The phrase is from Amos 3:6:
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”
— Amos 3:6
The key is understanding how the KJV uses the word “evil” in this verse.
1. “Evil” here means calamity, judgment, disaster, or trouble
In Amos 3:6, the word evil does not mean moral wickedness, as though God commits sin or causes men to sin. It means calamity brought in judgment.
The context is national judgment upon Israel. God is warning that when disaster comes upon a city, it is not random chance. The LORD is behind it as righteous Judge.
So the sense is:
Can calamity fall upon a city unless the LORD has ordained or permitted it as judgment?
This same usage appears elsewhere in the KJV:
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
— Isaiah 45:7
There also, “evil” is contrasted with “peace,” not with righteousness. So it means calamity, adversity, or judgment, not sin.
2. God is not the author of sin
The Bible is plain that God is holy and does not tempt men to sin:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”
— James 1:13
And:
“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
— 1 John 1:5
So Amos 3:6 cannot mean God commits moral evil. Scripture cannot contradict Scripture. The LORD is never guilty of sin.
3. God does send judgment because of sin
Amos is saying that when judgment falls, Israel should recognize God’s hand in it. The trumpet sounds because danger is near. The people tremble because the warning is real. Likewise, when calamity comes upon a city under divine judgment, the LORD has done it.
This fits the whole argument of Amos 3:
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
— Amos 3:2
Israel had special privilege, so Israel had special accountability. Their coming trouble was not accidental. It was divine chastening and judgment.
4. God may use wicked nations without approving their wickedness
God often uses human instruments to judge sin, even when those instruments themselves are sinful. For example, Assyria was used to judge Israel, but Assyria was still accountable for its pride and cruelty.
That means God can sovereignly direct judgment without being morally responsible for the sinful motives of men.
Joseph understood this principle:
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…”
— Genesis 50:20
Joseph’s brethren sinned. God did not sin. Yet God overruled their evil actions to accomplish His righteous purpose.
The greatest example is the cross. Wicked men crucified Christ, yet God’s determinate counsel was being fulfilled:
“Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified…”
— Acts 2:23
The hands were wicked. The counsel of God was holy.
5. Amos 3:6 teaches God’s sovereignty, not fatalism
The verse does not teach that every sin in a city is directly caused by God. It teaches that calamity, judgment, and national disaster do not occur outside God’s sovereign rule.
So we must distinguish:
Moral evil: sin, wickedness, rebellion. God does not commit it or tempt men to it.
Judicial evil: calamity, disaster, punishment, adversity. God may send this as righteous judgment.
Simple summary
When Amos says:
“shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”
he means:
Can judgment or calamity come upon a city unless the sovereign LORD has ordered it, allowed it, or brought it as righteous judgment?
He does not mean that God sins, causes sin, or is morally evil. God is holy. Man is responsible for his sin. But God is sovereign over judgment, nations, history, and consequences.
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