Amos 3:6 Meaning and Explanation
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →When the alarm-trumpet sounds, the city trembles; and when calamity strikes a city, it is not apart from God's sovereign hand.
What Does Amos 3:6 Mean?
The reasoning reaches its climax. The watchman's trumpet warning of attack rightly makes a city afraid. And when disaster comes upon a city, it does not come apart from the Lord, who governs all things. Here "evil" means calamity or judgment, not moral wrong.
This is a bracing affirmation of God's sovereignty over history. The Lord does not stand aloof while events unfold; the disasters that humble a guilty people are within His rule. Far from making God the author of sin, this assures the reader that nothing falls outside His purpose, and that even judgment serves His desire to turn hearts back. To know that God reigns over our trials is, finally, a comfort: it means our sufferings are not meaningless, and our refuge is the very One whose hand we feel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amos 3:6
What does Amos 3:6 mean?
When the alarm-trumpet sounds, the city trembles; and when calamity strikes a city, it is not apart from God's sovereign hand.