Chapter 5
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
2The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
3For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
4For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
5But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.
6Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
7Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
8Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:
9That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
10They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11Forasmuch 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.
12For 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.
13Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.
14Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15Hate 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.
16Therefore 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.
17And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.
18Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
24But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
25Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.
“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
Overview
Amos sings a funeral dirge over Israel — 'The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise' — as though the nation is already dead. God urges them to seek Him and live rather than seeking the corrupt shrines of Bethel and Gilgal. He warns that the day of the Lord will be darkness and not light for those who desire it presumptuously, and He despises their feasts and assemblies. Instead, God demands that justice roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Key Themes
A Funeral for a Living Nation
Amos treats Israel as already dead, singing a lament over a nation that still breathes but has forfeited its life through persistent rebellion.
Seek God and Live
The repeated exhortation to seek the Lord rather than Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba reveals that true life is found only in genuine relationship with God, not in religious tourism.
Justice and Righteousness Over Ritual
God rejects Israel's worship and demands instead that justice flow like an unfailing stream — true religion must produce social righteousness.
Study Questions
What is the effect of Amos singing a funeral dirge for a nation that is still alive (vv. 1-3)?
What does 'Seek the LORD, and ye shall live' (v. 6) mean in contrast to seeking Bethel?
Why does God say the day of the Lord will be 'darkness, and not light' (v. 18) for Israel?
What does the famous call for justice to 'roll down as waters' (v. 24) look like in practice?
How does God's rejection of religious festivals (vv. 21-23) while demanding justice challenge our own worship?
Connection to Christ
The call for justice to roll down like waters finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who is both just and the justifier of those who believe (Romans 3:26). Jesus embodies the perfect union of righteousness and mercy that Amos demands, and through His Spirit, He empowers believers to pursue justice in the world.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Amos 5. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?