Amos 2:7

Amos 2:7 Meaning and Explanation

That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:

King James Version (KJV)

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Israel's greed tramples the poor into the dust, perverts justice for the humble, and adds sexual corruption that profanes God's holy name.

What Does Amos 2:7 Mean?

The picture grows darker. The greedy "pant after" the very dust that the poor throw on their heads in mourning, so eager are they to seize everything; they push the humble off the path of justice. And to this is added sexual sin, a father and son defiling the same girl, a corruption that drags God's holy name through the mud.

Oppression of the poor and moral filth are named in one breath, for both spring from a heart that has lost reverence for God and neighbor. When people will exploit anyone for pleasure or gain, the holy name they claim to honor is profaned. The verse confronts the reader with how injustice and impurity feed each other, and how both insult the God whose name we bear.

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What does Amos 2:7 mean?

Israel's greed tramples the poor into the dust, perverts justice for the humble, and adds sexual corruption that profanes God's holy name.

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