Amos employs the Hebrew qinah meter (3+2 beats) typically reserved for mourning the dead to prophetically declare Israel's demise while the nation still lives.
Amos 5
Lament for Fallen Israel
1Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:
2“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”
3For the Lord GOD says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
Seek the Lord and Live
4For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;
5but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
6Seek the LORD, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.
Woe to Those Who Pervert Justice
7You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name,
9who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.
10They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
12For I know how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.
13Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
Seek Good and Live
14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.
15Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that the LORD, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
The Day of the Lord as Darkness
16Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
17In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says the LORD.
18“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.
19As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.
20Won’t the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Rejection of Ritual Without Justice
21I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.
22Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
25“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?
26You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Armies.
Font Size 17pt
Line Spacing
Theme
Amos delivers a funeral lament over Israel, declaring the nation spiritually dead due to its systemic injustice and corrupt worship. Despite this dire pronouncement, the prophet offers hope through repeated calls to 'seek the Lord and live,' emphasizing that genuine repentance must involve pursuing justice and righteousness, not merely religious ritual. The chapter warns that the anticipated 'Day of the Lord' will bring darkness and judgment rather than blessing, as God rejects Israel's worship while they oppress the poor and pervert justice.
Context
This chapter intensifies the judgment themes from chapters 3-4 while introducing the book's central call to justice that will continue through chapter 6.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-3 Lament for Fallen Israel Amos pronounces a funeral dirge over Israel, declaring the nation spiritually dead with devastating population losses.
- 4-6 Seek the Lord and Live God calls Israel to seek Him rather than false worship sites, offering life to those who turn from idolatry.
- 7-9 The Creator's Power Against Injustice Amos contrasts God's cosmic power as Creator with Israel's perversion of justice into bitterness.
- 10-13 Condemnation of Social Oppression The prophet details Israel's sins against the poor and corruption of the legal system.
- 14-15 Call to Pursue Good and Justice A final appeal to seek good, hate evil, and establish justice, with hope for God's grace on the remnant.
- 16-20 The Day of the Lord as Darkness God promises universal mourning and warns that the expected Day of the Lord will bring judgment, not deliverance.
- 21-27 Rejection of Empty Worship God declares His hatred for Israel's festivals and sacrifices while they neglect justice, promising exile as punishment.
Lament for Fallen Israel
5:1–5:3 prophecy lament mournful
Amos delivers a funeral lament over Israel, declaring that the nation has fallen and will not rise again, with devastating military losses prophesied.
structural
Amos employs the Hebrew qinah meter (3+2 beats) typically reserved for mourning the dead to prophetically declare Israel's demise while the nation still lives.
Seek the Lord and Live
5:4–5:6 prophecy exhortation urgent
God calls Israel to seek Him and live rather than seeking false worship at traditional religious sites, warning of judgment like consuming fire if they refuse.
person_contrast
Joseph appears in Amos 5:6 as a synonym for the northern kingdom, uniquely linking the patriarch's name to divine judgment rather than covenant blessing.
Woe to Those Who Pervert Justice
5:7–5:13 prophecy rebuke wrathful
Amos condemns those who pervert justice and oppress the poor, warning of God's judgment while affirming God's sovereignty over creation. The prophet declares that corruption is so widespread that the wise remain silent in such evil times.
structural
Amos uniquely juxtaposes cosmic imagery of Pleiades and Orion with earthly corruption, making God's creative power the foundation for condemning social injustice.
Seek Good and Live
5:14–5:15 prophecy exhortation hopeful
God calls the people to seek good instead of evil and establish justice in the courts. There is hope that the Lord may show grace to the remnant of Joseph if they turn from their ways.
theme_rarity
Amos uniquely pairs the imperative "seek good" with conditional mercy ("it may be"), creating rare theological tension between human agency and divine sovereignty found in only five biblical passages.
The Day of the Lord as Darkness
5:16–5:20 prophecy rebuke mournful
Amos warns that the Day of the Lord will bring darkness and mourning, not the light and victory the people expect. He uses vivid imagery to show that there will be no escape from God's judgment.
theme_rarity
Amos uniquely reverses Israel's expectation by describing the Day of the Lord as "darkness, not light" — transforming their anticipated triumph into cosmic terror.
Rejection of Ritual Without Justice
5:21–5:27 prophecy rebuke wrathful
God rejects Israel's religious festivals and sacrifices because they lack justice and righteousness. The people will be sent into exile beyond Damascus for their empty worship and idolatry.
theme_rarity
Amos uniquely links worship and exile themes, warning that ritualistic festivals without justice will result in deportation "beyond Damascus"—a geographic specificity rare in prophetic judgment oracles.
Insights
Joseph appears in Amos 5:6 as a synonym for the northern kingdom, uniquely linking the patriarch's name to divine judgment rather than covenant blessing.
Amos uniquely juxtaposes cosmic imagery of Pleiades and Orion with earthly corruption, making God's creative power the foundation for condemning social injustice.
Amos uniquely pairs the imperative "seek good" with conditional mercy ("it may be"), creating rare theological tension between human agency and divine sovereignty found in only five biblical passages.
Amos uniquely reverses Israel's expectation by describing the Day of the Lord as "darkness, not light" — transforming their anticipated triumph into cosmic terror.
Amos uniquely links worship and exile themes, warning that ritualistic festivals without justice will result in deportation "beyond Damascus"—a geographic specificity rare in prophetic judgment oracles.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Amos 5:3 2 references
Amos 5:6 2 references
Amos 5:7 1 reference
Amos 5:8 4 references
Lexicals 4
Job 38:31 Lexical
“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?
Job 9:9 Lexical
He makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the rooms of the south.
Isaiah 13:10 Lexical
For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, an…
Jeremiah 13:16 Lexical
Give glory to the LORD your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and whil…
Amos 5:11 5 references
Lexicals 5
Zephaniah 1:13 Lexical
Their wealth will become a plunder, and their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses, but won’t inhabit them.…
Amos 9:14 Lexical
I will bring my people Israel back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; and they w…
Deuteronomy 28:39 Lexical
You will plant vineyards and dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor harvest, because worms will eat the…
Joshua 24:13 Lexical
I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you didn’t build, and you live in them. You eat of vine…
Deuteronomy 28:30 Lexical
You will betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. You will build a house, and you won’t dwell in it. You will…
Amos 5:12 1 reference
Amos 5:15 1 reference
Amos 5:18 1 reference
Amos 5:22 5 references
Lexicals 5
Ezekiel 43:27 Lexical
When they have accomplished the days, it shall be that on the eighth day and onward, the priests shall make your burnt o…
Jeremiah 14:12 Lexical
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and meal offering, I will not accept them;…
Numbers 29:39 Lexical
“‘You shall offer these to the LORD in your set feasts—in addition to your vows and your free will offerings—for your bu…
2 Kings 16:13 Lexical
He burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offe…
1 Kings 8:64 Lexical
The same day the king made the middle of the court holy that was before the LORD’s house; for there he offered the burnt…
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
v. 1
v. 2
v. 3
v. 4
v. 5
v. 6
v. 7
v. 8
v. 9
v. 10
v. 11
v. 12
v. 13
v. 14
v. 15
v. 16
v. 17
v. 18
v. 19
v. 20
v. 21
v. 22
v. 23
v. 24
v. 25
v. 26
v. 27
Lemma
Morphology
Semantic Range
Theological Significance
Translation Notes
Key Passages
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter
Loading map...