Amos 9:4

4 And if they shall go away into captivity before their enemies, there I shall command to sword, and it shall slay them. And I shall put mine eyes on them into evil, and not into good. (And if they be taken away into captivity by their enemies, I shall command to the sword there, and it shall kill them. I shall look upon them for evil, and not for good/I shall look at them to do evil, and not to do good.)

Amos 9:4 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 9:4

And though they go into captivity before their enemies
Alluding to the manner in which captives are led, being put before their enemies, and so carried in triumph; see ( Lamentations 1:5 ) ; though some think this refers to their going voluntarily into a foreign country, in order to escape danger, as Johanan the son of Kareah with the Jews went into Egypt, ( Jeremiah 43:5-7 ) ; in whom Kimchi instances: thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them;
or them that kill with the sword, as the Targum; so that though they thought by going into another country, or into an enemy's country of their own accord, to escape the sword of the enemy, or to curry favour with them, yet should not escape: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good:
this is the true reason, why, let them be where they will, they cannot be safe, because the eyes of the omniscient God, which are everywhere, in heaven, earth, hell, and the sea, are set upon them, for their ruin and destruction; and there is no fleeing from his presence, or getting out of his sight, or escaping his hand. The Targum is,

``my Word shall be against them.''

Amos 9:4 In-Context

2 If they shall go down till to hell, from thence mine hand shall lead out them; and if they shall ascend till to heaven, from thence I shall draw them down. (Yea, if they shall go down to Sheol, or the land of the dead, my hand shall bring them out of there; and if they shall go up to heaven, I shall pull them down from there.)

3 And if they shall be hid in the top of Carmel, from thence I seeking shall do them away (And if they shall be hidden on top of Mount Carmel, I shall seek them out there, and I shall do them away); and if they shall hide themselves from mine eyes in the deepness of the sea, there I shall command a serpent, and it shall bite them, (and devour them).

4 And if they shall go away into captivity before their enemies, there I shall command to sword, and it shall slay them. And I shall put mine eyes on them into evil, and not into good. (And if they be taken away into captivity by their enemies, I shall command to the sword there, and it shall kill them. I shall look upon them for evil, and not for good/I shall look at them to do evil, and not to do good.)

5 And the Lord God of hosts shall do these things, (he) that toucheth earth, and it shall fail, and all men dwelling therein shall mourn; and it shall go up as each strand, and it shall float away as the flood of Egypt. (And the Lord God of hosts shall do these things, yea, he who toucheth the earth, and it faileth, and all the people living there shall mourn; and it shall go up like a stream, and it shall flow away like the River of Egypt.)

6 He that buildeth his going up in heaven, shall do these things, and founded his burden on earth; which calleth waters of the sea, and poureth out them on the face of (the) earth; the Lord is (the) name of him. (He who buildeth his stairway in the heavens, and putteth his dome over the earth, shall do these things; who calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth; the Lord is his name.)