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Amos 3:4

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

Does a lion roar in the forest when there's nothing to hunt? Does a young lion make noise from its den when it hasn't caught anything?

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Lions don't roar for no reason, and neither does God when he speaks through his prophets.

📚 Historical Context

In the 8th century BC, the prophet Amos, a shepherd from Judah, was sent by God to confront the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of economic prosperity but widespread social injustice and idolatry. This verse uses rhetorical questions about lions to emphasize that God's actions, like a lion's roar, are not random but tied to specific causes, such as the presence of sin or wrongdoing. Amos employed such vivid imagery from everyday life to make his warnings about divine judgment more relatable to his audience.

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