Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

AMOS 8:11KJV
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Amos 8:11 (KJV)

What does Amos 8:11 mean?

Amos 8:11 describes a time when God will send a different kind of famine—not a shortage of food or water, but a lack of hearing the words of the LORD. People will desperately want to hear God’s guidance or message, but it will not be available to them.

In this verse, the prophet Amos is delivering a message from the Lord GOD (the Hebrew text uses both titles for emphasis) to the people of Israel. The situation is one of warning: after repeated rejection of God’s words, the people will experience spiritual deprivation. The “famine” here is a vivid picture of what it means to be cut off from God’s communication, which was considered essential for life and direction.

The Hebrew behind Amos 8:11

  • “Famine” (רָעָב, ra’av): This word usually means a severe shortage of food, but here it is used figuratively for a lack of something even more vital—God’s word.
  • “Hearing” (שָׁמַע, shama’): This word means more than just listening; it often carries the sense of understanding or obeying. The famine is not just about the words being spoken, but about people truly receiving and grasping them.
  • “Words” (דָּבָר, davar): This term can mean message, command, or communication. The focus is on the absence of God’s revealed will or instruction, not just any words.

Why Amos 8:11 matters

  • Amos 8:11 clarifies that spiritual deprivation can be more devastating than physical hunger, highlighting the importance of God’s guidance for the people’s well-being.
  • The verse warns that ignoring God’s message has serious consequences; eventually, the opportunity to hear and respond may be withdrawn.
  • This verse connects to the wider context of Amos, where the people’s repeated rejection of God’s prophets leads to judgment—not just in material terms, but through silence from God, which would have been a terrifying prospect for ancient Israel.

Where else these words appear

“thirst” Hebrew H6772 · used in 17 verses

  • Exodus 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
  • Nehemiah 9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
  • Isaiah 50:2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

“famine” Hebrew H7458 · used in 88 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • 2 Kings 25:3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
  • Jeremiah 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: