Amos 8:11
“Behold, the days come, saith 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:”
King James Version
More of Amos 8 on this siteAmos 8:9
A famine not of bread but of hearing the words of the LORD — judgment by God's silence, the withdrawal of prophecy itself.
Fulfillment References
Lamentations 2:9 1 Samuel 3:1 🏛 Between Testaments — 400 years of prophetic silence
Archaeological & Historical Evidence
The period between Malachi (c. 450 BC) and John the Baptist (c. AD 28) — approximately 400 years — is described by Jewish tradition as a period of prophetic silence.
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
JewishThe Intertestamental period of 400 years without a prophet fulfills this.
CatholicThe 400 years of silence ended with John the Baptist.
ProtestantThe silent centuries between Malachi and Matthew demonstrate the famine of prophecy.
DispensationalThe Church Age could be seen as another such 'famine' for Israel as the Gentiles receive the Word.
AcademicAmos refers to the removal of prophetic guidance from the Northern Kingdom.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.