He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out over the face of the land—the LORD is his name. – Amos 5:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 31, 2026): Amos 5

We have watched the heavens from almost the very beginning of time. We noticed that when the sun, the greater light, was in the sky, our world was illuminated. When the moon shone, the lesser light, it was darker. If both great lights were absent from the sky, it would be even darker, though the stars would still give us some light. While there was one greater light and one lesser light, there were many stars. And so we looked and began to see patterns in the sky: the constellations. The stars began to tell us stories.

Ever since my early morning paper deliveries, Orion the Hunter has been one of my favorites. As I began my route, I loved looking up at the sky and seeing Orion above my head, imagining that the sword hanging from his belt could be drawn in times of danger.

Pleiades was another ancient group of stars, though it went by different names at different times around the world. In Japan, the star cluster is historically known as “Mutsuraboshi,” which means “six stars.” Today, it is known as “subaru” which means “to cluster together.” A quick look at the Japanese automotive company’s logo reveals the origin of the name with its familiar six stars clustering together.

Outside of Japan, most onlookers have noticed seven stars in the cluster instead of six. Therefore, the cluster has been known as the Seven Mothers, the Seven Sisters, or simply the seven.

Biblical interpreters have helped us understand what the author is talking about. I am unsure of what Amos would have called these stars, but he uses the word “keseel,” which means any constellation, but especially the burly one we call “Orion,” and “Keemaw,” which simply means “the seven stars.” By pointing to the Pleiades, the translators have helped us distinguish it from the other seven-star clusters that shine above.

Amos’s point is that it is God who has placed these lights in the sky, and so he is the God on whom we can still depend.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 6