O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Israelites are actively pushing away God's impending judgment while simultaneously creating a "throne" for violence right in their own communities, meaning they are not just ignoring disaster, but actively cultivating injustice. This verse reveals that ignoring God’s warnings isn't passive; it’s a deliberate choice that intensifies the very destruction they’re trying to avoid.
O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Amos is calling out the wealthy and powerful in Israel who are ignoring his warnings of coming judgment. They're living in luxury, convinced that God's punishment is a distant threat, while simultaneously perpetuating injustice and violence through their corrupt courts and oppressive systems. This verse highlights their willful blindness to the approaching "day of the Lord" – a day of reckoning that their actions are actually hastening.
Do you ever feel like you can just push difficult thoughts or consequences away? Amos exposes a dangerous self-deception where people actively distance themselves from judgment.
The people Amos addresses are like those who see a storm brewing but choose to believe it will somehow miss them. They aren't just passively ignoring the 'evil day' – they are actively 'putting it far away.' This isn't just wishful thinking; it's a deliberate act of denial, trying to create mental and emotional distance from inevitable consequences. This denial allows them to continue their destructive ways, convinced that judgment is for 'other people' or 'other times.'
Active Denial
This act of 'putting far away' suggests an aversion, a refusal to confront the reality of God's coming justice. It's a way to dismiss or distort the truth, much like ignoring a serious health warning because you don't want to face a difficult treatment.
What happens when we refuse to face judgment? Amos says we invite something much worse to take its place. Discover how denial paves the way for entrenched wickedness.
While these people push away the 'evil day' of God's judgment, they simultaneously 'bring near the seat of violence.' This isn't just about committing violent acts; it's about establishing a 'throne' or a 'session' for violence. Imagine a courtroom where the judge's bench, meant for justice, is instead occupied by oppression and cruelty.
The Throne of Injustice
This 'seat of violence' represents the perversion of justice and the entrenchment of wickedness in their society. By ignoring God's coming judgment, they create a space where injustice can rule unchecked. Instead of fearing divine retribution, they embrace earthly oppression, making their society a place where violence is not just present, but enthroned.
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Understand the original words
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
A catastrophic event, often referring to divine judgment, war, or the end of a nation’s prosperity. It is the consequence of persistent sin and disobedience to God's law.
chamas · Hebrew Noun
A reference to the exercise of power through injustice, exploitation, or physical force. It is strictly forbidden in the Law, as God is a God of justice and righteousness.
Amos's prophecy lands in a time when Israel feels secure, yet the threat of Assyrian conquest and divine judgment looms large. Their denial of the 'evil day' and their embrace of injustice sets them on a collision course with both God's justice and earthly powers.
c. 760-750 BC— this verse
Amos Prophesies to Israel
Amos, a prophet from Judah, delivers a stern message of judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel during a period of relative peace and prosperity, but also deep social injustice and religious hypocrisy.
c. 745 BC
Assyrian Expansion under Tiglath-Pileser III
The Assyrian Empire begins a period of aggressive expansion, posing a growing military threat to the kingdoms of the Levant, including Israel and Judah. This looming external danger contrasts sharply with Israel's internal complacency.
734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
Israel and Judah are drawn into a conflict with Assyria. The northern kingdom of Israel suffers significant territorial losses and becomes a vassal state of Assyria.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, Samaria, falls to the Assyrians, leading to the exile of the ten northern tribes and the end of the independent kingdom of Israel.
This passage directly echoes Amos's prophecy, showing a similar denial of impending judgment by those who claim it's a distant, irrelevant threat.
Isaiah 56:12This verse describes a similar attitude of complacency and self-indulgence, where people chase after their own pleasures, oblivious to or dismissive of God's warnings and judgment.
Luke 12:45-46This parable highlights the danger of assuming the 'evil day' (judgment) is far off, which leads to moral decay and unpreparedness for the inevitable reckoning.
Matthew 23:27-28Jesus condemns religious leaders for their outward appearance of righteousness while inwardly being full of corruption and injustice, mirroring Amos's accusation of a 'seat of violence' disguised as legitimacy.
2 Peter 3:3-4This passage speaks of scoffers who deny Christ's return because 'all things continue as they were from the beginning,' reflecting the same mindset of pushing away the day of judgment as seen in Amos 6:3.
barnesAmos 6:3: "Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;"
Ye that put far away - Probably "with aversion." They bade that day as it were, be gone. The Hebrew idiom expresses, how they would put it off, if they could; as far as in them lay, they "assigned a distance to it, , although they could not remove the day itself. The "evil day" is that same "day of the Lord," which the scoffers or misbelievers professed to long for Amos 5:18 . The thought that the Lord h…
pulpitAmos 6:3: "Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;"
Verse 3. - Ye that put far away the evil day. They assigned a distant date to the time of punishment and calamity; they would not look it in the face or contemplate it as approaching and ready to come upon them. Septuagint, οἱ ἐρχόμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κάκην, "Ye who are coming unto the evil day." The Alexandrian manuscript has οἱ εὐχόμενοι, "ye who pray for" (Amos 5:18), with which the Syriac seems to agree.…
The Israelites are actively pushing away God's impending judgment while simultaneously creating a "throne" for violence right in their own communities, meaning they are not just ignoring disaster, but actively cultivating injustice. This verse reveals that ignoring God’s warnings isn't passive; it’s a deliberate choice that intensifies the very destruction they’re trying to avoid.
Amos is calling out the wealthy and powerful in Israel who are ignoring his warnings of coming judgment. They're living in luxury, convinced that God's punishment is a distant threat, while simultaneously perpetuating injustice and violence through their corrupt courts and oppressive systems. This verse highlights their willful blindness to the approaching "day of the Lord" – a day of reckoning that their actions are actually hastening.
Amos is calling out the wealthy and powerful in Israel who are ignoring his warnings of coming judgment. They're living in luxury, convinced that God's punishment is a distant threat, while simultaneously perpetuating injustice and violence through their corrupt courts and oppressive systems. This verse highlights their willful blindness to the approaching "day of the Lord" – a day of reckoning that their actions are actually hastening.
"O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?" — The Israelites are actively pushing away God's impending judgment while simultaneously creating a "throne" for violence right in their own communities, meaning they are not just ignoring disaster, bu…
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Last reviewed October 2026