Amos 6:13 · Bible study
Amos 6:13 Commentary: Lo-debar, Karnaim, and the Mockery of Pride
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study the wordplay between Lo-debar ('nothing') and Karnaim ('horns') in Amos 6:13, and how the verse rebukes boasting in self-made strength.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Israel’s pride in conquest is mocked through a pun on town names; rejoicing in “nothing” while boasting of “horns” (strength) they did not earn.
- Key words: Lo-debar (H3810, “no thing” or town name); Karnaim (H7161, “horns” or town); chozeq (H2392, “own strength”), the verb laqach (H3947) “we have taken” underscores self-assertion.
- Main debate: Whether the terms refer strictly to conquered cities (literal reading) or function as deliberate wordplay for rhetorical effect (most commentators favour wordplay).
- Theological theme: The danger of ascribing God’s gifts to human effort; the emptiness of self-made glory; God’s sovereignty over nations and history.
- Best use: A penetrating warning against pride, suitable for sermons on humility, stewardship of success, and the folly of self-reliance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
you who rejoice in Lo-debar and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’
WEB World English Bible 2000
you who rejoice in a thing of nothing, who say, ‘Haven’t we taken for ourselves horns by our own strength?’
KJV King James Version 1769
Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
O ye who are rejoicing at nothing, Who are saying, `Have we not by our strength taken to ourselves horns?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
— ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us power by our own strength?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Can horses run upon the rocks, or can any one plough with buffles? for you have turned judgment into bitterness, and the fruit of justice into wormwood.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Vosotros que os alegráis en nada|strong="H1697, H3808", que decís: ¿ No nos hemos adquirido potencia con nuestra fortaleza?
Vós que vos alegrais por nada, que dizeis: Não conquistamos Carnaim por nossa própria força?
Vous vous réjouissez de ce qui n’ est que néant,
und tröstet euch des, das so gar nichts ist, und sprecht: Sind wir denn nicht stark genug mit unsern Hörnern?
Gij, die blijde zijt over een nietig ding; gij, die zegt: Hebben wij ons niet door onze sterkte hoornen verkregen?
Voi, che vi rallegrate di cose da nulla; voi, che dite: “Non è egli con la nostra forza che abbiamo acquistato potenza?”
Biada wam! którzy się weselicie, a niemasz z czego, mówiąc: Izaliśmy sobie nie naszą mocą wzięli rogi?
вы, которые восхищаетесь ничтожными вещами и говорите: "не своею ли силою мы приобрели себе могущество?"
你們喜愛 虛浮 的事，自誇說，我們不是 憑自己的力量 取了 角嗎？
You whose joy is in a thing of no value, who say, Have we not taken for ourselves horns by the strength which is ours?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Amos 6:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Amos 6:13 mocks Israel’s pride by using a devastating pun. The Hebrew reads “rejoice in Lo-debar” and “taken for ourselves Karnaim”, two Transjordanian towns that Jeroboam II had conquered (2 Kgs 14:25). Lo-debar means “no thing” or “nothing,” and Karnaim means “horns” (symbols of strength). The verse thus sneers: you exult over a town called “Nothing” and boast of taking “Horns” by your own might.
Calvin, Barnes, and the Cambridge Bible all note this wordplay, though they differ in emphasis. Calvin calls the “thing of nought” the self-deceptions of hypocrites. Barnes stresses that their power had no substantial existence apart from God. Keil and Delitzsch see the conquests as real but the boasting as foolish, Israel attributes God’s gift to themselves.
The majority view reads the verse as a rhetorical jab: their celebrated victories are really empty, and their strength will prove as transient as the towns they name.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical reference: Verses like 2 Kgs 14:25 name Lo-debar and Karnaim as towns Israel conquered; Amos may be quoting their actual boast.
- Poetic wordplay: The Hebrew words lend themselves to a double meaning; prophets often use puns (e.g., Jer 1:11–12) to drive home a point.
