Amos 4 · Verse 3

Amos 4:3

And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
Amos 4:3, King James Version

Amos 4:3 in other translations

BSBYou will go out through broken walls, each one straight ahead of her, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the LORD.
WEBYou will go out at the breaks in the wall, everyone straight before her; and you will cast yourselves into Harmon,” says the LORD.
ASVAnd ye shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; and ye shall cast yourselves into Harmon, saith Jehovah.
YLTAnd by breaches ye go forth, A woman at that over-against her, And ye have cast down the high place, An affirmation of Jehovah.
DARBYand ye shall go out by the breaches, every one straight before her, and ye shall be cast out to Harmon, saith Jehovah.
BBEAnd you will go out through the broken places, every one going straight before her, and you will be sent into Harmon, says the Lord.
WebsterAnd ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.

What does Amos 4:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. go out at the breaches--namely, of the city walls broken by the enemy. every cow at that which is before her--figurative for the once luxurious nobles (compare "kine of Bashan," Am 4:1) shall go out each one right before her; not through the gates, but each at the breach before him, not turning to the right or left, apart from one another. ye shall cast them into the palace--"them," that is, "your posterity," from Am 4:2. You yourselves shall escape through the breaches, after having cast your little children into the palace, so as not to see their destruction, and to escape the more quickly. Rather, "ye shall cast yourselves into the palace," so as to escape from it out of the city [Calvin]. The palace, the scene of the princes' riots (Am 3:10, 15; 4:1), is to be the scene of their ignominious flight. Compare in the similar case of Jerusalem's capture, the king's escape by way of the palace, through a breach in the wall (Eze 12:5, 12). Gesenius translates, "Ye shall be cast (as captives) into the (enemy's) stronghold"; in this view, the enemy's stronghold is called "palace," in retributive contrast to the "palaces" of Israel's nobles, the store houses of their robberies (Am 3:10).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 And ye shall go out at the breaches - Probably the metaphor is here kept up. They shall be caught by the hooks, or by the nets; and though they may make breaches in the latter by their flouncing when caught, they shall be taken out at these very breaches; and cast, not in the palace, but into a reservoir, to be kept awhile, and afterwards be taken out to be destroyed. Samaria itself is the net; your adversaries shall besiege it, and make breaches in its walls. At those breaches ye shall endeavor to make your escape, but ye shall be caught and led into captivity, where most of you shall be destroyed. See Houbigant on this passage.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Amos 4:1-5

What is got by extortion is commonly used to provide for the flesh, and to fulfil the lusts thereof. What is got by oppression cannot be enjoyed with satisfaction. How miserable are those whose confidence in unscriptural observances only prove that they believe a lie! Let us see to it that our faith, hope, and worship, are warranted by the Divine word.

Read the full comment on Amos 4:1-5 →

Amos 4:3 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.

וּפְרָצִ֥יםu.fe.ra.Tzimand breachesH6556
תֵּצֶ֖אנָהte.Tze.nahyou will go outH3318
אִשָּׁ֣ה'i.ShaheachH802
נֶגְדָּ֑הּneg.Dahbefore herselfH5048
וְהִשְׁלַכְתֶּ֥נָהve.hish.lakh.Te.nahand you will throwH7993
הַהַרְמ֖וֹנָהha.har.Mo.nah<the> Harmon towardsH2038
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.wehYahwehH3068

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

Cross references for Amos 4:3

  • Ezekiel 12:5

    Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

  • Ezekiel 12:12

    And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

  • Isaiah 31:7

    For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

  • Matthew 16:26

    For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

  • 2 Kings 25:4

    And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

  • 2 Kings 7:7-8

    Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

  • Zephaniah 1:18

    Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

  • Isaiah 2:20

    In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

  • 2 Kings 7:15

    And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
ye shall go.
2Ki 25:4; Eze 12:5,12
them into the palace. or, away the things of the palace.
2Ki 7:7,8,15; Isa 2:20; 31:7; Zep 1:18; Mt 16:26

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

Context

  • Amos 4:2

    The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

  • Amos 4:3

    And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.

  • Amos 4:4

    Come to Beth–el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

Read all of Amos 4

Amos 4:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y saldrán por los portillos la una en pos de la otra, y seréis echadas del palacio, dice Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et vous sortirez par les brèches, chacune droit devant elle, et vous serez lancées vers Harmon, dit l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ihr werdet durch die Mauerrisse hinausgehen, eine jede vor sich hin, und ihr werdet nach Harmon hingeworfen werden, spricht Jehova.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et per aperturas exibitis altera contra alteram, et projiciemini in Armon, dicit Dominus.