The Meaning of Amos 5:22 Explained

Amos 5:22

KJV: Though 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.

YLT: For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.

Darby: For if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

ASV: Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Though 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. 

What does Amos 5:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Burnt and grain (meal) offerings were voluntary and expressed the worshipper"s personal dedication to Yahweh and the dedication of his or her works to the Lord ( Leviticus 1-2). Peace offerings were also voluntary and expressed appreciation for the fellowship that God had made possible for His redeemed people with Himself and with one another ( Leviticus 3). All three of these offerings were sweet-smelling to the Lord and were primarily offerings of worship rather than offerings to secure atonement for sins committed. These three offerings also represent all the worship offerings in another sense. The burnt offering was totally consumed on the altar. The grain offering was partly burned up and partly eaten by the offerer. And the offerer, the priest, and God shared the peace offering. God said He would not accept (lit. smell) or take any notice of any of these offerings, which represent all the others (cf. Amos 4:4-5). In Amos 5:21-22 of the Hebrew text the plural pronouns "you" and "your" appear indicating that God was addressing the whole nation.

Context Summary

Amos 5:16-27 - A Dark Day For Hypocrites
Mighty sins had been committed, and mighty judgments were at hand. The oppression of the poor, Amos 5:11; the erection of elegant dwellings from unrighteous exactions, Amos 5:11; the acceptance of bribes to betray the needy, Amos 5:12 all these must be reckoned with. But if the guilty nation would not seek God and establish judgment in the gate, where magistrates sat to dispense justice, the streets would be filled with wailing, and the husbandmen and vine-dressers would be equally affected by the widespread desolation as the dwellers in the cities.
Moreover, bad as Israel's present condition was, it would become infinitely worse, as though a man fleeing from a lion rushed into the arms of a bear, or, taking refuge in a house, was stung by a serpent that lay hid in a cranny of the wall. Of what avail are religious rites, when the heart is alienated from God, Amos 5:21, etc.? Let us heed well the exhortation of Amos 5:23-24. The martyr Stephen quoted Amos 5:25-27, which accuse the people of carrying about little shrines and pocket-idols, to serve as amulets averting disaster, Acts 7:43. But they might as well have built a bank of sand to arrest an overflowing flood! The one thing which is going to help us is repentance toward God and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. [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 5:22 mean?

Even Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings not I will accept [them] and peace offerings your fattened nor will I regard
כִּ֣י אִם־ תַּעֲלוּ־ לִ֥י עֹל֛וֹת וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם לֹ֣א אֶרְצֶ֑ה וְשֶׁ֥לֶם מְרִיאֵיכֶ֖ם לֹ֥א אַבִּֽיט

כִּ֣י  Even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אִם־  Though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תַּעֲלוּ־  you  offer 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
לִ֥י  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
עֹל֛וֹת  burnt  offerings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם  and  your  grain  offerings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: מִנְחָה  
Sense: gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering.
אֶרְצֶ֑ה  I  will  accept  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָצָא 
Sense: to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably.
וְשֶׁ֥לֶם  and  peace  offerings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֶׁלֶם  
Sense: peace offering, requital, sacrifice for alliance or friendship.
מְרִיאֵיכֶ֖ם  your  fattened 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: מָרָא 
Sense: well-fed, fatling.
לֹ֥א  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אַבִּֽיט  will  I  regard 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.