Amos 8:10 I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

◄ Amos 8:10 ►

New International Version
I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

New Living Translation
I will turn your celebrations into times of mourning and your singing into weeping. You will wear funeral clothes and shave your heads to show your sorrow— as if your only son had died. How very bitter that day will be!

English Standard Version
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

Berean Standard Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

King James Bible
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

New King James Version
I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, And baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, And its end like a bitter day.

New American Standard Bible
“Then I will turn your festivals into mourning, And all your songs into songs of mourning; And I will put sackcloth around everyone’s waist, And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

NASB 1995
“Then I will turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

NASB 1977
“Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I will overturn your feasts into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring up sackcloth on everyone’s loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

Amplified Bible
“And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourning And all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung); And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone’s loins And baldness on every head [shaved for mourning]. And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died], And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.

Christian Standard Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day.

American Standard Version
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Contemporary English Version
Your festivals and joyful singing will turn into sorrow. You will wear sackcloth and shave your heads, as you would at the death of your only son. It will be a horrible day.

English Revised Version
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I will turn your festivals into funerals and all your songs into funeral songs. I will put sackcloth around everyone's waist and shave everyone's head. I will make that day seem like a funeral for an only child, and its end will be bitter.

Good News Translation
I will turn your festivals into funerals and change your glad songs into cries of grief. I will make you shave your heads and wear sackcloth, and you will be like parents mourning for their only child. That day will be bitter to the end.

International Standard Version
I will turn your festivals into mourning, and all of your songs to dirges. I will cause all of you to put on sackcloth and to shave all of your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son, and its conclusion will be like the end of a bitter day."

Majority Standard Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

NET Bible
I will turn your festivals into funerals, and all your songs into funeral dirges. I will make everyone wear funeral clothes and cause every head to be shaved bald. I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day.

New Heart English Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end of it as a bitter day.

World English Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And have turned your festivals to mourning, "" And all your songs to lamentation, "" And caused sackcloth to come up on all loins, "" And on every head—baldness, "" And made it as a mourning of an only one, "" And its latter end as a day of bitterness.

Young's Literal Translation
And have turned your festivals to mourning, And all your songs to lamentation, And caused sackcloth to come up on all loins, And on every head -- baldness, And made it as a mourning of an only one, And its latter end as a day of bitterness.

Smith's Literal Translation
And turned your festivals into mourning, and all your songs to lamentation; and I brought up sackcloth upon all loins, and upon every head, baldness; and I set it as the mourning of an only one, and its last part as a day of bitterness.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation: and I will bring up sackcloth upon every back of yours, and baldness upon every head: and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the latter end thereof as a bitter day.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your hymns into lamentation. And I will put sackcloth over every one of your backs, and baldness on every head. And I will begin it like the mourning for an only-begotten son, and complete it like a bitter day.

New American Bible
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into dirges. I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth and make every head bald. I will make it like the time of mourning for an only child, and its outcome like a day of bitter weeping.

New Revised Standard Version
I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will put sackcloth upon all your loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end of it as a bitter day.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I shall turn your feasts into grieving and all your singing into lamentation, and I shall gird sackcloth on all your loins and baldness upon all your heads, and I shall make it as the grieving of an only son and its end as a bitter day

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, And baldness upon every head; And I will make it as the mourning for an only son, And the end thereof as a bitter day.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; and I will make them as the mourning of a beloved friend, and those with them as a day of grief.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Basket of Ripe Fruit
…9And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime. 10I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day. 11Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Isaiah 22:12
On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

Jeremiah 6:26
O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

Ezekiel 7:18
They will put on sackcloth, and terror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all their faces, and all their heads will be shaved.

Hosea 2:11
I will put an end to all her exultation: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—all her appointed feasts.

Joel 1:8
Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.

Lamentations 5:15
Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.

Micah 1:8
Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich.

Zechariah 12:10-11
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. / On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Job 30:31
My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

Isaiah 24:11
In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.

Matthew 9:15
Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Matthew 24:30
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mark 2:20
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Luke 5:35
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

John 16:20
Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Treasury of Scripture

And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

I will turn.

Amos 8:3
And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

Amos 5:23
Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

Amos 6:4-7
That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; …

sackcloth.

Isaiah 15:2,3
He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off…

Jeremiah 48:37
For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

Ezekiel 7:18
They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.

as the.

Jeremiah 6:26
O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Luke 7:12,13
Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her…

a bitter.

Job 3:5
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

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Amos 8

1. By a basket of summer fruit is shown the approach of Israel's end.
4. Oppression is reproved.
11. A famine of the word of God threatened.

