Amos 8:13 — Word Study
WLCבַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת הַיָּפ֛וֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים בַּצָּמָֽא׃
BSAIn thathûwʼ dayyôwm [before all time, from the very first] the lovelyyâpheh [beautiful, fair] young womenbᵉthûwlâh [virgins, brides] the young men as wellbâchûwr [youth, chosen ones] will faintʻâlaph▸ [perish, be feeble] from thirsttsâmâʼ [need of water, spiritual dryness]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בַּיּ֨וֹם | in the day | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| הַה֜וּא | that | Particle, pronoun |
| תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה | they will become faint | Verb, Hithpael, imperfect third person feminine plural |
| הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת | the virgins | Particle, noun common feminine plural absolute |
| הַיָּפ֛וֹת | beautiful | Particle |
| וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים | and the young men | Conjunction, particle, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| בַּצָּמָֽא׃ | by thirst | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | In that day the lovely young women— the young men as well— will faint from thirst. |
| KJV | In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. |
| ASV | In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst. |
| YLT | In that day faint do the fair virgins, And the young men, with thirst. |
| WEB | In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst. |
| BBE | In that day the fair virgins and the young men will be feeble from need of water. |
Where they part company is תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a verb phrase, emphasizing the condition of both subjects.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָלַף
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Amos 8:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Coming Faminegenerated
Amos 8:13 speaks of a day when the people will suffer from a lack of spiritual nourishment. This follows a declaration of a famine not of food or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord, as stated in Amos 8:11. The imagery of young men and women fainting highlights the severity of their spiritual drought and their desperate need for God's word.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 32:25 | Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man. |
| 2 | Psalm 63:1 | O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water. |
| 3 | Psalm 144:12–15 | Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars carved to adorn a palace. |
| 4 | Isaiah 40:30 | Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. |
| 5 | Isaiah 41:17–20 | The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה, Tit.'a.laf.nahgenerated
The verb עָלַף (alaph) is in the Hithpael form, indicating a reflexive action, suggesting that they will cause themselves to faint or become weak. This form often conveys a sense of becoming affected by an external condition, in this case, the lack of water.
The use of the third-person feminine plural indicates that the subject is the lovely young women, but it also includes the young men, emphasizing the collective impact of the spiritual drought on both genders.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses faint for תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה, they will become faint, governs the sentence. The structure highlights the subjects: the lovely young women and the young men, both affected by the same condition of thirst.
The order of the subjects emphasizes the lovely young women first, indicating their prominence in the imagery of this verse, followed by the young men, creating a parallel that underscores the universality of the experience.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה with ἐκλείψουσιν, which means 'they will cease to exist' or 'they will fail.' This choice suggests a more severe consequence of the spiritual drought than simply fainting, indicating total loss or despair.
This translation reflects a broader interpretation of the Hebrew text, emphasizing the dire consequences of a lack of spiritual sustenance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Amos 8:13 tells us that in a future time, both lovely young women and young men will faint due to thirst. This reflects a deeper spiritual need, as they are not just thirsty for water but for the word of the Lord, which they will lack.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies a deep longing for spiritual nourishment and the dire consequences of being cut off from God's word.
Their mention emphasizes that the spiritual need affects all people, regardless of gender.
It highlights that God's word is essential for spiritual life, and without it, people will suffer.
It illustrates that a lack of God's word leads to spiritual dryness and desperation, akin to physical hunger and thirst.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I experience spiritual thirst in my own life?
- How can I seek out God's word to satisfy my spiritual needs?
- What does this verse teach about the importance of sharing God's word with others?
- How can I help others who may be experiencing spiritual drought?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Amos 8:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIn that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
Read John Gill on Amos 8 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIn that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst - namely, thirst for hearing the words of the Lord, being destitute of all other comfort.
Read Robert Jamieson on Amos 8 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleIt is probable these in their strength and rigour would seek earnestly to know what end they might expect, whether they should outlive this famine of the word, and the famine of bread and water, but both should faint with thirst and hunger; neither finding the word of the Lord for their comfort, they should faint with despair, nor finding bread and water, should faint and die with weakness: so Israel should be extinguished.
Read Matthew Poole on Amos 8 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsAmos 8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.Ver. 13. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst] When God depriveth a People of his ordinances, and so withdraweth his gracious presence from them, what wonder though temporal judgments come rushing in as by a sluice? "Persecute and take him" (said David’ s enemies), "for God hath forsaken him, and there is none to deliver him," Psalms 71:11. "The Philistines are upon me," saith Saul, "for God hath forsaken me." "Behold, I am cast out from thy presence," said Cain (that is, from my father’ s house where thine ordinances are administered), "and therefore every one that findeth me shall slay…
Read John Trapp on Amos 8 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(13) Faint.—That fair virgins and strong brave youths should faint by reason of their raging thirst suggests that the less vigorous would suffer even more keenly. It is sad when old men stumble into the darkness of unbelief amid the shining of the noon-day sun, seeing that they can remember the brightness of their morning, but there is always hope that their child-like spirit may return to them, and that at the evening time it may be light; but if fair virgins and strong youths are covered with the inward veil, what will become of them in their westering days? and where will the elders be if they have had no youth?