What is clear: Israel’s pride in self-achieved strength is rebuked as foolish, and the verse functions as a rhetorical condemnation of misplaced confidence, whether or not the exact geography is in view.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal towns vs. metaphorical wordplay | The terms Lo-debar and Karnaim are real Transjordanian towns conquered by Jeroboam II. | Some interpreters (e.g., Wellhausen) insist the verse directly names those towns; others (Barnes, Cambridge Bible, Keil) see a deliberate pun where the place names are chosen for their meanings, 'nothing' and 'horns', to mock Israel’s pride. The debate concerns how far to press the literal geography. |
| What 'nothing' refers to | The 'thing of nothing' (Lo-debar) is something worthless: idols, vain confidence, or material wealth. | Calvin identifies it as self-deceptions and hypocritical claims. Gill lists multiple possibilities: riches, idols, self-righteous works. The disagreement is over which particular 'nothing' Amos had primarily in view. |
| Significance of 'horns' | Horns universally symbolize power, especially military strength and royal authority in the Old Testament. | Some (e.g., Barnes) stress that horns are a gift from God (Deut 33:17, Ps 44:5, 7). Others (Clarke, JFB) read the verse as purely ironic: the Israelites claim they have made themselves powerful, but their horn will be broken. The degree to which the horn is seen as a positive symbol that they have misappropriated is nuanced. |
| The role of divine judgment | God declares He will raise a nation against Israel as punishment for their pride and injustice. | The identity of the nation is not named in verse 14, but historically understood as Assyria (which conquered Israel in 722 BC). Some traditions (e.g., Dispensational) see a wider eschatological reference, while most historical-critical commentators limit it to the Assyrian invasion. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (c. 793, 753 BC), a time of military expansion and economic prosperity for Israel. Jeroboam recovered territory from the Syrians, pushing the border from the entrance of Hamath to the Dead Sea (2 Kgs 14:25). Two towns taken in these campaigns were Lo-debar and Karnaim, located east of the Jordan in Gilead and Bashan.
Lo-debar (2 Sam 9:4) was an obscure place; its name could be parsed as “without pasture” or, more emphatically, “a non-thing.” Karnaim (Gen 14:5) means “two horns” and was associated with strength and fertility, the symbolism of horns was deeply rooted in ancient Near Eastern culture, where rulers wore horned crowns and gods were depicted with horns to signify power.
Israel’s leaders boasted of these victories as if achieved by their own valour. But Amos portrays their confidence as deluded. The “horns” they claim are not a gift from Yahweh but a self-made trophy. In the ancient world, horns were also used as vessels for oil (1 Sam 16:13) and as imagery for kingship (Dan 7:24). By flipping the conquests into a pun, Amos turns their pride into absurdity: they rejoice in a town named “Nothing” and claim to have taken “Horns” by themselves.
The surrounding context (Amos 6:1, 14) condemns the complacent elite who lie on ivory beds, drink wine from bowls, and do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Verses 12, 14 form a closing indictment: as horses cannot run on rocks or oxen plow there, so their perversion of justice is futile. The nation that will afflict them from Hamath to the Arabah is Assyria, a power they could never resist by their own strength.
Textual Notes
No significant textual variants are noted in the consulted sources. The Hebrew text is stable across the Masoretic tradition. The interlinear confirms the reading Lo-debar and Karnaim, with no alternative manuscripts suggesting different place names.
Reception History
Amos 6:13 has been used throughout church history to warn against pride and self-reliance. The early church fathers, such as Jerome, read the verse as an indictment of those who trust in worldly power rather than God. During the Reformation, Calvin applied it to Roman Catholic reliance on tradition and hierarchy, while the Geneva Bible notes comment on the folly of rejoicing in 'a thing of nought.'
In the Puritan tradition, Matthew Henry saw the verse as a call to humble dependence on God’s mercy. Modern evangelical preaching often returns to the pun to expose cultural pride, especially in contexts of national or personal achievement. The wordplay is universally recognized as a striking literary device that underscores the theological message: only God deserves the glory for true strength.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The emptiness of self-made glory: Israel rejoiced in a “non-thing”, their conquests, prosperity, and pride. Every human achievement without God is ultimately hollow.
- The danger of misattributed strength: They said, “By our own strength we have taken horns.” But the horn is a biblical symbol of salvation from the Lord (Ps 18:2, 89:17). Claiming God’s gift as your own invites judgment.
- The reversal of pretended power: God promises to raise up a nation that will oppose them from Hamath to the Arabah (v. 14). The strength they boasted will be crushed by a stronger hand.
