Amos 2:15

Study note

Setting — The prophet Amos delivers this declaration from the LORD during a prophetic oracle of impending judgment on Israel. The message addresses a society relying on military strength and mobility for survival.

The words — הַקֶּשֶׁת (ha./Ke.shet) = the bow, and קַל (ve./Kal) = swift. These terms anchor the verse in the failure of specialized combatants and rapid escape.

The thread — This theme of martial futility runs through Psalms 33:16, which denies that kings or warriors are saved by armies or strength, and Ezekiel 39:3, where God strikes the bow from the enemy's hand. Amos 2:14–16 frames these images as part of a single sequence of inescapable defeat.

Why it lands — The text states that archers, runners, and horsemen will all fail to stand, escape, or save themselves. It asks the reader to abandon confidence in human speed or weaponry and recognize the absolute limits of earthly power before divine judgment.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.