Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

AMOS 7:17KJV
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Amos 7:17 (KJV)

What does Amos 7:17 mean?

Amos 7:17 describes a message from God warning that Israel will face severe judgment: the prophet Amos tells the king that his family will suffer, his land will be taken, and Israel will be sent into exile. This verse lays out specific consequences for rejecting God’s message, including personal loss, national defeat, and captivity.

In this verse, Amos speaks directly to Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, after Amaziah tried to silence him. God’s words through Amos are blunt and personal: Amaziah’s wife will be forced into prostitution in the city, his children will die by violence, his land will be divided up, and he himself will die in a foreign, unclean land. The final warning is for all Israel, making it clear that exile is certain because of their actions.

The Hebrew behind Amos 7:17

  • The word for “harlot” is זָנָה (zanah), which means to be a prostitute or to act unfaithfully. This word carries a sense of deep shame and public disgrace, showing how complete the reversal of fortune will be for Amaziah’s family.
  • The word for “divided” is חָלַק (chalaq), meaning to apportion or distribute. The use of this word emphasizes that the land will be measured out and given to others, not just lost in battle but systematically taken away.
  • The word for “polluted” is טָמֵא (tame), which means unclean or defiled. Dying in a “polluted land” highlights the spiritual and ritual uncleanness of dying outside the promised land, a fate considered especially tragic for an Israelite.
  • The word for “surely” and “captivity” is גָּלָה (galah), used twice for emphasis. This repetition underlines the certainty and completeness of Israel’s exile.

Why Amos 7:17 matters

  • Amos 7:17 makes clear that rejecting God’s warnings brings real, personal consequences, not just vague threats.
  • The verse shows that God’s judgment affects every part of life—family, land, and nation—making the cost of unfaithfulness unmistakable.
  • This verse connects to the larger message of Amos, where warnings of exile and loss are repeated, showing that God’s patience has limits when leaders and people refuse to listen.

Where else these words appear

“in” Hebrew H5921 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  • Genesis 31:50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
  • 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

“line” Hebrew H2256 · used in 58 verses

  • Deuteronomy 3:4 And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
  • Job 18:10 The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
  • Isaiah 33:23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

“divided” Hebrew H2505 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 14:15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
  • 1 Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
  • Proverbs 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

“polluted” Hebrew H2931 · used in 78 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 14:40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:
  • Deuteronomy 14:7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.