Amos 3:4

Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The prophet Amos addresses Israel with a series of rhetorical questions about natural cause and effect. He uses observable animal behavior to frame an impending prophetic warning.

The words — יִשְׁאַג (yish.'Ag) means "roar," and טֶרֶף (Te.ref) translates as "prey." These terms establish the verse's core mechanism: vocalization is a direct response to a specific condition.

The thread — The imagery runs through Hosea 11:10 where God roars like a lion, Psalms 104:21 where young lions roar for prey, and Amos 1:2 where the LORD roars from Zion. The motif consistently links a loud declaration to a preceding cause or purpose.

Why it lands — The text states that a lion does not roar without prey and a young lion does not growl without a catch. It asks the reader to recognize that prophetic warnings signal a divinely initiated sequence where effects follow established causes.

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.

The Hebrew words

הֲיִשְׁאַ֤גha./yish.'Ag¿/ does it roar אַרְיֵה֙'ar.Yeha lion בַּיַּ֔עַרba/i.Ya.'arin the/ forest וְטֶ֖רֶףve./Te.refand/ prey אֵ֣ין'einnotל֑וֹl/o[belongs] to/ itהֲיִתֵּ֨ןha./yi.Ten¿/ does it give forth כְּפִ֤ירke.Fira young lion קוֹלוֹ֙ko.L/ovoice/ its מִמְּעֹ֣נָת֔וֹmi./me.'O.na.T/ofrom/ den/ its בִּלְתִּ֖יbil.Tiexcept אִם־'im-if לָכָֽד׃la.Khadit has caught [something]

King James Version

Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Cross-references

Hosea 11:10 They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west.
Psalms 104:21 The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.
Amos 1:2 He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.”
Hosea 5:14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.
Amos 3:8 The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken—who will not prophesy?