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 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 2:7 | The poor he sells for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals | Amos 2:7 (Exploitation) |
| Psalm 41:1 | Blessed is he who considers the weak and the helpless | Ps 41:1 (God's Care) |
| Proverbs 17:5 | Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker | Prov 17:5 (Injustice) |
| Proverbs 22:22 | Do not exploit the poor because you are poor or oppress the needy in court | Prov 22:22 (Warning) |
| Isaiah 10:1-2 | Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees... to deprive the needy of justice | Isa 10:1-2 (Judgment) |
| Micah 2:2 | They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away | Mic 2:2 (Greed) |
| Matthew 23:23 | You have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness | Matt 23:23 (Pharisees) |
| James 5:4 | Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out | Jas 5:4 (Cheating Labor) |
| Luke 16:19-31 | Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus | Luke 16:19-31 (Consequences) |
| Romans 2:1-3 | You, therefore, have no excuse... when you judge another, you condemn yourself | Rom 2:1-3 (Hypocrisy) |
| Exodus 22:25 | If you lend money to any of my people who is poor among you, you shall not be to him as a creditor | Ex 22:25 (Justice) |
| Leviticus 25:39 | You shall not rule over him with rigor, and you shall fear your God | Lev 25:39 (Compassion) |
| Deuteronomy 24:14-15 | You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy | Deut 24:14-15 (Fairness) |
| Psalm 72:4 | May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy | Ps 72:4 (Messianic Justice) |
| Jeremiah 22:3 | Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor | Jer 22:3 (Call to Justice) |
| Ezekiel 18:12 | If he has oppressed the poor and needy, he has... not restored his pledge | Ezek 18:12 (Sin of Oppression) |
| Zechariah 7:10 | Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor | Zech 7:10 (Commandment) |
| 1 Timothy 6:9-10 | But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare | 1 Tim 6:9-10 (Love of Money) |
| Revelation 18:11-13 | The merchants... will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their cargo anymore—cargo of gold and silver... and the bodies and souls of men | Rev 18:11-13 (Commercial Exploitation) |
| Hosea 4:1-2 | There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land... they commit adultery and break faith | Hos 4:1-2 (Moral Decay) |
Amos 8 verses
Amos 8 6 Meaning
This verse describes an egregious injustice where the poor are exploited and defrauded for meager gains. The wealthy unjustly seize wealth from the vulnerable, even trading them for trifles like sandals.
Amos 8 6 Context
This verse appears in the prophecy of Amos, who was sent by God to warn the northern kingdom of Israel during a period of prosperity. Despite their outward religious observance, the people, particularly the elite and wealthy, were deeply corrupt. They exploited the vulnerable, perverted justice, and lived in luxury built on the suffering of the poor. This specific verse is part of a broader denunciation of the sins that brought divine judgment upon Israel. Amos highlights the hypocrisy of those who seemed religious but harbored cruel hearts and engaged in unethical business practices, utterly disregarding God's law concerning the poor and needy.
Amos 8 6 Word analysis
"Slam": (Hebrew: "sha'ar" - a gate, entrance, or portion/share. Here used metaphorically). Refers to the common entrances to cities or markets where business and judgment took place. The "gate" represented justice, so perverting justice here.
"selling": (Hebrew: "makrot" - selling off, trafficking in). Indicates the reduction of a person to merchandise.
"needy": (Hebrew: "dal" - weak, feeble, poor, afflicted, lowly). The oppressed, vulnerable members of society.
"righteous": (Hebrew: "tsaddiyq" - just, righteous, innocent). Those who should have received justice but were instead wronged.
"for": (Hebrew: "ba'ad" - for, instead of, in exchange for). Shows the substitution, replacing what is right with what is vile.
"a pair of sandals": (Hebrew: "na'al" - sandal, shoe). A very common, low-value item. Symbolizes trading human dignity for the most insignificant of profits.
"receipt": (Hebrew: "bimah" - raised platform, throne, tribunes, where pronouncements were made). Refers to judicial settings or public decrees where this injustice was formalized.
"dishonest": (Hebrew: "kaloth" - worthless, contemptible, trifling). Denoting the utter lack of integrity in their dealings and pronouncements.
"balance": (Hebrew: "mo'zenah" - scales, balance). A tool of trade, signifying honest commerce. The corrupting of scales is a classic biblical symbol of commercial fraud.
"corrupt": (Hebrew: "shachath" - to corrupt, destroy, ruin, mar). Means to falsify, to render unfit or worthless.
Word Group Analysis:
- "Slam the needy for silver": This encapsulates the exploitation of the vulnerable for monetary gain. The "gate" where justice should be dispensed is instead used to traffic in human misery.
- "sell the righteous for a pair of sandals": This phrase starkly contrasts justice and human value with utter worthlessness. Even those who deserve fairness are unjustly sold for next to nothing, highlighting the extreme moral bankruptcy.
- "dishonest balance": This speaks to the perversion of the very tools of fair commerce and judicial proceedings. Justice and fair trade are corrupted.
Amos 8 6 Bonus Section
The phrase "sell the righteous for a pair of sandals" is a powerful indictment. In ancient Israelite culture, sandals were a common, everyday item, but losing one could be an inconvenience. To "sell" someone for such a low price implies that human lives, and even those who are rightly deserving of justice, have become utterly worthless in the eyes of the oppressors, traded as easily as an unwanted possession. This echoes the sentiment of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, where the rich man feasts while Lazarus, a righteous sufferer, lies outside his gate ignored. The contrast highlights God's concern for the poor and His condemnation of those who profit from their suffering.
Amos 8 6 Commentary
This verse paints a chilling picture of systemic injustice. The powerful are actively involved in degrading the poor, reducing them to mere commodities, and trading them for insignificant possessions. This wasn't just occasional malfeasance; it was a pervasive pattern within their societal structures. They sold the weak and afflicted for small amounts of money and, more damningly, traded innocent or deserving people for trivial items like sandals, suggesting a complete devaluation of human life and justice. Furthermore, they corrupted the scales of justice, meaning they rigged legal and commercial proceedings to ensure their gain. This perversion at the "gate" (a place of judgment) and in their "balances" (instruments of trade) reveals a society where honesty and fairness were replaced by greed and corruption. The prophet emphasizes that God sees and will judge this gross mistreatment.