Read Charles John Ellicott on Amos 8 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges13. In the day of agony and distress then coming upon Israel, the young men and fair maidens, the strength and pride of the population, will faint for thirsty, exhausted by the privations of a siege, or the sufferings involved in the sack of a city by the foe (cf. especially Lamentations 2:11-12; Lamentations 2:19; Isaiah 51:20).
Read Cambridge on Amos 8 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleIn this hopelessness as to all relief, those too shall fail and sink under their sufferings, in whom life is freshest and strongest and hope most buoyant. Hope mitigates any sufferings.
Read Albert Barnes on Amos 8 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible11-14. Some effects of the judgment. In the agony and despair of the judgment people will hunger and thirst for the word of Jehovah, but they will not find it.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Amos 8 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
In that day the lovely young women— the young men as well— will faint from thirst.
In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst.
In that day the lovely young women—the young men as well—will faint from thirst.
In that day your beautiful young women and your young men will faint from thirst.
Tyndale line
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst.
In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst.
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
In that day shall the faire virgines and the yong men perish for thirst.
Strictly literal
In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst;
In that day faint do the fair virgins, And the young men, with thirst.
In that day the beautiful virgins, || And the young men, faint with thirst.
On that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst;
In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint from thirst.
From the Latin
In that day the fair virgins, and the young men shall faint for thirst.
Simplified
On that day, even the beautiful girls and healthy young men will collapse from thirst.
In that day the fair virgins and the young men will be feeble from need of water.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree closely in wording, with all seven words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some restoration, but the core message remains consistent across these witnesses, highlighting the theme of spiritual thirst.
בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא תִּ֠תְעַלַּפְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת הַיָּפ֛וֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים בַּצָּמָֽא׃
7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ביום [ההוא] תתעלפנה [הבתולת] [היפות] [והבחורים] [בצמא]
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 5 supplied entire by an editor.
ביום ההוא תתעלפנה הבתולת היפות והבחורים בצמא
7 words on the leather.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Amos 8:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.
יוֹם 2285 n.m. day
day, opp. night
Day as division of time
יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
Pl. days of anyone
Days
יוֹם = time
Phrases
base
H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night
. Day as division of time
. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
. Pl. days of anyone
. Days
. יוֹם = time
. Phrases
3117 yowm yome
from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm
hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one
sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by
an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +
chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)
day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +
(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as
(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,
presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,
then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,
weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole
(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.
יוֹם (yom) — day.
: day/when/time/period
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: old.
: old/(full/many)[days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: year.
: year[of_days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
da (yom; hemera): This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are understood the difficulty of interpretation vanishes. We note several different uses of the word:
(1) It sometimes means the time from daylight till dark. This popular meaning is easily discovered by the context, e. g. Ge 1:5; 8:22, etc. The marked periods of this daytime were morning, noon and night, as with us. See Ps 55:17. The early hours were sometimes called "the cool of the day" (Ge 3:8). After the exile the day. or daytime was divided into twelve hours and the night into twelve (see
Day
The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). “The heat of the day” (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o’clock, and “the cool of the day” just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex.…
The variable length of the natural day at different seasons led in the very earliest times to the adoption of the civil day (or one revolution of the sun) as a standard of time. The Hebrews reckoned the day from evening to evening, (Leviticus 23:32) deriving it from (Genesis 1:5) "the evening and the morning were the first day." The Jews are supposed, like the modern Arabs, to have adopted from an early period minute specifications of the parts of the natural day. Roughly, indeed, they were content to divide it into "morning, evening and noonday," (Psalms 55:17) but when they wished for greater accuracy they pointed to six unequal parts, each of which was again subdivided. These are held to have been -- "the dawn." "Sunrise."…
The day is distinguished into natural, civil, and artificial. The natural day is one revolution of the earth on its axis. The civil day is that, the beginning and the end of which are determined by the custom of any nation. The Hebrews began their day in the evening, Le 23:32; the Babylonians at sunrise; and we begin at midnight. The artificial day is the time of the sun’s continuance above the horizon, which is unequal according to different seasons, on account of the obliquity of the equator. The sacred writers generally divide the day into twelve hours. The sixth hour always ends at noon throughout the year; and the twelfth hour is the last hour before sunset. But in summer, all the hours of the day were longer than in winter, while those of night were shorter. See HOURS, and THREE.