Five-point outline
- The context: Israel’s military success under Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14:25)
- The wordplay: Lo-debar (nothing) and Karnaim (horns)
- The sin: rejoicing in what is worthless and taking credit for God’s victories
- The underlying issue: perverting justice (v. 12) and ignoring the “hurt of Joseph” (v. 6)
- The outcome: God’s judgment through a foreign nation, the ultimate demonstration that their strength was no strength at all.
Illustration hooks
- A sports team that celebrates a trophy but ignores the broken relationships and unsportsmanlike conduct that marred the season. The celebration is hollow in the long run.
- A business owner who credits his own savvy for success, forgetting the customers, employees, and opportunities that came as gifts. The “horns” of revenue become pride’s idol.
- A student who boasts of a high grade earned through cheating, the achievement is a “Lo-debar,” a thing of nothing, because it has no real substance.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know if my success is from God or from my own effort, and why does it matter?
- What are the “nothings” I am tempted to rejoice in today: social media likes, career advancement, financial security?
- How does this prophecy of judgment apply to us, who live after the fullness of Christ’s revelation?
Leading a Discussion
Amos 6:13 uses sharp wordplay to expose the foolishness of trusting in human achievement. As you discuss this passage, consider how easily we attribute success to our own strength while ignoring God’s provision. The verse challenges us to examine what we truly rejoice in.
Discussion questions
- Read the verse in several translations. What differences do you notice between versions that translate “a thing of nothing” and those that read “Lo-debar”? Why might the original hearers have caught the pun?
- What does the “horn” symbolize elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Deut 33:17, Ps 75:10, 1 Sam 2:10)? How does that background sharpen the critique in this verse?
- Israel boasted, “by our own strength we have taken horns.” In what areas of your life do you most easily take credit for outcomes that are actually gifts from God?
- Amos 6:12 connects perverted justice with this pride. Why is injustice often linked to self-reliance? How does trusting in our own strength lead us to mistreat others?
- God responds to their boast by promising to raise up a nation against them (v. 14). How does this verse warn us about the consequences of persistent pride and self-deception?
- In what ways can we “rejoice in a thing of nothing” today, through social status, achievements, or possessions that have no eternal weight?
- How does the gospel of Christ offer a better foundation for our identity and confidence than the “horns” we try to build?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 32:18 | He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.” |
| Exodus 32:19 | As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. |
| Judges 9:19 | if you then have dealt truly and righteously with Jerubbaal and with his house today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you; |
| Judges 9:20 | but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech.” |
| Judges 9:27 | They went out into the field, harvested their vineyards, trod the grapes, celebrated, and went into the house of their god and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. |
| Judges 16:23 | The lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.” |
| Judges 16:25 | When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars; |
| I Samuel 4:5 | When the ark of Yahweh’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that those who boast about their idols think they possess true power because idols are nothing. He says wine gives them strength so they feel as great as the most powerful people.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the joy of the proud as coming from nothing at all. He says their power and strength are a non thing that has no real existence apart from God. You grant us true being and good so we may love You alone.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the Israelites rejoiced in false ideas rather than in God. He says they trusted their own lies about being the true Church and having special status.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Christians who hold this view see the Israelites’ pride as coming from their new wealth and military victories. They understand the term for nothing as referring to their temporary material success that will vanish when trouble comes.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note observes that this boast is hollow: the people claim their own strength gave them horns, a symbol of power and victory, but they are actually rejoicing over nothing. Their confidence is self-deception.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that anything other than Christ and his righteousness is nothing at all and not worth rejoicing in. You may find hope in Christ and his saving power.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that true joy comes only from things that do not last (the same) and not from temporary wealth or power. Christians who hold this view see such riches as worthless and point to the same verse as proof.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the proud leaders imagine their military strength will let them defeat their enemies. They think they can create horns of power to conquer all foes. You will find hope in Christ and the resurrection.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that the proud leaders think their wealth and joy will protect them from judgment. He says they ignore that God’s punishment will reach even those who hide in secret places.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the Lord has sworn by himself that he will not change his decision to destroy Israel. This oath shows his power is so great that no one can stop his plan.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that some people boast about their victories alliances and idols. He also says they think they have become great because of their own wisdom and courage.