Amos 5:18

Translations

Modern

Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

Traditional

Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.

Literal

Woe to those desiring the day of YHWH, for what is this to you—the day of YHWH? It is darkness and not light,

Latin

Væ desiderantibus diem Domini! ad quid eam vobis? Dies Domini ista, tenebræ, et non lux.

Original

Hebrew

English

Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

Notes

Amos 5:18

Amos again challenges the Israelites' mistaken belief about their chosen status (see Amos 3:2).
The phrase What will the Day of the LORD be for you indicates despair from a great tragedy.
In the Old Testament, the day of the Lord (see Isaiah 13:6, 9) was when God would intervene to fix what was wrong. God's intervention would mean vindication for the righteous and judgment for the wicked. Israel believed that on that day (see also Amos 8:3, 9, 13; 9:11), God would save them.
However, because the Israelites had been wicked, the day of the Lord would bring darkness, not light. Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:7–23), fulfilling this prophecy.

Amos 5:18–6:14

The pronouncements of sorrow in this section develop two main themes:

Israel’s apostasy (turning away from God) would make the day of the Lord a day of judgment, not salvation; and
Judah’s spiritual complacency (feeling satisfied and unconcerned about faithfulness to God) would also bring judgment.

Theme notes and profiles

Darkness and Light God's Rule and Power Over All Nations The Day of the Lord What Is Good

Events

Prophecies of Amosc. 788 BC

Related verses

Joel 1:15
Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 2:1–2
Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near—
Joel 2:31
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
Jeremiah 30:7
How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.
Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
Isaiah 24:11–12
In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.
Malachi 3:1–2
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Isaiah 9:19
By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother.
Isaiah 5:19
…to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”
Zephaniah 1:14–15
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
Joel 2:10
Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

Amos 5:18

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