Amos 5:24 kjv
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Amos 5:24 nkjv
But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
Amos 5:24 niv
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Amos 5:24 esv
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:24 nlt
Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.
Amos 5 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 5:24 | Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | Direct fulfillment of the call. |
| Psalm 89:14 | Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. | Divine character as the source. |
| Psalm 72:7 | May the righteous flourish in his days, and peace abound till the moon is no more. | Extended blessing of righteousness. |
| Isaiah 30:30 | And the LORD will show his glorious voice and make his arm descend in the indignation of his anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with a cloudburst and tempest and hailstones. | God's justice like a mighty flood. |
| Micah 6:8 | He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | Essential commands paralleling the verse. |
| Matthew 5:6 | "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." | Spiritual longing for righteousness. |
| Matthew 5:10 | "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." | Suffering for the cause of righteousness. |
| Matthew 7:12 | So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this is the law and the prophets. | The Golden Rule, encompassing justice and kindness. |
| Romans 6:1 | What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? | Contrasting sin with a life of righteousness. |
| Galatians 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. | Virtues that embody righteous living. |
| 1 John 3:10 | By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. | Practical demonstration of righteousness. |
| Hebrews 1:8 | But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. | Christ's eternal reign founded on righteousness. |
| Revelation 19:11 | Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse! And he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. | Christ's ultimate act of justice. |
| Psalm 119:142 | Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth. | God's unchanging, eternal righteousness. |
| Isaiah 45:23 | By myself I have sworn; from my mouth in righteousness it has gone forth a word that shall not return: to me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear. | God's sovereign declaration of His righteousness. |
| Jeremiah 23:5 | "Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and do justice and act wisely in the land. | Messianic prophecy of a righteous king. |
| Ezekiel 18:5-9 | But if a man is righteous and does what is just and right…he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD. | The requirements for individual righteousness. |
| Amos 5:15 | Hate evil, and love good; establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. | The prelude to this call for justice. |
| Amos 5:7 | You turn justice into bitterness and let the fruits of righteousness fall to the ground. | The corruption against which this verse protests. |
| Amos 6:12 | Do horses run on rocks? Or does one farm the sea with oxen? No, but you have turned justice into poison and the fruits of righteousness into wormwood. | Reinforcing the perversion of justice. |
Amos 5 verses
Amos 5 24 Meaning
The verse powerfully declares that justice and righteousness should flow unceasingly and perpetually, like a constant stream, never-ending, and universally accessible.
Amos 5 24 Context
Amos, a prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity and outward religious observance, directly confronts the people and their leadership. Israel, despite their religious festivals and sacrifices, was deeply corrupt. They oppressed the poor, perverted justice in the courts ("the gate"), and lived lives of luxury at the expense of the vulnerable. This verse, 5:24, is a powerful, ringing indictment of their failure. It comes after verses detailing God's disgust with their empty worship (Amos 5:21-23) which were a hollow show devoid of true heart transformation or ethical behavior. God is not interested in rituals performed by a people who disregard His character, which is inherently just and righteous.
Amos 5 24 Word Analysis
wə (wə) - "and" - A conjunction linking two powerful concepts.
yaḏîn (yāḏîn) - "justice" - Refers to fairness, rightness, equity, and the proper administration of law.
kə (kə) - "like" / "as" - A simile marker, comparing justice to a natural phenomenon.
māyim (mayim) - "waters" - Represents abundance, pervasiveness, and cleansing.
rəḵul (rĕḵûl) - "righteousness" - Moral uprightness, integrity, doing what is right before God and man.
wə (wə) - "and" - Again, linking righteousness to a similar flowing imagery.
ḏāḥar (ḏāḥar) - "ever-flowing stream" / "unfailing torrent" - A continuous, powerful, never-drying source of water. Implies constancy, inevitability, and unstoppable force.
Grouped Analysis: The parallel structure with "justice like waters" and "righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" creates a vivid, dual image. Justice, when pure and divinely originating, should be abundant and able to wash away corruption. Righteousness, when truly embraced, should be a constant, sustaining force that never depletes. The chosen imagery is from nature, something universally understood, emphasizing the natural, inherent, and powerful way God's justice and righteousness should operate.
Amos 5 24 Bonus Section
The prophet Amos contrasts this ideal with Israel's reality in previous verses. Amos 5:7 speaks of turning justice into "wormwood" and "gall," a bitter poison, and Amos 5:10-12 details how they "trample on the needy," demand bribes, and pervert justice in the courts. Verse 24 is God’s standard, a blueprint for what true worship looks like—obedience to His character demonstrated through societal ethics. The ultimate fulfillment of this "ever-flowing stream" is seen in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whose kingdom is established in righteousness and justice, and in the pervasive influence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, enabling them to live out these very principles.
Amos 5 24 Commentary
This verse encapsulates the heart of prophetic condemnation and divine longing. God desires His people to embody justice and righteousness not as occasional acts, but as an inherent characteristic of their lives, as constant and as natural as the flow of water. Their external worship was a mockery because their internal disposition and societal practices were a perversion of God's true nature. The image is of a life-giving, powerful force that cannot be contained or stopped, highlighting the uncompromised standard God requires. It's a call for an immersive, saturating influence of justice and righteousness in all aspects of life, especially in public affairs and within the community's legal structures (represented by "the gate").