Amos 2:15

Christian Standard Bible ®

The archer will not stand his ground,the one who is swift of footwill not save himself,and the one riding a horse will not save his life.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Neither shall he stand who handles the bow; And he who is swift of foot won't escape; Neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;

King James Version
Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

English Standard Version
he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;

New American Standard Bible
"The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will the one who rides the horse save his life.

New Century Version
Soldiers with bows and arrows will not stand and fight, and even fast runners will not get away; soldiers on horses will not escape alive.

Amplified Bible
"He who handles the bow will not stand his ground, The one who is swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life [from the invading army].

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nor he that handleth the bowe, shal stand, and he that is swift of foote, shall not escape, neyther shall he that rideth the horse, saue his life.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,The swift of foot will not escape,Nor will he who rides the horse make his life escape.

Berean Standard Bible
The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life.

Contemporary English Version
Even if you are an expert with a bow and arrow, you will retreat. And you won't get away alive, not even if you run fast or ride a horse.

Complete Jewish Bible
Archers won't be able to stand, the fastest runners won't save themselves, those on horses won't save themselves.

Darby Translation
Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and the swift of foot shall not escape, and he that rideth the horse shall not deliver his soul;

Easy-to-Read Version
People with bows and arrows will not survive. Fast runners will not escape. People on horses will not escape alive.

George Lamsa Translation
And he that handles the bow shall not stand; and he who is a fast runner shall not deliver himself; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself.

Good News Translation
Archers will not stand their ground, fast runners will not get away, and men on horses will not escape with their lives.

Lexham English Bible
And the one who takes hold of the bow will not stand and the one who is swift on his feet will not save himself, nor will the one who rides the horse save his life.

Literal Translation
and he who handles the bow shall not stand, and the swift footed shall not save, and the horse rider shall not save his life.

American Standard Version
neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself;

Bible in Basic English
And the bowman will not keep his place; he who is quick-footed will not get away safely: and the horseman will not keep his life.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself;

King James Version (1611)
Neither shall hee stand that handleth the bow, and hee that is swift of foote, shall not deliuer himselfe, neither shall hee that rideth the horse, deliuer himselfe.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nor he that handleth the bowe shall stande, nor he that is swift of foote shall escape, neither shall he that rydeth the horse, saue his life.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and the archer shall not withstand, and he that is swift of foot shall in no wise escape; and the horseman shall not save his life.

English Revised Version
neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself:

World English Bible
Neither shall he stand who handles the bow; And he who is swift of foot won't escape; Neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he that holdith a bowe schal not stonde, and a swift man schal not be sauyd by hise feet; and the stiere of an hors schal not saue his lijf,

Update Bible Version
neither shall he stand that handles the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver [himself]; neither shall he that rides the horse deliver himself;

Webster's Bible Translation
Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and [he that is] swift of foot shall not deliver [himself]: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

New English Translation
Archers will not hold their ground; fast runners will not save their lives, nor will those who ride horses.

New King James Version
He shall not stand who handles the bow, The swift of foot shall not escape, Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.

New Living Translation
The archers will not stand their ground. The swiftest runners won't be fast enough to escape. Even those riding horses won't be able to save themselves.

New Life Bible
He who uses the bow will not stand. The fast runner will not get away. The horseman will not save his life.

New Revised Standard
those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Nor, he that handleth the bow, make a stand, and, the swift on his feet, shall not escape, - nor, he that rideth on a horse, escape with his life:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he that holdeth the bow shall not stand, and the swift of foot shall not escape, neither shall the rider of the horse save his life.

Revised Standard Version
he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;

Young's Literal Translation
And the handler of the bow standeth not, And the swift with his feet delivereth not [himself], And the rider of the horse delivereth not his soul.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The archer shall not abyde, and the swifte off fote shall not escape. The horsma shal not saue his life,

Contextual Overview

⁹Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced;his height was like the cedars,and he was as sturdy as the oaks;I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. ¹⁰And I brought you from the land of Egyptand led you forty years in the wildernessin order to possess the land of the Amorite. ¹¹I raised up some of your sons as prophetsand some of your young men as Nazirites.Is this not the case, Israelites? ¹²But you made the Nazirites drink wineand commanded the prophets,“Do not prophesy.” ¹³Look, I am about to crush you in your placeas a wagon crushes when full of grain. ¹⁴Escape will fail the swift,the strong one will not maintain his strength,and the warrior will not save his life. ¹⁵The archer will not stand his ground,the one who is swift of footwill not save himself,and the one riding a horse will not save his life.¹⁶Even the most courageous of the warriorswill flee naked on that day—

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

neither: Psalms 33:16, Psalms 33:17

himself: Heb. his soul, or life

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 20:30 - a wall Jeremiah 11:11 - which Jeremiah 46:6 - not Jeremiah 48:44 - that fleeth Jeremiah 52:8 - General Amos 9:1 - shall not flee

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Genesis 2:8
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed.

Job 31:33
Have I covered my transgressions as others doby hiding my iniquity in my heart

Psalms 128:2
You will surely eatwhat your hands have worked for.You will be happy,and it will go well for you.

Ephesians 4:28
Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow,.... That is, at some distance, and can make use of his instruments of war afar off; yet will not think it safe to stand his ground, but will betake himself to his heels as fast as he can to save himself:

and [he that is] swift of foot shall not deliver [himself]; this is repeated, lest any should place confidence in their agility, and to show how complete and inevitable the affliction will be:

neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself; by fleeing on horseback, no more than he that is on foot; no ways that can be devised or thought on would preserve from this general calamity; see Psalms 33:17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Israel relied, against God, on his own strength. “Have we not,” they said, “taken to us horns by our own strength?” Amos 6:13. Amos tells them then, that every means of strength, resistance, flight, swiftness of foot, of horse, place of refuge, should fail them. Three times he repeats, as a sort of dirge, “he shall not deliver himself.”

Therefore the flight shall perish - (Probably place of flight Job 11:20; Psalms 142:5; Jeremiah 25:35). They had despised God, as their “place of refuge” , so “the place of refuge, should perish from the swift,” as though it were not. He should flee amain, but there would be no “place to flee unto.” God alone “renews strength;” therefore “the strong” man should not “strengthen his force or might,” should not be able to gather or “collect his strength” as we say. Fear should disable him. “The handler of the bow” (as in Jeremiah 46:9), and who by habit is a skilled archer, although himself out of the immediate reach of the enemy, and able, unharmed, to annoy him and protect the fugitives, “shall not stand” (as in Jeremiah 46:21; Nahum 2:8). Panic should overtake him. The “mighty” man, the “fleet of foot” should “not deliver,” yea, “the horseman” should not “deliver himself;” yea, he who, “among the mighty,” was “strongest of his heart,” firm-souled among those of mightiest prowess, “shall flee away naked,” that is, bared of all, armor or dress, which might encumber his flight “in that day” which the Lord made a day of terror His own day.

Saith the Lord - Probably literally, “the secret utterance of the Lord.” Amos, more than Hosea, uses this special authentication of his words , which is so common in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. He claims a knowledge, which those around him had not, and ratifies it by the express appeal to the direct, though secret, revelation of God; what those who were not of God, would deny; what they who were of God, would believe.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 2:15. Neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. — I believe all these sayings, Amos 2:13-16, are proverbs, to show the inutility of all attempts, even in the best circumstances, to escape the doom now decreed, because the cup of their iniquity was full.