Amos 9:1

I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Topple them on the heads of all the people, and I will kill the rest with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape.

² Though they dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, from there I will pull them down.

³ Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Topple them on the heads of all the people, and I will kill the rest with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape.
KJV: I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
WEB: I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said, “Strike the tops of the pillars, that the thresholds may shake. Break them in pieces on the head of all of them. I will kill the last of them with the sword. Not one of them will flee away. Not one of them will escape.
ASV: I saw the Lord standing beside the altar: and he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape.
DARBY: I saw the Lord standing upon the altar; and he said, Smite the chapiter that the thresholds may shake; and break all of them in pieces, in the head; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not get away by flight, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
BLB: I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said: “Strike the doorposts and the thresholds will shake, and break them on the head of them all, and the last of them I will kill with the sword. No one fleeing can flee from them, and no fugative will escape from them.

ÅB: Jeg så Herren stå ved alteret, og han sa: Slå til søylehodene, så dørtersklene skjelver, og knus dem, så de faller ned over hodet på dem alle! Den siste levning av dem vil jeg drepe med sverdet; ingen av dem skal kunne undfly, ingen av dem komme unna.
OTB: Jeg så Herren stå ved alteret, og Han sa,
«Slå søylehodene så tersklene rister,
Og knus dem over hodene på dem alle!
Så vil jeg drepe resten av dem med sverdet;
De skal ikke ha en flyktning som kan flykte,
Eller en overlevende som kan slippe unna.
B1930: Jeg så Herren stå ved alteret, og han sa: Slå til søilehodene, så dørtersklene skjelver, og knus dem, så de faller ned over hodet på dem alle! Den siste levning av dem vil jeg drepe med sverdet; ingen av dem skal kunne undfly, ingen av dem komme unda.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Psalms 68:21
Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies, the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.
Read in context
Amos 3:14
On the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off, and they will fall to the ground.
Read in context
John 1:18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Read in context
Revelation 1:17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
Read in context
Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Read in context
Isaiah 6:3–4
And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
Read in context
Habakkuk 3:13
You went forth for the salvation of Your people, to save Your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked and stripped him from head to toe. Selah
Read in context
Ezekiel 9:2
And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
Read in context