Behold, the days come,
says the Lord GOD,
that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
All Commentaries on Amos 8:11 Go To Amos 8
John Chrysostom
AD 407
We harm both soul and body if we are guilty of lack of moderation to them both by fattening one beyond need or by causing them to waste away from starvation…. The Lord of all once admonished the Jewish people … by way of extreme indignation in the words, “I will deal you not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord,” to teach us that while one famine can torture the body, the other famine affects the soul. This very thing that the Lord threatened to inflict on them by way of punishment we now of our own volition secure for ourselves despite God’s show of care for us and his provision for us, through the advice of mentors, as well as the reading of Scriptures.
