Amos 5:20

20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

Amos 5:20 in Other Translations

20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

20 Yes, the day of the LORD will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.

20 At God's coming we face hard reality, not fantasy - a black cloud with no silver lining.

20 Won't the Day of the Lord be darkness rather than light, even gloom without any brightness in it?

Amos 5:20 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 5:20

[Shall] not the day of the Lord [be] darkness, and not light?
&c.] The design of such a question is strongly to affirm, that, in this day of the Lord spoken of, there should be nothing but misery and distress, and no prosperity and happiness, at least to the wicked Israelites, or the unbelieving Jews: even very dark, and no brightness in it?
signifying that there should be no deliverance, nor the least glimmering view or hope of it; that the calamity should be so very great, and the destruction so entire, that there should be no mixture of mercy, nor the least appearance of relief.

Amos 5:20 In-Context

18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.

19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.

20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.

22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.

Cross References

• 1. S 1 Samuel 2:9
• 2. S Isaiah 13:10; S Ezekiel 7:7; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:15