muchas casas serán arruinadas, dice Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je frapperai la maison d’hiver avec la maison d’été, et les maisons d’ivoire périront, et beaucoup de maisons cesseront d’exister, dit l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich werde das Winterhaus zertrümmern samt dem Sommerhause; und die Elfenbeinhäuser werden zu Grunde gehen, die großen Häuser werden verschwinden, spricht Jehova.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et percutiam domum hiemalem cum domo æstiva, et peribunt domus eburneæ, et dissipabuntur ædes multæ, dicit Dominus.