Amos 5:7 Meaning and Explanation
“Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God indicts those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness down to the ground.
What Does Amos 5:7 Mean?
The prophet names the sin that has poisoned the nation: they turn justice, which should be sweet and life-giving, into wormwood, a bitter and poisonous plant. They throw righteousness down into the dust, trampling what should govern their common life.
Justice and righteousness are the twin pillars on which a society stands before God, and Israel had corrupted both. To make justice bitter is to turn the courts into instruments of harm rather than help, leaving the vulnerable poisoned by the very system meant to protect them. The verse exposes how the perversion of justice is no small matter but a fundamental betrayal. It calls the reader to value and defend true justice, which the Lord Himself loves.
Amos 5:7 in the Original Language
la'anah (לַעֲנָה), 'wormwood' -- a bitter, poisonous plant, an image of justice turned toxic.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amos 5:7
What does Amos 5:7 mean?
God indicts those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness down to the ground.