The Meaning of Amos 2:6 Explained

Amos 2:6

KJV: Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

YLT: Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their selling for silver the righteous, And the needy for a pair of sandals.

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke its sentence; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes-

Discover Amos 2:6

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Amos 2:6?

MEANING: What does Amos 2:6 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Amos 2:6 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Amos 2:6?

What is the context of Amos 2:6?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

What does Amos 2:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Israel"s first sin was that the Israelites took advantage of righteous, needy people for their own personal, material advantage and sold them into slavery, perhaps into debt (cf. 2 Kings 4:1-7). They sold, for the price of what they owed, honest people who would have repaid their debts if given the opportunity. They would even sell into slavery someone who could not pay the small price of a pair of sandals. Another interpretation is that they would take as a bribe as little as what a pair of sandals cost. The Israelites should have been generous and openhanded toward the poor ( Deuteronomy 15:7-11). Sin often results in the devaluation of human life.

Context Summary

Amos 2:6-16 - Neither Shall Israel Escape

First the prophet enumerates Israel's sins. They were unjust to the poor, carrying their extortions to such lengths as to goad the poor to desperation. They were unchaste. They held their idolatrous festivities in idol shrines while they unjustly detained and confiscated the pledges of the poor. They perpetrated shamelessly the enormous crimes for which the Amorites were dispossessed by Joshua and their fathers. But notice nothing is said of that great general and his valiant soldiers; our mind is carried beyond all human agency to the Eternal. I destroyed, etc. Amos 2:9.

The ripple of the ocean on the beach which you hear and see is due to the action of the sun or moon; so the changes that men attribute to political combinations must ultimately be traced back to the divine will in its permissive or decretive energy. One of the most graphic pictures is in Amos 2:13. We can almost see the heavily laden wagon dragged from the harvest field. The wheels creak and groan; the oxen advance with difficulty; the timbers threaten to succumb. So God bears up the world; and thus did Jesus stoop and sweat great drops of blood under the sins of the whole world. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 2

¹ God's judgments upon Moab,
⁴ upon Judah,
⁶ and upon Israel
⁹ God complains of their ingratitude

What do the individual words in Amos 2:6 mean?

Thus says Yahweh for three transgressions of Israel for four not I will turn away its [punishment] because they sell for silver the righteous and the poor for a pair of sandals

כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעַל־ אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ עַל־ מִכְרָ֤ם בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ צַדִּ֔יק וְאֶבְי֖וֹן בַּעֲב֥וּר נַעֲלָֽיִם

כֹּ֚ה	Thus
Parse: Adverb Root: כֹּה Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר	says
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
שְׁלֹשָׁה֙	three
Parse: Number, masculine singular Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ Sense: three, triad.
פִּשְׁעֵ֣י	transgressions
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct Root: פֶּשַׁע Sense: transgression, rebellion.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל	of Israel
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אַרְבָּעָ֖ה	four
Parse: Number, masculine singular Root: אַרְבַּע Sense: four.
אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ	I will turn away its [punishment]
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular Root: שׁוּב Sense: to return, turn back.
עַל־	because
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.
מִכְרָ֤ם	they sell
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural Root: מָכַר Sense: to sell.
בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙	for silver
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: כֶּסֶף Sense: silver, money.
צַדִּ֔יק	the righteous
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular Root: צַדִּיק Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
וְאֶבְי֖וֹן	and the poor
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular Root: אֶבְיׄון Sense: in want, needy, chiefly poor, needy person.
נַעֲלָֽיִם	a pair of sandals
Parse: Noun, fd Root: נַעַל Sense: sandal, shoe.

What are the major concepts related to Amos 2:6?

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Similar Scriptures for Amos 2:6

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