Amos 8:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God reveals that the basket of ripe fruit signifies that the end has come upon Israel.
What Does Amos 8:2 Mean?
As in the plumbline vision, God asks, "Amos, what seest thou?" and the prophet answers plainly, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the meaning breaks: "The end is come upon my people of Israel." The ripe fruit and the end are bound together in the Hebrew by their very sound, so that to name the harvest is to name the close of the nation's season.
"I will not again pass by them any more" repeats the solemn declaration of the previous vision. The time of reprieve, when the prophet's pleading turned aside the locusts and the fire, is over. The fruit is gathered; the season cannot be extended. There is a terrible gentleness in delivering so heavy a word through so homely an image, as if to say that the end comes not always with thunder but sometimes with the quiet certainty of a harvest fully ripe.
Amos 8:2 in the Original Language
qayits (קַיִץ), 'summer fruit' -- it sounds like qets, 'end,' so the ripe basket announces the end.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amos 8:2
What does Amos 8:2 mean?
God reveals that the basket of ripe fruit signifies that the end has come upon Israel.