Amos 8:10

Authorized King James Version

And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י
And I will turn
to turn about or over; by implication, to change, overturn, return, pervert
#2
חַגֵּיכֶ֜ם
your feasts
a festival, or a victim therefor
#3
כְּאֵ֣בֶל
H60
into mourning
lamentation
#4
וְכָל
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
#5
שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙
and all your songs
a song; abstractly, singing
#6
לְקִינָ֔ה
into lamentation
a dirge (as accompanied by beating the breasts or on instruments)
#7
וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤י
and I will bring up
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
#8
עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#9
כָּל
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
#10
מָתְנַ֙יִם֙
upon all loins
properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins
#11
שָׂ֔ק
sackcloth
properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e., coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grai
#12
וְעַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#13
כָּל
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
#14
רֹ֖אשׁ
upon every head
the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
#15
קָרְחָ֑ה
and baldness
baldness
#16
וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙
and I will make
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
#17
כְּאֵ֣בֶל
H60
into mourning
lamentation
#18
יָחִ֔יד
of an only
properly, united, i.e., sole; by implication, beloved; also lonely; (feminine) the life (as not to be replaced)
#19
וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ
son and the end
the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity
#20
כְּי֥וֹם
day
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
#21
מָֽר׃
thereof as a bitter
bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly

Analysis

The salvation theme here intersects with the metanarrative of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical theology recognizes this as part of a unified storyline from the promise in Genesis 3:15 to its fulfillment in Christ. The phrase emphasizing divine revelation contributes to our systematic understanding of Christian doctrine and connects to the broader scriptural witness about God's saving work from the Exodus to the cross.

Historical Context

The historical context of the biblical period relevant to this book's composition provides crucial background for understanding this verse. The historical and cultural milieu of the biblical world informed the author's theological expression and the audience's understanding. The the cultural context of the biblical world would have shaped how the original audience understood divine revelation. Archaeological and historical evidence reveals Archaeological discoveries continue to illuminate the historical context of biblical texts.

Questions for Reflection