Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Amos 6:8 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 8. 8The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse records the Lord GOD's self-oath abhorring Jacob's pride and hating palaces before surrendering city and fullness.
Read It With
- Amos 6:8-11
Read Amos 6:8 with 6:8-11. This verse records the Lord GOD's self-oath abhorring Jacob's pride and hating palaces before surrendering city and fullness. The complete unit establishes this movement: God rejects Jacob's proud security and hands over city and contents; mass death and fearful disposal of bodies leave households shattered and divine naming silenced.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The oath makes the collapse of elite security irreversible and forces readers to face the human devastation without celebrating it. Within that movement, this verse records the Lord GOD's self-oath abhorring Jacob's pride and hating palaces before surrendering city and fullness.
Follow the Context
- The Lord GOD swears by himself and abhors Jacob's pride.
- Palaces are hated and city and fullness surrendered.
- Ten remaining in one house die.
- A relative and burner remove bones and suppress mention of the LORD's name.
- A command shatters great and small houses.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“I abhor the excellency of Jacob”
In plain language: The oath rejects the proud or splendid security attached to Jacob's institutions.
records the Lord GOD's self-oath abhorring Jacob's pride and hating palaces before surrendering city and fullness. Divine opposition targets proud security and accumulated institutional power without erasing Jacob.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the complete unit and stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Jacob's pride does not authorize antisemitism, contempt for Jews, or a claim that God rejected Israel.
What Remains True
Divine opposition targets proud security and accumulated institutional power without erasing Jacob.
How It Can Shape Life
- Examine prestige and property while rejecting collective hatred.
Teach It Back
Explain Amos 6:8's contribution to Amos 6:8-11: records the Lord GOD's self-oath abhorring Jacob's pride and hating palaces before surrendering city and fullness. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Amos 6:8-11 — Jacob's Pride and Palaces Are AbhorredSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
'Excellency' can mean pride or splendor, and the oath's historical fulfillment is debated.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Amos 6:8-11, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Amos
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Amos.xml, 6:8-11
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Amos with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Amos PDF, printed pp. 1716-1717, translation and notes on 6:8-11
Open source ↗