The Meaning of Amos 4:13 Explained

Amos 4:13

KJV: For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

YLT: For, lo, the former of mountains, and creator of wind, And the declarer to man what is His thought, He is making dawn obscurity, And is treading on high places of earth, Jehovah, God of Hosts, is His name!

Darby: For behold, he who formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, who maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, Jehovah, the God of hosts, is his name.

ASV: For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought; that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the Earth-jehovah, the God of hosts, is his name.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For, lo, he that formeth  the mountains,  and createth  the wind,  and declareth  unto man  what [is] his thought,  that maketh  the morning  darkness,  and treadeth  upon the high places  of the earth,  The LORD,  The God  of hosts,  [is] his name. 

What does Amos 4:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Their enemy was the most formidable one imaginable. It was not another nation or army but sovereign Yahweh of armies. It was He who forms tangible and stable mountains, creates the intangible and transitory wind, knows people"s thoughts, turns dawn into darkness, and steps on the hills of Israel like a giant approaching Samaria. They could not escape His judgment, so they better prepare for it (cf. Micah 1:3-4).
"In one bold sweep, this hymn shows the sovereignty of God-from his creation of the world to his daily summoning of the dawn, from his intervention in history to his revelation of mankind"s thoughts. Every believer can take comfort in the fact that, while sometimes it seems that God does not interfere in human affairs, the world is never out of his control. His sovereignty extends to every aspect of human experience." [1]
The description of God here (and in Amos 5:8 and Amos 9:5-6) is a divine royal titulary. This is a genre that was common in the ancient Near East, and it appears occasionally in the writing prophets. [2] A titulary combines the name of the god or king with epithets that describe him.

Context Summary

Amos 4:12-13 - "prepare To Meet Thy God"
Worse judgments than those mentioned in the previous verses were in store but before they are inflicted, the entire nation is summoned to the divine bar. Whether we choose or not, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of God." Prepare, my soul, to meet Him! Note the sublimity of that last verse of Amos 4:1-13. How great is God, who made the mountains! How mysterious, who made the wind! How sublime, who calls to the dawn! How mighty, to whom mountains and peaks are stepping-stones!
But great and holy though God is, we are invited to seek Him. He desires to bless, but He must be sought. Were we more diligent in seeking, as the miner for gold, or the scientific man for nature's secrets, we should be marvelously repaid. "Eye hath not seen," etc. Amos speaks as nature's child. Often as he had tended his flocks, he had watched the Pleiades with their gentle radiance, and Orion, the herald of storm. He had listened to God calling across the waters, and had drawn life from Him. "Seek and live!" O soul, what a God is thine! Thy springs and storms await His word of command. He can turn thy darkness into the morning. Be of good cheer! [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 4

1  He reproves Israel for oppression,
4  for idolatry,
6  and for their incorrigibleness

What do the individual words in Amos 4:13 mean?

For behold He who forms mountains and creates the wind and who declares to man what his thought [is] and makes the morning darkness and who treads on the high places of the earth Yahweh God of hosts [is] His name -
כִּ֡י הִנֵּה֩ יוֹצֵ֨ר הָרִ֜ים וּבֹרֵ֣א ר֗וּחַ וּמַגִּ֤יד לְאָדָם֙ מַה־ שֵּׂח֔וֹ עֹשֵׂ֥ה שַׁ֙חַר֙ עֵיפָ֔ה וְדֹרֵ֖ךְ עַל־ בָּ֣מֳתֵי אָ֑רֶץ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־ צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁמֽוֹ ס

הִנֵּה֩  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
יוֹצֵ֨ר  He  who  forms 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵר 
Sense: to form, fashion, frame.
הָרִ֜ים  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
וּבֹרֵ֣א  and  creates 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּרָא 
Sense: to create, shape, form.
ר֗וּחַ  the  wind 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
וּמַגִּ֤יד  and  who  declares 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לְאָדָם֙  to  man 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
שֵּׂח֔וֹ  his  thought  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׂחַ  
Sense: thought.
עֹשֵׂ֥ה  and  makes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
שַׁ֙חַר֙  the  morning 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁחַר  
Sense: dawn.
עֵיפָ֔ה  darkness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵיפָה  
Sense: darkness.
וְדֹרֵ֖ךְ  and  who  treads 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
בָּ֣מֳתֵי  the  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
אָ֑רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵֽי־  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
צְבָא֖וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
שְׁמֽוֹ  [is]  His  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation