What Does Amos 5:19 Mean in the King James?
As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Escape turns into a trap: each move away from danger leads to the next danger, even inside the house.
THE MEANING
You see danger follow every route: flee outside and another beast meets you; enter the house and a serpent strikes. Even the wall that steadies your hand offers no protection. The scene gives judgment the shape of a danger with no safe exit.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The false belief this undoes is that getting out of one danger, or reaching the familiar safety of home, means you are safe.
THE ROOT
יָנוּס
yānūs
GROWS FROM
נוס
n-w-s
Flee, escape; move away from danger.
“flee” in this verse is yānūs. The same root can name a refuge or escape, so the verse turns the language of fleeing into a test: the man gets away from one danger only to meet another. The house at the end shows that reaching shelter does not make escape complete.
ALSO GROWS
mānôs: Refuge; a place or means of escape.
מָנוֹס
Amos uses this noun for flight in 2:14, linking the man’s attempt to flee with the collapse of escape itself.
menūsāh: Flight; retreat.
מְנוּסָה
This branch names the act or state of fleeing. Here, flight keeps happening, but it never brings the man to safety.
וְסָמַךְ
vesāmakh
GROWS FROM
סמך
s-m-kh
Support, lean upon, uphold.
“leaned” in this verse is vesāmakh. The verb carries the sense of leaning on something for support. The wall becomes the man’s point of support, and the point where the serpent bites, so even what steadies him cannot become refuge.
ALSO GROWS
sōmēkh: Supporting; one who upholds.
סוֹמֵךְ
This participle makes the root’s sense of support explicit; the wall seems to uphold the man, but cannot keep harm away.
semikhah: Support; laying on of hands in later Hebrew usage.
סְמִיכָה
The root can describe a hand placed to confer support. In this scene, the hand makes contact with the wall, yet contact provides no safety.
THE PATTERN
When judgment fills the scene, flight from one threat can lead into another, and shelter cannot guarantee safety.
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:THE THREAD
Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:The word translated flight is מָנוֹס (mānôs), refuge or escape, from the same root נוּס (nūs), flee, as the word in Amos 5:19. The earlier line names the collapse of escape; this verse stages it as lion, bear, house, and serpent.
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