Amos 8:13 · Bible study
Amos 8:13 Commentary: Even the Young Faint for Thirst
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Amos singles out the young and beautiful to faint from thirst, and what this reveals about the severity of God's judgment in the famine of His word.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The strongest and fairest members of society will collapse from thirst when God’s judgment strips away all provision, physical and spiritual.
- Key words: ʿālap (faint, enwrap); tsāmāʾ (thirst). The Hithpael stem suggests a self-enwrapping, a fainting that veils the face.
- Main debate: Whether the thirst is solely physical (war/siege) or also spiritual (absence of God’s word); most commentators see both dimensions interwoven.
- Theological theme: Judgment is comprehensive; human strength cannot save. Only a right relationship with God through His word sustains life.
- Best use: A warning against spiritual complacency and a call to treasure God’s word as daily bread and living water.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
In that day the lovely young women— the young men as well— will faint from thirst.
WEB World English Bible 2000
In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst.
KJV King James Version 1769
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
In that day faint do the fair virgins, And the young men, with thirst.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In that day the fair virgins, and the young men shall faint for thirst.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En aquel tiempo las doncellas hermosas y los mancebos desmayarán de sed.
Naquele tempo as belas virgens e os rapazes desmaiarão de sede.
En ce jour, les belles jeunes filles et les jeunes hommes mourront de soif.
Zu der Zeit werden die schönen Jungfrauen und die Jünglinge verschmachten vor Durst,
Te dien dage zullen de schone jonkvrouwen en de jongelingen van dorst versmachten;
In quel giorno, le belle vergini e i giovani verranno meno per la sete.
Dnia onego pomdleją panienki piękne, nawet i młodzieńcy od onego pragnienia;
В тот день истаявать будут от жажды красивые девы и юноши,
當那 日，美貌 的處女 和少年的男子 必因乾渴 發昏。
In that day the fair virgins and the young men will be feeble from need of water.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Amos 8:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse intensifies the judgment already described. Amos has just spoken of a famine of hearing God's words (v. 11), and now he shows that this famine brings physical collapse onto those who seem least vulnerable. Barnes notes that the Hebrew verb ʿālap means 'to be covered over, mantled', as though a veil falls across the eyes of the fainting. Calvin sees the thirst as evidence 'of a heavier and of almost the extreme curse of God' encompassing both body and soul. Keil and Delitzsch add that the virgins and young men represent 'the vigorous fulness of youth' of the nation; if even they succumb, the weak have no hope. The consensus is plain: no human strength or beauty can withstand the judgment God brings when He withdraws His word and the blessings that attend it.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal physical thirst: The surrounding passage (vv. 9–10) includes cosmic and civil calamity; Cambridge cites Lamentations for siege conditions; the plain sense of the Hebrew tsama’ is physical thirst.
- Spiritual thirst for God’s word: JFB and Matthew Henry connect v. 13 directly to v. 11–12: the famine of hearing God’s words produces a parched soul; the phrase 'faint for thirst' echoes the frantic wandering of those who cannot find the word.
- Combined literal and symbolic: Calvin argues that God's withdrawal of the word brings a want of all blessings, so the thirst includes both physical deprivation and spiritual emptiness. Keil and Delitzsch see the thirst as the consequence of the word-famine, affecting body and spirit.
What is clear: Even the strongest and most beautiful among God’s people will collapse under the weight of His judgment; no human vitality can survive where God withholds His word and provision.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the thirst | The thirst is severe and leads to collapse, even among the strongest. | Some see it as literally the physical thirst of siege or drought (Cambridge). Others, with Calvin, see it as the result of the famine of God's word, a want of all blessings including water. JFB explicitly calls it 'thirst for hearing the words of the Lord.' |
| Identity of the virgins and young men | They represent the most vigorous, beautiful, and promising part of the nation. | Some read them literally as young individuals. Others, like the Targum and Gill, see them as symbolic of the congregation of Israel or its leaders, those who trusted in their own righteousness. |
| Connection to the famine of the word | Verse 13 is directly linked to v. 11, 12; the thirst is part of the same judgment. | Whether this thirst is identical to the spiritual famine or a separate physical consequence. Keil and Delitzsch treat it as the inevitable result of the word-famine: when God withdraws His word, He also withdraws earthly good. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Amos prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel during the eighth century BC, a time of economic prosperity and religious corruption. The nation had grown confident in its wealth and in syncretistic worship at Bethel and Dan. In the surrounding context (vv. 9, 12), God announces cosmic signs, a noonday sunset and darkness, and a famine of His word that will drive people to wander in vain. Verse 13 picks up the same 'in that day' (the day of the Lord's judgment) and depicts even the strongest collapsing from thirst.
The Hebrew phrase for 'faint' (titʿallapnâ) is a Hithpael imperfect from ʿālap, meaning 'to enwrap oneself, to be covered over.' The word picture is of a person whose strength is so drained that a veil seems to fall over their face. The 'thirst' (tsāmāʾ) is both literal and freighted with symbolic weight. A siege by the Assyrian army would cut off water supplies, making life unbearable (Cambridge Bible cites Lamentations 2:11, 12 for similar scenes). But coming immediately after the famine of God's word, this thirst also signals the complete withdrawal of divine provision. Calvin argues that when God removes His word, He also removes earthly blessings, so that people lack even basic sustenance. The specification of 'beautiful virgins' and 'young men', those normally full of life and resilience, shows that no one, regardless of vitality, can escape the consequences of national rebellion. Hope, the very fuel of youth, is gone.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for Amos 8:13. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The key lexical form ʿālap (H5968) and its Hithpael conjugation are well attested.