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
Art | Pron — Particle · pronounHTd/Pp3ms
עָלַף (alaph) is a Hebrew verb meaning to cover or enwrap. It can also imply a state of faintness or languidness. The entries indicate that it can be used in different forms, such as being covered or disguising oneself. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.
[עָלַף] vb. cover
Pu. covered, encrusted
Hithp. enwrap oneself; = swoon away
base
H5968 עָלַף cover
5968 `alaph aw-laf'
a primitive root; to veil or cover; figuratively, to be
languid:--faint, overlaid, wrap self.
עָלַף (a.laph) — to enwrap.
1) to cover
1a) (Pual) covered, encrusted (participle)
1b) (Hithpael) to enwrap oneself, disguise oneself, faint
V-Hithpael-Imperf-3fp — Verb · Hithpael · imperfect third person feminine pluralHVti3fp
fant (`ayeph, `uph, ya`aph, `alaph, aTaph, dawway, yaghea`, macac, rakhakh, paghar, kahah; ekluo, ekkakeo, kamno): The Hebrew vocabulary for the depressing physical conditions and mental emotions which are rendered in the King James Version by the English words "faint," "fainthess," and other compounds of that stem, is, as will be seen above, wide and varied in derivation. The 11 Hebrew and 3 Greek words and their derivatives are used in 62 passages in the King James Version to express these conditions.
`Ayeph is used to express the exhaustion from fatigue and hunger in the case of Esau (Ge 25:29,30). This and its variants come from a root which primarily means "to cover or conceal," therefore "to be dark or obscure," and so, figuratively, "to be faint or depressed." Israel's helpless state when harassed by Amalek (
בְּתוּלָה (bthuwlah) means 'virgin' and is derived from a passive participle of an unused root that suggests separation. It can also refer to a bride and, in a figurative sense, to a city or state. The term appears in contexts related to purity and marital status.
בְּתוּלָה 60 n.f. virgin
base
H1330 בְּתוּלָה virgin
1330 bthuwlah beth-oo-law'
feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to
separate; a virgin (from her privacy); sometimes (by
continuation) a bride; also (figuratively) a city or
state:--maid, virgin.
בְּתוּלָה (be.tu.lah) — virgin.
virgin
Art | N-fp — Particle · noun common feminine plural absoluteHTd/Ncfpa
The Hebrew word יָפֶה (yapheh) means 'fair' or 'beautiful,' and can describe something that is aesthetically pleasing or attractive. It is derived from the root word יָפָה (yafah). The entries consistently emphasize its use in both literal and figurative contexts.
יָפֶה adj. fair, beautiful
base
H3303 יָפֶה fair, beautiful
3303 yapheh yaw-feh'
from 3302; beautiful (literally or figuratively):--+
beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), + goodly,
pleasant, well.
see HEBREW for 03302
יָפֶה (ya.pheh) — beautiful.
fair, beautiful, handsome
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Aafpa
בָּחוּר (bachuwr) refers to a young man or youth, often implying someone who has been selected or chosen. The term appears in contexts that highlight youthfulness, and it is derived from a root meaning 'to select.' It is notably referenced in Isaiah 62:5.
בָּחוּר n.m. young man Is 62:5 7 t.
base
H970 בָּחוּר young man
970 bachuwr baw-khoor'
or bachur {baw-khoor'}; participle passive of 977; properly,
selected, i.e. a youth (often collective):--(choice) young
(man), chosen, X hole.
see HEBREW for 0977
בָּחוּר (ba.chur) — youth.
youth, young man
Conj | Art | N-mp — Conjunction · particle · noun common masculine plural absoluteHC/Td/Ncmpa
The Hebrew word צָמָא (tsama') means 'thirst' and can refer to both literal and figurative thirst. It is derived from the root word צָמָא (H6770). All entries consistently define it as thirst, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
צָמָא n.[m.] thirst
base
H6772 צָמָא thirst
6772 tsama' tsaw-maw'
from 6770; thirst (literally or figuratively):--thirst(-y).
see HEBREW for 06770
צָמָא (tsa.ma) — thirst.
thirst
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
thurst (tsama', verb tsame'; dipsao, dipsos, dipsa): One of the most powerful natural appetities, the craving for water or other drink. Besides its natural significance, thirst is figuratively used of strong spiritual desire. The soul thirsts for God (Ps 42:2; 63:1). Jesus meets the soul's thirst with water of life (Joh 4:13 ff; 6:35; 7:37). It is said of the heavenly bliss, "They shall hunger no more; neither thirst any more" (Re 7:16,17; compare Isa 49:10).