What is the meaning of Amos 3:6? If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? “If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble?” (Amos 3:6a) • In ancient Israel the ram’s horn (shofar) was the universal alarm (Ezekiel 33:3). Its blast meant an enemy approach, a call to arms, or a summons to assembly (Jeremiah 4:5, 19; Hosea 5:8). • The question assumes an obvious response: of course people tremble, because the horn warns that danger is real and present. • Amos uses this everyday image to remind Israel that when God sends a warning through His prophets, ignoring it is as foolish as ignoring a city alarm (2 Kings 17:13; Hebrews 2:1–3). • Trembling is more than fear of invading armies; it is reverence before the God who commands events (Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 66:2). If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? “If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (Amos 3:6b) • The verse moves from human reaction to divine causation: behind every national disaster stands the righteous Judge (Isaiah 45:7; Lamentations 3:38). • “Calamity” here covers warfare, famine, plague—any hardship God allows or initiates to correct and call His people back (Deuteronomy 28:15–25; 2 Chronicles 7:13–14). • God’s sovereignty does not negate human responsibility; rather, it guarantees that sin has consequences (Job 2:10; 1 Samuel 2:6–7). • For believers, this truth anchors hope: the same Lord who sends discipline also provides mercy when we repent (Joel 2:12–14; Hebrews 12:5–11). summary Amos links the unmistakable alarm of a ram’s horn with the sovereign hand of God in calamity. Just as citizens instinctively tremble at a warning blast, so should we respond to God’s prophetic alerts. And when hardship strikes, it is never random; the LORD who rules nations uses even calamity to awaken hearts, correct sin, and draw people back to Himself. |
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