That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
Parallel translations
- WEB who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.
- BSB He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
- NKJV He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.
- NASB It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.
- NLT With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.
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 brings sudden ruin upon the strong and destruction upon the fortress. No human strength can resist the Creator's judgment.
Overview
This continues the doxology, showing that the God of creation also overthrows the mighty and their defenses in an instant. Israel's confidence in its strongholds is misplaced. The Creator who upholds the heavens can topple any power on earth. Before such a God, repentance, not self-reliance, is the only wise response.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Kgs 13:25And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.
- Jer 37:10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
- Mic 5:11And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
- 2 Kgs 13:17And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
- Heb 11:34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:9 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.