The Meaning of Amos 8:11 Explained

Amos 8:11

KJV: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

YLT: Lo, days are coming, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And I have sent a famine into the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water But of hearing the words of Jehovah.

Darby: Behold, days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.

ASV: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, the days  come,  saith  the Lord  GOD,  that I will send  a famine  in the land,  not a famine  of bread,  nor a thirst  for water,  but of hearing  the words  of the LORD: 

What does Amos 8:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

As part of His judgment, God would withhold His words from His people. This would be like a famine, not of physical food and drink but of spiritual food. God"s words provide spiritual nourishment and refreshment, so when they are not available people suffer spiritually (cf. Matthew 4:4).
The Israelites had rejected the Lord"s words to them ( Amos 2:11-12; Amos 7:10-13), so He would not send them to them any longer (cf. 1 Samuel 3:1; 1 Samuel 28:6). This is a fearful prospect. If we do not listen to the Word of God, we may not be able to hear the Word of God (cf. Luke 17:22; John 7:34). This does not mean that God would remove all copies of His Word from them but that when they sought a word of help, advice, or comfort from Him they would not get it (cf. King Saul). Prophets would not bring God"s words to them.

Context Summary

Amos 8:1-14 - The Worst Famine Of All
What is more fragile than summer fruit! So beautiful, so refreshing, yet so readily corrupted and diseased. To Amos it was an emblem of the rapidity with which dissolution would overtake his rebellious nation. The end had arrived. The Great Husbandman could do no more. When the harvest has come, separation between good and bad is inevitable. See Isaiah 5:4; Matthew 13:30.
The crimes of the ruling class were enormous. Eager to increase their stores, they wearied of time given to religion. They grudged passing a day without opening their salesrooms. They did not scruple to make their measures (ephah) small, and to demand a greater weight of money (shekel) from their clients. These were crimes that could not be passed over. It is an awful sentence when God says, "I will never forget," Amos 8:7. Invasion would sweep the land like an inundation. Since the people would not heed the God-sent messengers, they would be withdrawn. There would be a famine of the Word of God, and those who had most despised it, because enamored with the fascinations of youth, would be smitten with an insatiable appetite for it. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 8

1  By a basket of summer fruit is shown the approach of Israel's end
4  Oppression is reproved
11  A famine of the word of God threatened

What do the individual words in Amos 8:11 mean?

Behold the days are coming says the Lord GOD that I will send a famine on the land Not of bread nor a thirst for water for but of hearing - the words of Yahweh
הִנֵּ֣ה ׀ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹֽא־ לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹֽא־ צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־ לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהוָֽה

הִנֵּ֣ה ׀  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
יָמִ֣ים  the  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
בָּאִ֗ים  are  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
נְאֻם֙  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֔ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י  that  I  will  send 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
רָעָ֖ב  a  famine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
בָּאָ֑רֶץ  on  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙  of  bread 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
וְלֹֽא־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
צָמָ֣א  a  thirst 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָמָא  
Sense: thirst.
לַמַּ֔יִם  for  water 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ  of  hearing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
דִּבְרֵ֥י  the  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.