Reception History
Jewish and Christian readers have consistently treated Amos 8:13 as a stark reminder of the cost of rejecting God. In rabbinic interpretation, the verse underscores the famine of prophecy that followed the exile, a time when even the righteous could not find clear guidance. Early Christian writers (e.g., Cyril of Alexandria) saw the thirst as a figure for the failure of human righteousness apart from Christ. The verse has been cited in sermons on judgment and revival, often paired with Isaiah 40:30, 31 to contrast human frailty with divine strength. In modern application, it challenges readers to examine their own spiritual appetite and dependence on God’s word.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Universality of Judgment: Even the strongest and fairest faint. God’s judgment spares no one based on age, beauty, or vigor. The same drought that withers the old consumes the young.
- The Nature of Thirst: The thirst is both physical, real water is gone, and spiritual: the word of God, which alone quenches the soul, is silent. Calvin says the people are ‘dried up through the want of all things.’
- The Silent Hope: This verse does not end the chapter without a call. The very description of collapse invites hearers to recognize their need and turn back before it is too late. The famine of the word is meant to drive us to seek the Word Himself.
Five-Point Outline
- Context: The day of the Lord has come (vv. 9, 10).
- Famine: A drought of hearing God’s words (v. 11, 12).
- Collapse: Even the young and beautiful faint (v. 13).
- Idolatry: The root cause, swearing by false gods (v. 14).
- Finality: They fall and rise no more (v. 14).
Illustration Hooks
- The Marathon Runner: A well-trained athlete can run for miles, but without water in extreme heat, muscles cramp and the body shuts down. Human strength has limits; spiritual dehydration is deadlier still.
- The Wealthy City in Drought: Imagine a modern city with reservoirs that run dry, where even the youngest and strongest cannot find a drink. No amount of money or health buys water when God withholds the rain.
- The Smartphone with No Signal: All the potential in the world means nothing when the connection is cut. The famine of God’s word is like a phone that cannot reach anyone, except the isolation is eternal.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- What does it mean for us today when we feel spiritually dry and unable to hear God?
- How can we be sure we are not relying on our own strength to survive spiritually?
- Is there a connection between the idols we cherish and the thirst we feel?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with the sobering reality that God’s judgment can touch the parts of our lives we consider strongest. In Amos’ day, the people had plenty of prophets and yet did not listen. The resulting silence was unbearable. As you discuss, consider how we might be taking God’s word for granted and what it would mean to truly thirst for Him.
Discussion Questions
- Read Amos 8:11, 14. What is the connection between the famine of hearing God’s words (v. 11) and the thirst that makes the young faint (v. 13)?
- Why do you think Amos specifies virgins and young men rather than the general population? What does that detail add to the picture of judgment?
- The Hebrew verb for “faint” means “to be covered over, to sink into a swoon.” How does that imagery help you feel the severity of the moment?
- Calvin says the thirst includes the loss of all blessings, not just water. In what ways can a society be dried up despite having material abundance?
- Have you ever experienced a season where God’s word seemed distant or silent? How did that shape your faith?
- The cross-reference in Isaiah 40:30, 31 says that even youths faint, but those who wait on the Lord renew their strength. How does this promise speak into the warning of Amos 8:13?
- What idols in our lives might lead to a famine of God’s word? How can we actively cultivate a thirst for God?
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)
| Deuteronomy 32:25 | Outside the sword will bereave, and in the rooms, terror on both young man and virgin, the nursing infant with the gray-haired man. |
| Psalms 63:1 | A Psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judah. God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water. |
| Psalms 144:12 | Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants, our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace. |
| Psalms 144:15 | Happy are the people who are in such a situation. Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh. |
| Isaiah 40:30 | Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; |
| Isaiah 41:17 | The poor and needy seek water, and there is none. Their tongue fails for thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. |
| Isaiah 41:20 | that they may see, know, consider, and understand together, that Yahweh’s hand has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. |
| Jeremiah 48:18 | “You daughter who dwells in Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you. He has destroyed your strongholds. |
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
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that hope is what sustains life through suffering; once hope vanishes, even the strongest and most vigorous person collapses. He notes the literal meaning of fainting for thirst is being "mantled over" like a veil falling across the eyes. Thirst, he adds, afflicts body and mind more intensely than hunger.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin distinguishes two stages of judgment: first the spiritual famine of God's word, then an added physical thirst so severe that even the strongest young people collapse. He stresses that being deprived of water shows God's heaviest curse, leaving no one able to escape.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that during Israel’s future hardship the strongest members of the population will fail because of extreme thirst and exhaustion from a siege. They point to other passages showing similar suffering among people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes sees this verse describing a time when young people and beautiful women will die from lack of water. It shows that even those in their prime will suffer greatly during that future hardship.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill offers two possible meanings for this image. The first is a literal physical collapse from lack of food and drink. The second interprets the virgins and young men as those who trusted in their own righteousness instead of hungering for Christ's righteousness, and so perished spiritually.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that those who lack any other comfort will faint from thirst to hear the Lord’s words. This applies especially to the weak since even the strong can fail in this matter.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the strongest members of the nation (the virgins and young men) will fail because of their reliance on the golden calf at Bethel. They also explain that the reference to the way to Beersheba points to idolatrous worship directed toward God.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the wordplay between ripe fruit and end in Amos's vision: Israel's ripeness for sin means their end is certain. He stresses that God's judgment on rich oppressors is just and compassionate toward the poor, and that those who despise God's word will later hunger for it but not find it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that some read this as a literal historical famine occurring after Amos spoke, while others understand it as pointing to a spiritual lack of God’s word. Christians have understood this passage to mean that true hunger for God’s teaching will exist at all times.