Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

AMOS 5:16KJV
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Amos 5:16 (KJV)

What does Amos 5:16 mean?

Amos 5:16 says that God is declaring there will be widespread mourning and wailing throughout the city streets and highways, with even farmers and professional mourners being called to join in the public grief. This verse describes a scene of intense sorrow and loss affecting the whole community.

The prophet Amos is speaking God’s message to the people of Israel, warning them about the coming judgment because of their injustice and unfaithfulness. The verse paints a vivid picture: not just families, but entire towns will be filled with cries of grief, showing how deeply the coming disaster will touch every part of society.

The Hebrew behind Amos 5:16

  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh), "God" (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim), and "Lord" (אֲדֹנָי, Adonai) are all used together, emphasizing God’s supreme authority and the seriousness of His message.
  • "Wailing" (מִסְפֵּד, misped) and "mourning" (אֵבֶל, evel) both point to public, ritualized expressions of grief, not just private sadness. This shows the scale and depth of the coming calamity.
  • "Husbandman" (אִכָּר, ikkar) refers to farmers, highlighting that even those usually working in the fields will be drawn into the city’s mourning, showing no one is untouched.
  • "Skilful" (יָדַע, yada) and "lamentation" (נֵהִי, nehi) refer to people trained in leading public mourning, a common practice in ancient Israel. Their involvement means the grief is so great that ordinary expressions of sorrow are not enough.

Why Amos 5:16 matters

  • This verse clears up that God’s warning is not limited to a select group; the entire society, from city dwellers to rural farmers, will experience the consequences.
  • The use of professional mourners and the mention of wailing in every street underline how total and unavoidable the coming judgment will be.
  • Amos 5:16 connects to the larger theme in Amos of God’s justice and the seriousness of ignoring His calls for righteousness, setting the stage for the verses that follow.

Where else these words appear

“husbandman” Hebrew H406 · used in 7 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 26:10 Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.
  • Jeremiah 14:4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
  • Jeremiah 51:23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

“lamentation” Hebrew H5092 · used in 7 verses

  • Jeremiah 9:10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
  • Jeremiah 9:19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
  • Jeremiah 31:15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

“Wailing” Hebrew H4553 · used in 14 verses

  • Genesis 50:10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
  • Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
  • Amos 5:17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

“mourning” Hebrew H60 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
  • Esther 4:3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
  • Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.