Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.

AMOS 7:1KJV
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Amos 7:1 (KJV)

What does Amos 7:1 mean?

Amos 7:1 describes a vision God showed to the prophet Amos, where God forms a swarm of grasshoppers (locusts) at the time when the later crops begin to grow, after the king’s share of the harvest has already been taken. This vision signals a coming disaster that would threaten the food supply of ordinary people, since the king’s portion was already secured.

In this setting, Amos is speaking about what he saw in a vision given by God, using the phrase “the Lord GOD shewed unto me.” The vision takes place after the king’s mowings, meaning the first harvest had already been collected for the king, and now the remaining crops—the “latter growth”—are at risk. The mention of grasshoppers points to a devastating plague that could wipe out what is left for the people, highlighting a warning of judgment.

The Hebrew behind Amos 7:1

  • “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ʾadonai) and “GOD” (יְהוִה, yehovih): The double title emphasizes God’s authority and sovereignty in what Amos is shown.
  • “Shewed” (רָאָה, ra’ah): This word means “to show” or “to cause to see,” making it clear Amos is not just imagining, but being shown something directly by God.
  • “Formed” (יָצַר, yatsar): This verb means “to shape” or “to form,” stressing that God is actively creating the grasshoppers, not just allowing them to appear.
  • “Grasshoppers” (גֹּבַי, govai): This word refers to a kind of locust, a destructive insect known for devastating crops, which would have been a familiar threat in ancient Israel.

Why Amos 7:1 matters

  • Amos 7:1 clarifies that the coming threat is not random but is formed by God’s own action, underlining the seriousness of the warning.
  • The timing—after the king’s mowings—shows that the judgment would strike the common people hardest, since the king’s needs were already met.
  • This verse introduces a series of visions in Amos, setting the stage for the prophet’s role as an intercessor and highlighting the relationship between God’s justice and mercy in the following verses.

Where else these words appear

“grasshoppers” Hebrew H1462 · used in 2 verses

  • Nahum 3:17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

“mowings” Hebrew H1488 · used in 4 verses

  • Deuteronomy 18:4 The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
  • Job 31:20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
  • Psalms 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

“beginning” Hebrew H8462 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 13:3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
  • Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
  • Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

“formed” Hebrew H3335 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Isaiah 37:26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
  • Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.