Charles Ellicott Commentary Amos 9:9-10

"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us." — Amos 9:9-10 (ASV)

Sift: Literally, shake to and fro. That which is not chaff shall be preserved and dispersed as seed. The race shall live, though the kingdom is destroyed. This peculiar judgment is threatened in Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64. . The prediction is very remarkable, as pointing to the indestructible vitality of the race, and its wide diffusion among all nations.

Prevent us: Better, assail us.