Amos 5:20

5:20 Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring ¹  darkness, not light –

gloomy blackness, not bright light?

Amos 5:18

The Lord Demands Justice

5:18 Woe ²  to those who wish for the day of the Lord!

Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come?

It will bring darkness, not light.

[5:20]  ¹ tn Heb “Will not the day of the Lord be.”

[5:18]  ² tn The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”) was used when mourning the dead (see the note on the word “dead” in 5:16). The prophet here either engages in role playing and mourns the death of the nation in advance or sarcastically taunts those who hold to this misplaced belief.