And if there are ten men left in one house, they too will die.
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
- KJV And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
- ESV And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.
- NKJV Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.
- NASB And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die.
- NLT (If there are ten men left in one house, they will all die.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
The judgment will be so devastating that even ten men sheltering in one house will all die. No refuge will withstand the coming destruction.
Overview
This stark image conveys the totality of the coming calamity, likely from war and plague, where even hiding together brings no rescue. Numbers and shelter offer no defense against God's decree. It is a sobering reminder that escape from divine judgment is found not in human refuge but in the Lord who saves through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Amos 5:3This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will only see a hundred return, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”
- Esth 9:10They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
- 1 Sam 2:33And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
- Job 20:28The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
- Job 1:19when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
- Esth 5:11Haman recounted to them his glorious wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored and promoted him over the other officials and servants.
- Ps 109:13May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.
- Job 1:2He had seven sons and three daughters,
- Isa 14:21Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 6:9 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.