ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Amos 5.14-15

Book: Amos · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

There are ads on our codex that pay for hosting and keep the codex free. If you can, please consider whitelisting ris3n.com or allowing scripts to support the work.

Sponsored

Brands, events, influencers advertise here

ASV

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. 13. 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. 15. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

  1. Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all the broad ways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! Alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing. 17. And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. (Amos 5:12-17, ASV)
WEB

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. 13. 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. 15. Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

  1. Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways; and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing. 17. In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh. (Amos 5:12-17, WEB)
KJV

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 13. 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. 15. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

  1. Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. 17. And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD. (Amos 5:12-17, KJV)
YLT

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. 13. 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. 15. Hate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.

  1. Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places [is] lamentation, And in all out-places they say, 'Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing. 17. And in all vineyards [is] lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah. (Amos 5:12-17, YLT)

See this page's graph and discover linked topics

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 center of the book's central chapter, and the only place in Amos where a path forward is stated positively.

"Seek good and not evil, that you may live." The verb darash has already been used twice in the chapter with sanctuaries as its object, seek Bethel, seek Gilgal (Amos 5:4-5), and both times Amos forbids it. Here the object changes from a place to a moral reality, and the same verb is permitted. The structure is deliberate: Israel's problem was never insufficient seeking but a misdirected object.

"So the LORD will be with you, just as you have said." The clause quotes the audience back to itself. Israel's confidence in God's presence is not denied outright but made conditional on the thing it was being used to avoid.

"Perhaps the LORD God of hosts may be gracious." The ulai, perhaps, is the most striking word in the passage and should not be softened. Amos does not promise a reprieve in exchange for reform; he holds out a possibility. The same restrained hope appears in Joel 2:14 and Jonah 3:9, and in the latter case the perhaps is answered (Jonah 3:10). The word protects the freedom of the one being asked, which is why the prophets use it precisely where a formula would be more comforting.

"To the remnant of Joseph." Even the hope is addressed to a survivor group rather than to the nation as it stands. The remnant theme carries into Amos 9:11-12.

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

Lexicon:

Passages:

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.