Amos 4:6 Meaning and Explanation
“And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God recalls how He sent famine, empty mouths and lacking bread, yet the people still did not return to Him.
What Does Amos 4:6 Mean?
Now God recounts a series of past judgments meant to wake His people. "Cleanness of teeth" is a stark phrase for famine, teeth left clean because there was no food. He had sent hunger to their cities. And the refrain that will toll five times in this chapter sounds first here: "yet have ye not returned unto me."
The purpose of the chastening was never destruction but return. God sent hardship as a summons home, and they would not come. There is deep pathos in this divine lament, the Lord reaching out through difficulty and being refused. The verse reveals a God who uses even our troubles to call us back, and it asks the reader whether the hard providences of life are softening the heart toward Him or hardening it further.
Amos 4:6 in the Original Language
shuv (שׁוּב), 'return' -- to turn back, the word for repentance, the heart of God's plea.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amos 4:6
What does Amos 4:6 mean?
God recalls how He sent famine, empty mouths and lacking bread, yet the people still did not return to Him.