Amos 4:6

God's Discipline and Israel's Apostasy

6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat^[a] in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

Amos 4:6 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 4:6

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your
cities
Meaning a famine, having no food to foul them with, or to stick in them. This was not the famine in Samaria, ( 2 Kings 6:25 ) ; for that was only in that city, and for a short time, while besieged; whereas this was in all the cities in Israel; rather therefore it designs the famine predicted by Elisha, which should be upon the land for seven years, ( 2 Kings 8:1 ) ; and want of bread in all your places:
this is the same with the former clause, and explains it, and still makes the famine more general, not only in their cities, but in all their places of abode, their towns and villages: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord;
this judgment had no influence upon them, to bring them to a sense of their evils, particularly their idolatry, and to repentance them, and to reclaim them from them, and return them to the Lord, and to his worship, as the Targum paraphrases it.

Amos 4:6 In-Context

4 Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days.

5 Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, for that is what you Israelites love [to do]! [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

7 I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.

8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit you cleanness of teeth