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AMOS 3:3 Perhaps the most well-known quotation from the book of Amos is found in chapter 3, verse 3: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Unfortunately, this verse is also very often used out of context to divide and separate. It is paramount that we understand this verse in context so that the meaning might be properly understood and so that this scripture might be used appropriately. Let us first read this passage in context. Amo 3:1 Hear this word that יהוה has spoken against you, O children of Yisra’ĕl, against the entire clan which I brought up from the land of Mitsrayim, saying,Amo 3:2 “You alone have I known of all the clans of the earth, therefore I punish you for all your crookednesses.”Amo 3:3 Would two walk together, without having met?Amo 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion give forth his voice out of his den unless he has caught?Amo 3:5 Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the earth, if it has not captured prey?Amo 3:6 If a ram’s horn is blown in a city, do the people not tremble? If there is calamity in a city, shall not יהוה have done it?Amo 3:7 For the Master יהוה does no matter unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.Amo 3:8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The Master יהוה has spoken! Who would not prophesy?Amo 3:9 “Cry out at the palaces in Ashdoḏ, and at the palaces in the land of Mitsrayim, and say, ‘Gather on the mountains of Shomeron, and see the many unrests in her midst, and the oppressed ones within her.Amo 3:10 ‘But they do not know to do what is right,’ declares יהוה, ‘these who store up plunder and loot in their palaces.’ ”Amo 3:11 Therefore thus said the Master יהוה, “An enemy, even all around the land! And he shall bring down your strength from you, and your palaces shall be plundered.”Amo 3:12 Thus said יהוה, “As a shepherd rescues from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so are the children of Yisra’ĕl who dwell in Shomeron to be rescued – in the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch!Amo 3:13 “Hear and witness against the house of Yaʽaqoḇ,” declares the Master יהוה, the Elohim of hosts.Amo 3:14 “For in the day I visit Yisra’ĕl for their transgressions, I shall also punish concerning the altars of Bĕyth Ěl. And the horns of the altar shall be broken, and they shall fall to the ground.Amo 3:15 “And I shall smite the winter house along with the summer house. And the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall be swept away,” declares יהוה.
In context, this whole passage is dealing with YHWH’s displeasure with the children of Israel, and this is a prophecy of the coming punishment of Israel for her sins. Did YHWH desire that Israel separate from Him? What kind of relationship did YHWH want with the children of Israel? There are many passages of scripture that reveal that YHWH wanted a close personal relationship with Israel. He did not want to leave Israel, and He did not want Israel to leave Him. Let’s turn to one of the many passages that reveals this relationship. Deut 30:1 Deu 30:1 “And it shall be, when all these words come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall bring them back to your heart among all the gentiles where יהוה your Elohim drives you,Deu 30:2 and shall turn back to יהוה your Elohim and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your being, you and your children,Deu 30:3 then יהוה your Elohim shall turn back your captivity, and shall have compassion on you, and He shall turn back and gather you from all the peoples where יהוה your Elohim has scattered you.Deu 30:11 “For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off.Deu 30:12 “It is not in the heavens, to say, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’Deu 30:13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, to say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’Deu 30:14 “For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.Deu 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,Deu 30:16 in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess.Deu 30:17 “But if your heart turns away, and you do not obey, and shall be drawn away, and shall bow down to other mighty ones and serve them,Deu 30:18 “I have declared to you today that you shall certainly perish, you shall not prolong your days in the land which you are passing over the Yardĕn to enter and possess.Deu 30:19 “I have called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed,Deu 30:20 to love יהוה your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him – for He is your life and the length of your days – to dwell in the land which יהוה swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give them.”
YHWH wanted Israel to choose life. It is obvious that YHWH wanted a very close personal relationship with the children of Israel. Now let’s return to Amos 3. We know that YHWH did not intend for Israel to separate from Him. Yet, if we are not careful, if we look merely at verse 3 and take it out of context, we may come to the conclusion that, since YHWH says in Isaiah 55:8 that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, “that YHWH is saying that He doesn’t want to walk with the children of Israel because they are not in agreement. Nothing could be further from the truth. So what is the actual meaning of this passage in Amos 3? What is this talking about in context? Some have used this scripture in regards to doctrinal differences. Is that what is being discussed here? Please keep in mind that this is written in historical context. Verse 3 in the New king James reads, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” This is the translation that is often used. But let’s look at several other translations. Amos 3:3 (American Standard Version) Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? (Brenton) Shall two walk together at all, if they do not know one another? (Contemporary English Version) Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet? (Darby) Shall two walk together except they be agreed? (Good News Bible) Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet? (God’s Word) Do two people ever walk together without meeting first? (Literal Version) Will two walk together except they are agreed? (Modern King James) Can two walk together unless they are agreed? (World English) Do two walk together, Unless they have agreed? (Webster) Can two walk together, except they are agreed? (Young’s Literal) Do two walk together if they have not met? We can see that some translations give different meaning to this verse. The International translation reads: “Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? This is a very different meaning than we saw in the Modern King James version that was first quoted. The RSV says, “Do two walk together unless they have made an appointment?” When I was in High School, I performed in the marching band. You might say that marching is a form of “walking together”—in step with the cadence or music. We marched together at a certain time which was usually decided by the band director and to which band members agree—otherwise, we would not have been there to march together. However, there were probably a good number of other things upon which we would not have been in agreement. The New Jerusalem Bible say, “Do two people travel together, unless they have agreed to do so?” Certainly, two people walking side by side would only be doing so by agreement (unless you happen to live in a metropolitan area where multitude may be moving in the same direction at the same time—yet in no way knowing one another. But, when we think of this as the wilderness experience it makes more sense. If two parties are alone in the wilderness, they will probably not be walking together, unless they agree to do so.) Under the Sinai Covenant, Israel and YHWH had an agreement that they would walk together, but Israel broke the covenant and the law of cause and effect then comes into play. That is the point of verses 3-6—each effect must have a cause. “It follows that disaster is an effect of some action, in this case action by YHWH…It should have been clear to Israel that their sufferings were YHWH’s messengers, warning them against their sins. We are not to take every personal disaster as a warning of judgment or judgment itself. But we are to examine ourselves to discover if anything in our lives might have moved YHWH to act.” (Bible Reader’s Companion, note on verses 3-6). It is cause and effect. What the prophet Amos is telling the people is that YHWH doesn’t do a thing for no reason. There is cause for every effect as brought out in verse 11—“Therefore, (because of all this cause and effect) thus says YHWH Elohim: ‘An adversary shall be all around the land; he shall sap your strength from you, and your palaces shall be plundered.’” Yah is telling them, “I am punishing your for a reason.” This, then, is the meaning of this passage. Many have used verse three in connection with doctrinal discussions. But does this passage have anything to do with doctrinal discussions? Not really. A minister of our Messiah informed me that he had given a Scripture Study mentioning this passage. He said that, to this day, he still hears this passage used to the effect that you have to agree with one another in order to have any fellowship. He went on to say that the Scriptures no where teaches that doctrinal agreement is a requirement for fellowship. I hope none of us have come to this faulty conclusion. We are best served when we explain and use scripture properly. I hope we can all benefit from a better understanding of this passage. There are reasons for separating and having no more fellowship. But scriptures other than this need be the basis of that decision.
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