The Meaning of Amos 5:11 Explained

Amos 5:11

KJV: 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.

YLT: 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.

Darby: Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, and take from him presents of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Amos 5:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They imposed high rents and taxes of grain on the poor to keep them tenants on the land (cf. Exodus 23:2; Exodus 23:6).
"The small farmer no longer owns his own land; he is a tenant of an urban class to whom he must pay a rental for the use of the land, a rental that was often a lion"s share of the grain which the land had produced." [1]
The oppressors used this illegally obtained income to build themselves luxurious homes. The Lord promised that He would make it impossible for these evil people to live in their fancy houses and enjoy the fruits of their vineyards.

Context Summary

Amos 5:1-15 - "prepare To Meet Thy God"
Worse judgments than those mentioned in the previous verses were in store but before they are inflicted, the entire nation is summoned to the divine bar. Whether we choose or not, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of God." Prepare, my soul, to meet Him! Note the sublimity of that last verse of Amos 4:1-13. How great is God, who made the mountains! How mysterious, who made the wind! How sublime, who calls to the dawn! How mighty, to whom mountains and peaks are stepping-stones!
But great and holy though God is, we are invited to seek Him. He desires to bless, but He must be sought. Were we more diligent in seeking, as the miner for gold, or the scientific man for nature's secrets, we should be marvelously repaid. "Eye hath not seen," etc. Amos speaks as nature's child. Often as he had tended his flocks, he had watched the Pleiades with their gentle radiance, and Orion, the herald of storm. He had listened to God calling across the waters, and had drawn life from Him. "Seek and live!" O soul, what a God is thine! Thy springs and storms await His word of command. He can turn thy darkness into the morning. Be of good cheer! [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 5

1  A lamentation for Israel
4  An exhortation to repentance
21  God rejects their hypocritical service

What do the individual words in Amos 5:11 mean?

Therefore because you tread down - the poor and taxes grain take from him houses of hewn stone Though you have built and yet not you shall dwell in them vineyards pleasant You have planted but not you shall drink - wine from them
לָ֠כֵן יַ֣עַן בּוֹשַׁסְכֶ֞ם עַל־ דָּ֗ל וּמַשְׂאַת־ בַּר֙ תִּקְח֣וּ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ בָּתֵּ֥י גָזִ֛ית בְּנִיתֶ֖ם וְלֹא־ תֵ֣שְׁבוּ בָ֑ם כַּרְמֵי־ חֶ֣מֶד נְטַעְתֶּ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תִשְׁתּ֖וּ אֶת־ יֵינָֽם

יַ֣עַן  because 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַעַן  
Sense: because, therefore, because that, on account of prep.
בּוֹשַׁסְכֶ֞ם  you  tread  down 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, second person masculine plural
Root: בָּשַׁס  
Sense: to tread down, trample.
עַל־  - 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
דָּ֗ל  the  poor 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: דַּל  
Sense: low, poor, weak, thin, one who is low.
וּמַשְׂאַת־  and  taxes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַשְׂאֹות 
Sense: uprising, utterance, burden, portion, uplifting.
בַּר֙  grain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּר 
Sense: corn, grain.
תִּקְח֣וּ  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
מִמֶּ֔נּוּ  from  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
בָּתֵּ֥י  houses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
גָזִ֛ית  of  hewn  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: גָּזִית  
Sense: a cutting, hewing.
בְּנִיתֶ֖ם  Though  you  have  built 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
וְלֹא־  and  yet  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תֵ֣שְׁבוּ  you  shall  dwell 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בָ֑ם  in  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
כַּרְמֵי־  vineyards 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: כֶּרֶם 
Sense: vineyard.
חֶ֣מֶד  pleasant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֶמֶד  
Sense: desire, delight, beauty, desirable, pleasant.
נְטַעְתֶּ֔ם  You  have  planted 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָטַע  
Sense: to plant, fasten, fix, establish.
וְלֹ֥א  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִשְׁתּ֖וּ  you  shall  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יֵינָֽם  wine  from  them 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.