Amos 6:3

The leaders of Samaria dismissed the possibility that calamity would overtake their city. But they were really hastening the day of terror (or seat of violence) by refusing to acknowledge and repent of their sins. Amos raised the possibilities as questions, but the answers were obvious.

The 31 years following King Jeroboam II’s reign saw increasingly worse conditions for Israel (cf. 2 Kings 15:8 to 2 Kings 17:6). Six kings reigned, three of whom seized power by political coup and assassination. Fear and violence marked this period (cf. 2 Kings 15:16).