The prophet Amos repeatedly uses the phrase “for three sins… even for four” as a literary device to introduce God’s judgments against the nations surrounding Israel, including Judah and Israel itself, in Amos chapters 1-2. This distinctive phrase appears eight times and serves to emphasize the certainty and completeness of God’s punishment for the various nations’ sins.
Here is a breakdown of where this phrase appears and what it refers to in each instance:
1. Against Damascus (Amos 1:3)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.”
Damascus was the capital of Aram or Syria. God declares judgment on them for cruelly oppressing the people of Gilead in the Transjordan region.
2. Against Gaza (Amos 1:6)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.”
The Philistine city of Gaza is condemned for deporting an entire community and selling them as slaves to the Edomites.
3. Against Tyre (Amos 1:9)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.”
The Phoenician city of Tyre violated a treaty with Israel and also sold captives into slavery.
4. Against Edom (Amos 1:11)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.”
Edom is condemned for violence and lack of compassion toward Israel, descended from Esau and considered a “brother.”
5. Against Ammon (Amos 1:13)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.”
The Ammonites brutally expanded their territory into Gilead, including killing pregnant Israelite women.
6. Against Moab (Amos 2:1)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.”
Moab is condemned for an act of extreme contempt in desecrating the tomb of the king of Edom.
7. Against Judah (Amos 2:4-5)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
God’s own people of Judah and Jerusalem are condemned for rejecting God’s law and falling into deception and idolatry.
8. Against Israel (Amos 2:6-8)
“Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals— those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted…”
The northern kingdom of Israel is denounced for injustice and oppression of the helpless.
In each pronouncement, the pattern is the same – for three sins, even for four – followed by a declaration of the specific offenses warranting judgment. The three and four are numerical figures that together represent completeness. By using this rhetorical structure, Amos underscores that the nations’ cup of sin is not just full, but overflowing. God has been patient, but now their punishment is coming and will not be revoked.
Amos powerfully calls out injustice and violation of moral law. The repetition of this declaration – for three sins, even for four – creates a sense of building tension as God’s judgment draws closer against one nation after another. It highlights that accountability before God is universal – his own people Judah and Israel are not exempt. Nowhere to hide from the consequences of unrighteousness.
Through Amos’ carefully constructed prophecies, we see God’s perfect justice and righteousness. He is remarkably patient, but sin cannot go unpunished forever. Amos underscores the certainty of coming judgment. Using a recognizable rhetorical pattern drives home the unity of the theme – the inescapable truth that a just God must respond to the wickedness of the nations. It also serves as a literary device to capture attention and emphasize the main point through repetition.
For three sins, even for four… the countdown has begun. Judgment is coming. This prophetic pronouncement echoes through history as a warning to all people and nations to walk justly before God.
The phrase “for three sins… even for four” occurs eight times in Amos chapters 1-2 as a powerful rhetorical device to condemn the nations for their injustices and declare God’s unavoidable punishment for their transgressions. This prophetic language reinforces the certainty, completeness, and impartiality of God’s judgment on all unrighteousness. Its repetition provides rhetorical emphasis that their cup of sin has overflowed, God has run out of patience, and now they will surely be punished. Through this memorable phrase, Amos calls all people and societies in every age to uphold justice and righteousness before a holy God.
The Bible teaches us through Amos that God is perfectly just and He will punish sin. However, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ bore the punishment for sin on our behalf, so that through faith in Him, we can receive God’s mercy and be reconciled into a right relationship with Him. Amos points ahead to our need for redemption, which Jesus accomplished fully and completed on the cross.