But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

AMOS 2:12KJV
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Amos 2:12 (KJV)

What does Amos 2:12 mean?

Amos 2:12 describes how the people pressured the Nazarites to break their vows by making them drink wine and silenced the prophets by commanding them not to speak God’s messages. This verse points out how the Israelites actively opposed those who were set apart for God and those who spoke on God’s behalf.

In this verse, the prophet Amos is speaking God’s words to the people of Israel, highlighting their rejection of God’s messengers and disregard for His commands. Nazarites were individuals who took special vows to abstain from wine and dedicate themselves to God, while prophets were chosen to deliver God’s word. By forcing Nazarites (H5139) to drink wine (H3196) and commanding (H6680) prophets (H5030) not to prophesy (H5012), the Israelites showed contempt for God’s ways and those He appointed.

The Hebrew behind Amos 2:12

  • נְזִרִים (nezirim, H5139) — “Nazarites”: This word refers to people who made a vow to be set apart for God, often marked by abstaining from wine and not cutting their hair. Forcing them to drink wine was a direct attack on their commitment and purity.
  • יַיִן (yayin, H3196) — “wine”: Wine was specifically forbidden to Nazarites as part of their vow. Making them drink it was not just a casual act, but a deliberate effort to undermine their dedication.
  • צִוִּיתֶם (tsivitem, H6680) — “commanded”: This word carries the sense of giving a strong, authoritative order. The people were not just suggesting, but insisting that the prophets stop speaking.
  • נְבִיאִים (nevi’im, H5030) — “prophets”: These were God’s chosen messengers. Telling them not to prophesy was a rejection of God’s guidance.
  • תִּנָּבְאוּ (tinabe’u, H5012) — “prophesy”: This verb means to speak or declare God’s message. The people’s command to “prophesy not” was a refusal to listen to God’s word.

Why Amos 2:12 matters

  • Amos 2:12 reveals that the people’s sin was not just passive neglect, but active resistance against God’s representatives and His word.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing how Israel’s rejection of both the Nazarites and the prophets is part of a larger pattern of disobedience and spiritual rebellion.
  • Understanding the specific roles of Nazarites and prophets helps clarify why these actions were so serious—they represented a direct challenge to God’s authority and the ways He called His people to live.

Where else these words appear

“Nazarites” Hebrew H5139 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
  • Numbers 6:18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
  • Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

“drink” Hebrew H8248 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
  • Genesis 40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
  • Psalms 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

“Prophesy” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

“wine” Hebrew H3196 · used in 134 verses

  • Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
  • 2 Chronicles 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
  • Isaiah 22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.