Berean Study Bible

I will turn your feasts into mourning
The Hebrew word for "feasts" is "חַגֵּיכֶם" (chaggeikhem), which refers to the appointed festivals and celebrations that were central to Israel's religious and social life. These feasts were times of joy and communal gathering, often commemorating God's past deliverance and provision. The transformation of these joyous occasions into "mourning" (אֵבֶל, ebel) signifies a profound reversal of fortune and divine judgment. Mourning in ancient Israel involved public displays of grief, often accompanied by wailing and lamentation. This phrase underscores the severity of God's impending judgment, turning what was meant to be a time of joy into a period of deep sorrow.

and all your songs into lamentation
The word "songs" (שִׁירֵיכֶם, shireikhem) in Hebrew often denotes songs of praise and celebration. Music was an integral part of worship and daily life in Israel, used to express joy and gratitude. The transformation into "lamentation" (קִינָה, qinah) indicates a shift from joy to sorrow. Lamentation was a structured form of mourning, often poetic, expressing deep grief and loss. This change highlights the totality of the coming judgment, affecting every aspect of life, including worship and cultural expression.

I will cause all of you to wear sackcloth
Sackcloth (שַׂק, saq) was a coarse material made from goat's hair, worn as a sign of mourning and repentance. It was uncomfortable and symbolized humility and penitence before God. The wearing of sackcloth by "all of you" indicates a communal experience of grief and repentance, suggesting that the judgment would be so severe that it would affect the entire nation. This imagery calls the people to recognize their sin and the need for repentance.

and shave your heads
Shaving the head was another traditional sign of mourning and humiliation in the ancient Near East. It symbolized the stripping away of personal glory and pride. This act, combined with wearing sackcloth, emphasizes the depth of the nation's sorrow and the seriousness of the judgment they face. It serves as a call to humility and recognition of their dependence on God.

I will make it like the mourning for an only son
The loss of an "only son" (יָחִיד, yachid) was considered the most profound personal tragedy in ancient Israelite culture. An only son represented the future, the continuation of the family line, and economic security. Mourning for an only son was intense and deeply personal, often involving prolonged periods of grief. This comparison underscores the magnitude of the coming judgment, equating it with the deepest possible sorrow.

and the end of it like a bitter day
The phrase "bitter day" (יוֹם מָר, yom mar) conveys a sense of overwhelming distress and calamity. In biblical literature, bitterness often symbolizes extreme hardship and suffering. The "end" (אַחֲרִית, acharit) of this judgment is not just a conclusion but a culmination of sorrow and loss. This phrase serves as a stark warning of the consequences of turning away from God, urging the people to return to Him in repentance and faith.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10, 11) The imagery is very vivid. The prophet threatens a famine of the word of Jehovah, and a parching thirst for the Water of Life, now no longer attainable. Such terrible destitution often supervenes on the neglect of the Word of God, the power to discern the ever-present Word being exhausted. Then comes the withdrawal of revelation, the silence of seers. One of the awful dooms of unbelief in the next world will be this famine, this hopeless thirst and fathomless suspense.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - I will turn your feasts into mourning, etc. (comp. ver. 3: Amos 5:16, 17; Lamentations 5:15; Hosea 2:11; Tobit 2:6). Sackcloth. A token of mourning (1 Kings 20:31; Isaiah 15:3; Joel 1:8, 13). Baldness. On shaving the head as a sign of mourning, see note on Micah 1:16; and comp. Job 1:20; Isaiah 3:24; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 47:5; Ezekiel 7:18). I will make it; Ponam eam (Vulgate); sc. terram. But it is better to take it to refer to the whole state of things mentioned before. The mourning for an only son was proverbially severe, like that of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:12, etc.; comp. Jeremiah 6:26; Zechariah 12:10). And the end thereof as a bitter day. The calamity should not wear itself out; it should be bitter unto the end. Septuagint, Θήσομαι... τοὺς μέτ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἡμέραν ὀδύνης, "I will make... those with him as a day of anguish."

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

I will turn
וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י (wə·hā·p̄aḵ·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

your feasts
חַגֵּיכֶ֜ם (ḥag·gê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2282: A festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast

into mourning
לְאֵ֗בֶל (lə·’ê·ḇel)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 60: Lamentation

and all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

your songs
שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙ (šî·rê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7892: A song, singing

into lamentation.
לְקִינָ֔ה (lə·qî·nāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7015: An elegy, dirge

I will cause everyone
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

to wear
וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤י (wə·ha·‘ă·lê·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

sackcloth
שָׂ֔ק (śāq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8242: A mesh, coarse loose cloth, sacking, a bag

and every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

head
רֹ֖אשׁ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

to be shaved.
קָרְחָ֑ה (qā·rə·ḥāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7144: Baldness, bald spot

I will make it like
וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙ (wə·śam·tî·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

a time of mourning
כְּאֵ֣בֶל (kə·’ê·ḇel)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 60: Lamentation

for an only son,
יָחִ֔יד (yā·ḥîḏ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 3173: United, sole, beloved, lonely, the life

and its outcome
וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ (wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 319: The last, end, the future, posterity

like a bitter
מָֽר׃ (mār)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 4751: Bitter, bitterness, bitterly

day.
כְּי֥וֹם (kə·yō·wm)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

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OT Prophets: Amos 8:10 I will turn your feasts into mourning (Amo. Am)