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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Amos 3:3

Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Communion;   Fellowship;   Friendship;   Meekness;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Communion with God;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Enoch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amos;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ethics;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dependence;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amos (1);  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for April 29;   Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 29;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Can two walk togetherwithout agreeing to meet?
Hebrew Names Version
Do two walk together, Unless they have agreed?
King James Version
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
English Standard Version
"Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
New American Standard Bible
Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?
New Century Version
Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so.
Amplified Bible
Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Can two walke together except they bee agreed?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?
Legacy Standard Bible
Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?
Berean Standard Bible
Can two walk together without agreeing where to go?
Contemporary English Version
Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet?
Complete Jewish Bible
Do two people travel together without having so agreed?
Darby Translation
Shall two walk together except they be agreed?
George Lamsa Translation
Will two men go on a journey together unless they have made an appointment?
Good News Translation
Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet?
Lexham English Bible
Do two walk together unless they have met?
Literal Translation
Will two walk together except they are agreed?
American Standard Version
Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?
Bible in Basic English
Is it possible for two to go walking together, if not by agreement?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Will two walk together, except they have agreed?
King James Version (1611)
Can two walke together, except they be agreed?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Can two walke together, except they be agreed?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Shall two walk together at all, if they do not know one another?
English Revised Version
Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?
World English Bible
Do two walk together, Unless they have agreed?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether tweyne schulen go togidere, no but it acorde to hem?
Update Bible Version
Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?
Webster's Bible Translation
Can two walk together, except they are agreed?
New English Translation
Do two walk together without having met?
New King James Version
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
New Living Translation
Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?
New Life Bible
Do two men walk together unless they have made an agreement?
New Revised Standard
Do two walk together unless they have made an appointment?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Can two walk together, - except they meet?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall two walk together except they be agreed?
Revised Standard Version
"Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment?
Young's Literal Translation
Do two walk together if they have not met?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Maye twaine walke together excepte they be agreed amonge them selues?
THE MESSAGE
Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place? Does a lion roar in the forest if there's no carcass to devour? Does a young lion growl with pleasure if he hasn't caught his supper? Does a bird fall to the ground if it hasn't been hit with a stone? Does a trap spring shut if nothing trips it? When the alarm goes off in the city, aren't people alarmed? And when disaster strikes the city, doesn't God stand behind it? The fact is, God , the Master, does nothing without first telling his prophets the whole story.

Contextual Overview

1 People of Israel, listen to this message! This is what the Lord said about you, Israel. This message is about all the families that I brought from the land of Egypt. 2 "There are many families on earth, but you are the only family I chose to know in a special way. And you turned against me, so I will punish you for all your sins." 3 Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so. 4 A lion will roar in the forest only if it catches its prey. A young lion roaring in his cave means he has caught something to eat. 5 A bird doesn't fly into a trap unless there is food in it. If a trap closes, it will catch the bird. 6 If people hear the warning blast of a trumpet, they shake with fear. If trouble comes to a city, the Lord caused it to happen. 7 When the Lord God decides to do something, he will first tell his servants, the prophets. 8 When a lion roars, people are frightened. When the Lord God speaks, a prophet must prophesy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Genesis 5:22, Genesis 6:9, Genesis 17:1, 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:44 - ye shall Leviticus 19:2 - Ye shall Deuteronomy 32:19 - And when Amos 5:14 - and so 1 Peter 1:16 - General 1 John 1:7 - we have

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it."
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What have you done?" She said, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant. And when you give birth to children, you will have much pain. You will want your husband very much, but he will rule over you."
Genesis 3:17
Then God said to the man, "I commanded you not to eat from that tree. But you listened to your wife and ate from it. So I will curse the ground because of you. You will have to work hard all your life for the food the ground produces.
Genesis 20:6
Then God said to Abimelech in a dream, "Yes, I know that you are innocent and that you did not know what you were doing. I saved you. I did not allow you to sin against me. I was the one who did not allow you to sleep with her.
1 Chronicles 16:22
He said, "Don't hurt my chosen people. Don't hurt my prophets."
Job 1:11
But if you were to destroy everything he has, I promise you that he would curse you to your face."
Job 2:5
I swear, if you attack his flesh and bones, he will curse you to your face!"
Job 19:21
"Pity me, my friends, pity me, because God is against me.
1 Corinthians 7:1
Now I will discuss the things you wrote me about. You asked if it is better for a man not to have any sexual relations at all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Can two walk together except they be agreed?] Unless they meet together, and appoint time and place, when and where they shall set out, what road they will take, and whither they will go; without such consultation and agreement, it cannot be thought they should walk together; and not amicably, unless united in friendship, and are of the same affection to each other, and of the same sentiments one with another; or it is much if they do not fall out by the way. The design of these words is to show, that without friendship there is no fellowship, and without concord no communion; as this is the case between man and man, so between God and man; and that Israel could not expect that God should walk with them, and show himself friendly to them, and continue his favours with them, when they walked contrary to him; when they were so disagreeable to him in their sentiments of religion, in their worship, and the rites of it, and in the whole of their conduct and behaviour. And to a spiritual walk with God, and communion with him, agreement is requisite. God and man were originally chief friends, but sin set them at variance; a reconciliation became necessary to their walking together again; which was set on foot, not by man, who had no inclination to it, nor knew how to go about it if he had, and much less able to effect it; but by the Lord, the offended party: it began in his thoughts, which were thoughts of peace; it was set on foot by him in the council of peace, and concluded in the covenant of peace; and his Son was sent to bring it about; and through his obedience, sufferings, and death, through his sacrifice and satisfaction, the agreement is made on the part of God, his justice is satisfied; but still it is necessary man should be agreed too; this is brought out by the Spirit of God, who shows the sinner the enmity of his mind, the sin and danger of it, slays this enmity, and puts in new principles of light, life, and love; when the soul is reconciled to God's way of salvation, and loves the Lord, and delights in him; and both being thus agreed, the one by the satisfaction of Christ, and the other by the Spirit of Christ, see Romans 5:10; they walk comfortably together: the saint walks with God, not only as in his sight and presence, but by faith, and in his fear, in the ways and ordinances of the Lord; and particularly is frequent in prayer and meditation, in which much of his walk with God lies: and God walks with him; he grants his gracious presence; manifests his love and favour to him; talks with him by the way; discloses the secrets of his heart; and indulges him with nearness and communion with him; but all is founded on mutual agreement. And so it must be between men and men, that walk in a religious way; regenerate and unregenerate persons cannot walk together, there being no concord, 2 Corinthians 6:14; nor can all sorts of professors; they must agree in the way Christ, and in the fundamental principles of religion; and in worship, and the manner of it; and in all the ordinances of the Gospel, and the manner of administering them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Sacred parables or enigmas must have many meanings. They are cast on the mind, to quicken it and rouse it by their very mystery. They are taken from objects which in different lights, represent different things, and so suggest them. This series of brief parables have, all of them, this in common, that each thing spoken of is alternately cause and effect, and where the one is found, ‘there’ must be the other. From the effect you can certainly infer the cause, without which it could not be, and from the cause you may be sure of the effect. Then, further, all the images are of terror and peril to the objects spoken of. The prophet impresses upon their minds both aspects of these things; “evil will not befall, unless it has been prepared;” “signs of evil will not shew themselves, unless the evil be at hand.” “The bird will not fall without the snare; if the snare rises and so shews itself, the bird is as good as taken. As surely then (the prophet would say) as the roaring of the lion, the rising of the snare, the alarm of the trumpet, betokens imminent peril, so surely does the warning Voice of God. ‘The lion hath roared; who will not fear?’ Again, as surely as these are the effects of their causes, so surely is all infliction sent by Him who alone has power over all things, and is the cause of all. ‘Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Again, as these tokens are given before the evil comes, and the God of nature and of grace has made it a law in nature, that what is fearful should give signs of coming evil, so has He made it a law of His own dealing, not to inflict evil, without having fore-announced it.

‘Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He reveleth His secret unto His servants the prophets.’ As nothing else is by chance, nor happens without cause, much less the acts of God. The lion or young lion when they roar, the bird when it falls to the ground, the snare when it rises, the trumpet’s sound, all have their cause and ground: shall not then much more the acts and works of God? Shall evil happen in the city, and have no ground in the Cause of all causes, God in His righteous judgments? As there is fear, whenever there are tokens and causes of fear, so fear ye now and watch, lest the fear overtake you and it be too late. The first words then,

Can (will) two walk together, except they be agreed? - are at once a general rule for all which follows, and have different bearings according to those its several aspects. And, before all these, it is an appeal at once to the conscience which feels itself parted from its God; “so neither will God be with thee, unless thou art agreed and of one mind with God. Think not to have God with thee, unless thou art with God;” as He saith, ‘I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people, lest I consume thee in the way’ Exodus 33:3; and, ‘if ye walk contrary unto Me, then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins’ Leviticus 26:23, Leviticus 26:4. And on the other hand, ‘They shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy’ Revelation 3:4. Lap.: “God cannot be agreed with the sinner who justifies himself. Rup.: “God who rebuketh, and Israel who is rebuked, are two. God saith, We are not agreed, in that Israel, when rebuked, heareth not Me, God, rebuking. Herein we are not agreed, that I rebuke, Israel justifieth himself. Lo, for so many years since Jeroboam made the golden calves, have I sent prophets, and none agreeth, for no one king departed from the sin of Jeroboam. So then I came Myself, God made man, rebuking and reproving: but ‘ye are they which justify yourselves before men’ Luke 16:15, and, being sick, ye say to the Physician, we need Thee not.” Augustine in Psalms 75:1-10 Lap.: “So long as thou confessest not thy sins, thou art in a manner litigating with God. For what displeaseth Him, thou praisest. Be at one with God. Let what displeaseth Him, displease thee. Thy past evil life displeaseth Him. If it please thee, thou art disjoined from Him; if it displease thee, by confessing thy sins, thou art joined to Him.” So He awakens and prepares the soul for the following words of awe.

In connection with what follows, the words are also the prophet’s defense of his Mission. Israel “said to the prophets, prophesy not” (see the notes on Amos 2:12), or, “The Lord our God hath not sent thee” Jeremiah 43:2, because, while it disobeyed God, the prophets must “speak concernig it not good, but evil.” Amos prepares the way for his answer; ye yourselves admit, that “two will” not “walk together, unless they be agreed.” The seen and the unseen, the words of the prophets and the dealings of God, would not meet together, unless the prophets were of one mind with God, unless God had admitted them into His counsels, and “were agreed” with them, so that their words should precede His deeds, His deeds confirm His words by them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 3:3. Can two walk together — While ye loved and served me, I dwelt in you and walked among you. Now ye are become alienated from me, your nature and mine are totally opposite. I am holy, ye are unholy. We are no longer agreed, and can no longer walk together. I can no longer hold communion with you. I must cast you out. The similes in this and the three following verses are all chosen to express the same thing, viz., that no calamities or judgments can fall upon any people but by the express will of God, on account of their iniquities; and that whatever his prophets have foretold, they have done it by direct revelation from their Maker; and that God has the highest and most cogent reason for inflicting the threatened calamities. This correctness of the prophets' predictions shows that they and I are in communion.


 
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