Amos 8 6

Amos 8:6 kjv

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

Amos 8:6 nkjv

That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals? Even sell the bad wheat?"

Amos 8:6 niv

buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

Amos 8:6 esv

that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?"

Amos 8:6 nlt

And you mix the grain you sell
with chaff swept from the floor.
Then you enslave poor people
for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.

Amos 8 verses

Amos 8 6 meaning

The verse Amos 8:6 exposes the severe moral decay and exploitative practices among the wealthy elite in Israel during Amos's time. It vividly describes their avarice: eagerly anticipating the end of the Sabbath and new moon so they can resume their dishonest trading. Their ambition is to commodify human beings, effectively enslaving the poor and needy for trivial amounts – a mere price of silver, or even as little as a pair of sandals. Further compounding their wickedness, they intend to sell "refuse of the wheat," or the substandard, unsaleable sweepings of grain, to those who are already struggling to survive, demonstrating profound contempt for the dignity and well-being of their fellow Israelites. This reveals an insidious system designed to perpetually impoverish and exploit the vulnerable for the benefit of the greedy.

Amos 8 6 Context

Amos chapter 8 opens with the fourth of Amos's five visions: a basket of summer fruit, symbolizing that Israel's end is near (Amos 8:1-2). This vision immediately precedes a stern warning of coming judgment (Amos 8:3) and a lament about the nation's spiritual and moral decay. The specific verse 8:6 is embedded within a passage (Amos 8:4-6) that sharply criticizes the avarice and social injustice prevalent in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II. The elite longed for the Sabbath and new moon festivals to end, not for spiritual reasons, but so they could return to their deceitful market practices, such as "making the ephah small and the shekel great" (Amos 8:5)—dishonest measures to cheat both buyers and sellers, particularly the poor. Within this context, Amos 8:6 highlights the most egregious forms of this exploitation: not only manipulating prices but also enslaving people for negligible debts and selling them unusable food, embodying the complete disregard for divine law and human dignity.

Amos 8 6 Word analysis

• קנוֹת (kanot) – "to buy" / "that we may buy": This infinitive with a 'ל' (to/for) expresses the purpose or intention of the wealthy. It's not a mere act of transaction but an eager anticipation and desire for illicit gain. This "buying" implies acquisition of people as property or control, reducing human life to a commodity.
• בַּכֶּסֶף (bakesef) – "for silver": Silver was the primary medium of exchange. "For silver" suggests a standard monetary transaction, but when applied to buying people, it underscores the objectification. It hints at selling persons into debt-slavery.
• דַּלִּים (dalim) – "the poor": This Hebrew term refers to those who are economically weak, socially lowly, and vulnerable. They are at the bottom rung of society, often defenseless against oppression.
• וְאֶבְיוֹן (ve'evyon) – "and the needy": This term signifies someone in extreme destitution, often implying complete dependence or begging. Pairing "dalim" and "evyon" emphasizes the total spectrum of poverty targeted for exploitation.
• בַּעֲבוּר (ba'avur) – "for" / "in exchange for": This preposition indicates the cost or reason for the transaction.
• נַעֲלָיִם (na'alayim) – "a pair of sandals": Sandals were a very common and inexpensive item. The reference to sandals as the price for a human being is crucial. It underscores the utter contempt and devaluing of human life and freedom. It's a symbolic sum, meaning an insignificantly small price, perhaps just enough to cover a minuscule debt, enabling outright exploitation or debt-slavery for practically nothing. This is not about the literal monetary value of sandals but their representation of extreme worthlessness placed on another person.
• וְאֵת מַפַּל בַּר (ve'et mappal bar) – "and the refuse of the wheat":
  • מַפַּל (mappal) – "refuse," "fallings," "sweepings": This noun implies what falls away, is discarded, or is the waste product. It points to the lowest quality or remnants.
  • בַּר (bar) – "wheat," "grain": Refers to the staple food. The phrase together signifies grain that is inferior, unmarketable, swept off the threshing floor, or adulterated with chaff and debris. It is not fit for consumption.
• נַשְׁבִּיר (nashbir) – "we may sell": This verbal form (hiphil imperfect, first common plural) confirms the intentionality and communal consent (among the wealthy) for these despicable acts. It’s an active, deliberate decision to distribute this unusable grain.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:
• "to buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals": This phrase directly reveals the dual goals of their economic malfeasance: acquisition of the person, effectively leading to debt slavery, and at a ridiculously devaluing price. It exposes the depth of their greed that saw human beings as commodities, not covenant partners. The transition from "silver" to "sandals" highlights an escalation of cruelty; from buying for a general sum, to buying for a truly insignificant amount, stripping people of all dignity for almost nothing.
• "and sell the refuse of the wheat?": This rhetorical question, following the enslavement theme, unveils another dimension of their oppression. After stripping the poor of their freedom for negligible sums, they also deny them basic sustenance, selling them unusable grain. It implies a total control over the poor, reducing them to consuming literal waste. This is the ultimate act of exploitation in an agricultural society – food fraud targeting the most vulnerable.

Amos 8 6 Bonus section

The concept of selling people for the "price of sandals" might also symbolically represent legal transactions where something trivial finalized a sale, as referenced in Ezekiel 16:8 regarding the covenant or Ruth 4:7 in ancient land transfers. Here, however, it's tragically twisted: the insignificant value is applied to a human life being exchanged, emphasizing their absolute lack of worth in the eyes of the oppressor, turning ancient custom into a tool of grave injustice. This phrase likely became proverbial for severe cheapness or betrayal for an insignificant amount, highlighting the immense disrespect. Amos's rhetorical questions ("When will the new moon be over...? to make the ephah small... sell the refuse...") expose not only their actions but the very thought processes and cynical anticipations of these corrupt traders. This passage is a timeless critique against any system or heart that commodifies human life and prioritizes profit over people, justice, and the welfare of the most vulnerable.

Amos 8 6 Commentary

Amos 8:6 vividly paints a picture of ultimate human degradation by exposing the elite's insatiable greed. The desire to "buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals" goes beyond mere financial exploitation; it speaks to a systemic devaluation of human life and dignity. The "silver" represents any trivial debt that could be incurred, while the "pair of sandals" signifies a price so abysmally low it reduces a human being to the value of a common, dispensable item. This mirrors a callousness where covenant solidarity is utterly rejected, effectively establishing debt slavery that flagrantly violates Mosaic Law, which strictly regulated such servitude (Lev 25) and always emphasized the dignity of all Israelites as God's redeemed people. Furthermore, the practice of selling "refuse of the wheat" demonstrates their complete contempt for the well-being of the poor, effectively starving them while pretending to trade. This was not accidental but deliberate deception, using "filthy grains, mixed with husks, to keep them from eating" (Theodoret). This passage profoundly underscores the hypocrisy of religious observance (referenced in Amos 8:5) without social justice. The wealthy, while observing sacred times, actively pursued economic practices that stripped fellow Israelites of their livelihood, freedom, and even their right to decent food, bringing God's swift judgment.