Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
Parallel translations
- WEB Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
- KJV Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
- BSB Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
- NASB Certainly the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret plan To His servants the prophets.
- NLT Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. He graciously warns before he judges.
Overview
This key verse explains the prophetic office: before acting in judgment, God discloses his intentions through the prophets. This shows his mercy, giving warning and opportunity to repent. It also validates Amos's message as God's own word. Supremely, God has revealed his ultimate plan in Christ and through the apostles and prophets of Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
- Gen 18:17Yahweh said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
- Ps 25:14The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.
- Rev 1:1This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,
- Dan 9:22–27He instructed me, and talked with me, and said, Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understanding.
- Gen 6:13God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.
- Rev 4:1After these things I looked and saw a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was one saying, “Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this.”
- Dan 10:21But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is no one who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince.”
- Rev 1:19Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter;
- Jer 23:22But if they had stood in my council, then they would have caused my people to hear my words, and would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
- Dan 11:2Now will I show you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he has grown strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
- 2 Kgs 22:13“Go inquire of Yahweh for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is Yahweh’s wrath that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us.”
- 2 Kgs 6:12One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
- 1 Kgs 22:19–23Micaiah said, “Therefore hear Yahweh’s word. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
- 2 Kgs 22:20‘Therefore behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.’”’” So they brought this message back to the king.
- Rev 6:1–17I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, “Come and see!”
- 2 Kgs 3:17–20For Yahweh says, ‘You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, both you and your livestock and your other animals.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Amid judgment on injustice, Amos promises the raising up of David's fallen tent — read by James in Acts 15 as the ingathering of the nations into the kingdom of the risen Christ.
How Amos 3:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.