ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Amos 5.11-12

Book: Amos · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

9. that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress. 10. They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11. Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof. 12. For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins, ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.

  1. Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time. 14. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say. (Amos 5:9-14, ASV)
WEB

9. who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress. 10. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11. Therefore, 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. 12. For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins, you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the courts.

  1. Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. 14. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say. (Amos 5:9-14, WEB)
KJV

9. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. spoiled: Heb. spoil 10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11. Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. pleasant: Heb. vineyards of desire 12. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. a bribe: or, a ransom

  1. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. 14. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. (Amos 5:9-14, KJV)
YLT

9. Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh. 10. They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

11. Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine. 12. For I have known, many [are] your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

  1. Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it [is]. 14. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] with you, as ye said. (Amos 5:9-14, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Amos of Tekoa, a herdsman (noqed, sheep breeder) and tender of sycamore figs from Judah, speaking the word of the LORD.
  • Audience: The northern kingdom of Israel, addressed at the height of its prosperity under Jeroboam II.
  • Location: Delivered in the northern kingdom, principally at Bethel, the royal sanctuary and state temple (Amos 7:13).
  • Time period: c. 760-750 BC, in the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel, "two years before the earthquake" (Amos 1:1). Amos is generally reckoned the earliest of the writing prophets.

Theological reading

The economic indictment and its sentence, stated together.

The mechanism. "You impose heavy rent on the poor and exact a tribute of grain from them." The prosperity of Jeroboam II's reign (2 Kings 14:23-29) was real and unevenly distributed, and the archaeological record from eighth-century Samaria and Tirzah shows an increasing gap between large and small dwellings. Amos names the transfer: grain moving from those who grew it to those who owned the arrangement.

The sentence is a futility curse. "You have built houses of hewn stone, yet you will not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine." Hewn stone (gazit) is a luxury construction, and the form of the punishment is the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:30 and 28:39, repeated at Micah 6:15 and Zephaniah 1:13. The judgment is not arbitrary; it is the covenant's own stated consequence applied to the covenant's own people.

Verse 12 gives the courtroom. Afflicting the righteous, taking bribes, turning aside the needy in the gate. The pairing of the two verses is the book's argument in miniature: what was taken by a corrupted court will not be kept.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Concepts:

Lexicon:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.