Amos 3:3-5
New English Translation
3 Do two walk together without having met?[a]
4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey?[b]
Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?
5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?
Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?
Footnotes
- Amos 3:3 sn The rhetorical questions in vv. 3-5 expect the answer, “No, of course not!” Those in v. 6 anticipate the answer, “Yes, of course they do/he is.” They all draw attention to the principle of cause and effect and lay the logical foundation for the argument in vv. 7-8. Also note the progression from a general question in v. 3 to the “meetings” of two animals (v. 4), to that of an animal and a human trap (v. 5), to a climax with the confrontation with the Lord (v. 6). Each of these meetings is disastrous.
- Amos 3:4 tn Heb “without having prey [or “food”].”
Amos 3:3-5
New International Version
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar(A) in the thicket
when it has no prey?(B)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait(C) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
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