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Amos 6:9

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Amos 6:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
Amos 6:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Amos 6

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7Therefore shall they now go captive with the first that go captive; and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away.
8The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, saith Jehovah, 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.
9And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
10And when a man`s uncle shall take him up, even he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No; then shall he say, Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah.
11For, behold, Jehovah commandeth, and the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
12Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow [there] with oxen? that ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood;
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it shall come to pass, etc.] When the city is delivered up and taken: if there remain; who are not carried captive, or destroyed by the sword: ten men in one house; that is, many, a certain number for an uncertain: that they shall die; either with famine, or by the pestilence, though they have escaped the other calamities; so general shall the destruction be, by one means or another.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“If as many as ten (Lev 26:26; Zac 8:23) remain in a house (a rare case, and only in the scattered villages, as there will be scarcely a house in which the enemy will leave any), they shall all, to a man, die of the plague, a frequent concomitant of war in the East (Jer 24:10; Jer 44:13; Eze 6:11).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“If there shall remain ten men - He probably still denounces the punishment of the rich inhabitants of the palaces, since in these only, of old, would there be found “ten men.” They died, it seems, at once, and so probably through the plague, the common companion. of the siege. The prophet had before compared them to Sodom. It may be, that, in this mention of “ten men,” he tacitly refers to the history of that destruction. Then God promised, not to destroy the city, if there were ten righteous in it Genesis 18:32. Here were “ten left,” not in one city, but in one house. Had God forgotten His loving-kindness? No! but, in Samaria, not even ten who “remained over,” and so had survived after the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Remain - Escaping the enemies sword. Ten men - Many men, a certain number for an uncertain. They shall die - Tho' they escape a while, they shall not finally escape. Amos 6:10”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“6:9-10 These verses graphically picture the wholesale slaughter by military conquest promised in 6:8.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“if: Amo 5:3; Sa1 2:33; Est 5:11, Est 9:10; Job 1:2, Job 1:19, Job 20:28; Psa 109:13; Isa 14:21 Amos 6:10”
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Related study paths

Read Amos 6 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification