Amos 3:4

Green's Literal Translation

Will a lion roar in the forest when there is no prey for him? Will a young lion cry out of his den except he has caught something ?

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something?

New Century Version
A lion in the forest does not roar unless it has caught an animal; it does not growl in its den when it has caught nothing.

New English Translation
Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?

Update Bible Version
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has taken nothing?

Webster's Bible Translation
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he hath taken nothing?

Amplified Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den if he has not captured something?

English Standard Version
Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?

World English Bible
Will a lion roar in the thicket, When he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, If he has caught nothing?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether a lioun schal rore in a forest, no but he haue prey? Whether the whelp of a lioun schal yyue vois fro his denne, no but he take ony thing?

English Revised Version
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Berean Standard Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?

Contemporary English Version
Does a lion roar in the forest unless it has caught a victim? Does it growl in its den unless it is eating?

American Standard Version
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Bible in Basic English
Will a lion give his loud cry in the woodland when no food is there? will the voice of the young lion be sounding from his hole if he has taken nothing?

Complete Jewish Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his lair if it has caught nothing?

Darby Translation
Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he have taken nothing?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion give forth his voice out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

King James Version (1611)
Will a lyon roare in the forrest, when he hath no pray? will a young lyon cry out of his den, if he haue taken nothing?

New Living Translation
Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?

New Life Bible
Does a lion make noise among the trees when he has no food? Does a young lion cry out from his home if he has not caught anything?

New Revised Standard
Does a lion roar in the forest, when it has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from its den, if it has caught nothing?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Will a lion roare in ye forest, when he hath no pray? or wil a lions whelpe cry out of his den, if he haue taken nothing?

George Lamsa Translation
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Or does a lion cry out of his den if he has taken no prey?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Will a lion roar in the forest, when, prey, he hath none? Will a young lion utter his voice out of his den, when he hath made no capture?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Will a lion roar in the forest, if he have no prey? will the lion’s whelp cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Revised Standard Version
Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wyll a lion roare in the forest when he hath no pray? or wil a lions whelpe crye out of his denne, if he haue taken nothing?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Will a lion roar out of his thicket if he has no prey? will a lion’s whelp utter his voice at all out of his lair, if he have taken nothing?

Good News Translation
Does a lion roar in the forest unless he has found a victim? Does a young lion growl in his den unless he has caught something?

Christian Standard Bible®
Does a lion roar in the forestwhen it has no prey?Does a young lion growl from its lairunless it has captured something?

Hebrew Names Version
Will a lion roar in the thicket, When he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, If he has caught nothing?

King James Version
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

Lexham English Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a fierce, young lion cry out from his den unless he has caught something?

Young's Literal Translation
Roar doth a lion in a forest and prey he hath none? Give out doth a young lion his voice from his habitation, If he hath not caught?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Doth a lyon roare in the wodde, excepte he haue a pray? Or crieth a lyons whelpe out of his denne, excepte he haue gotten somthige?

New King James Version
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something?

Legacy Standard Bible
Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?Does a young lion give forth its voice from its den unless it has captured something?

Contextual Overview

¹ Hear this Word that Jehovah has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against all the family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: ² You only have I known of all the families of the earth. On account of this, I will punish you for all your iniquities. ³ Will two walk together except they are agreed? ⁴ Will a lion roar in the forest when there is no prey for him? Will a young lion cry out of his den except he has caught something ? ⁵ Will a bird fall into a trap on the ground, and there is no bait for it? Will a trap spring up from the ground, and nothing at all be caught? ⁶ If a ram's horn is blowing in a city, will the people not also tremble? If there is a calamity in a city, has Jehovah not even done it ? ⁷ For the Lord Jehovah will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. ⁸ A lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah has spoken, who will not prophesy?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a lion: Amos 3:8, Amos 1:2, Psalms 104:21, Hosea 11:10

cry: Heb. give forth his voice

Reciprocal: Psalms 10:9 - secretly Jeremiah 2:15 - young lions Hosea 5:14 - as a lion Hosea 13:7 - General 1 Peter 5:8 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
And Jehovah God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

Deuteronomy 29:19
and it happens when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty.

2 Kings 1:4
And so Jehovah says this, You shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but dying you shall die. And Elijah departed.

2 Kings 1:6
And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king who sent you. And you shall say to him, So says Jehovah, Is it because there is not a God in Israel that you are sending to ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, for dying you shall die.

2 Kings 1:16
And he said to him, So says Jehovah, Because you have sent messengers to ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it because there is not a God in Israel to inquire of His Word? Therefore, you shall not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, for dying you shall die.

2 Kings 8:10
And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, Living you shall live. But Jehovah has shown me that dying he shall die.

Psalms 10:11
He has said in his heart, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will not see forever.

2 Corinthians 2:11
so that we should not be overreached by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your thoughts should be corrupted from the purity which is due to Christ.

1 Timothy 2:14
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived has come to be in transgression;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?.... He will not, unless he has it in his sight, or in his paws; he roars when he first sees it, whereby he terrifies the creature, that it cannot move till he comes up to it; and when he has got it in his paws, he roars over it, to invite others to partake with him. Now prophecy from the Lord is compared to the roaring of a lion, Amos 1:2; and this is never in a way of judgment without a cause; the sin of men, or of a nation, which makes them a prey to the wrath and fury of God;

will a young lion cry, or "give forth his voice";

out of his den, if he have taken nothing? that is, if the old lion has taken nothing, and brought nothing unto him; which signifies the same as before; unless by the young lion is meant the prophets of the Lord, who never prophesy but when they have a commission from him, and a people are pointed out to them as the just prey of his wrath and vengeance. All the images here used are very natural; the lion is for the most part in woods and forests, hence called the "lion out of the forest", Jeremiah 5:6; as he is by Theocritus d; where his voice is heard, but not unless he is in sight of his prey, or has got it, even though ever so hungry; but when he has it in view, he roars so terribly, that, as Basil e observes, many animals that could escape him through their swiftness, yet are so frightened at his roaring, that they have no power to move; and they have their dens either in caves or in thickets, where are the she lioness and the young lions, to whom the prey is brought; see Nahum 2:11.

d εκ δρυμοιο λεων, Theocrit. Idyll. 1. e In Hexaemeron, Homil. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? - Then, further, each question by itself suggests its own thought. Amos had already, in repeating Joel’s words, spoken of God’s Voice, under the image of a lion roaring (Amos 1:2; Hosea 11:10 (add Hosea 5:14; Hosea 6:1; Hosea 13:7); Jeremiah 25:30). Hosea had likened Israel to “a silly dove without heat Hosea 7:11; on the other hand, he had likened God’s loud call to repentance to the roaring of the lion, the conversion of Israel to the return of the dove to its home Hosea 11:10-11. As the roaring of the lion causeth terror, for he sendeth forth his terrible roar when he is about to spring on his prey , so God threatens by His prophets, only when He is about to punish. Yet the lion’s roar is a warning to escape. God’s threatening is a warning to betake them to repentance, and so to escape from all fear, by fleeing from their sins. If the season is neglected, wilt thou rescue the prey from the lion’s grasp, or thyself from the wrath of God?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 3:4. Will a lion roar — Should I threaten such a judgment without cause?