Bible Strands
Amos 9:2
Though they dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, from there I will pull them down.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks through the prophet Amos immediately following a vision of judgment at the altar. He addresses those fleeing destruction who believe they can evade the coming strike.
The words — The Hebrew יַחְתְּר֣וּ (yach.te.ru) means "they will dig," paired with בִ/שְׁא֔וֹל (vi/sh.'ol) for "in Sheol" to describe the deepest descent. The verb יַעֲלוּ֙ (ya.'a.lu) means "they will go up," contrasting with the attempt to climb to heaven.
The thread — Psalms 139:7 asks where one can flee from God's Spirit, Jeremiah 51:53 warns that lofty fortresses cannot stop destruction, and Obadiah 1:4 declares that even a nest among the stars cannot prevent being brought down. These passages deploy identical spatial extremes to establish that no location places a person outside divine pursuit.
Why it lands — The text states that neither digging to Sheol nor climbing to heaven allows fugitives to escape divine capture. It demands recognition that human effort to avoid accountability is futile.
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
King James Version
Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
Cross-references
- Psalms 139:7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?
- Jeremiah 51:53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, the destroyers I send will come against her,” declares the LORD.
- Obadiah 1:4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
- Job 20:6 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
- Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.
- Isaiah 2:19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
- Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.
- Jeremiah 49:16 The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
- Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.
- Luke 10:18 So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.