Amos 8

Amos · Chapter 8

Amos 8:5

1Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.2And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.3And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.4Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,5Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?6That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?7The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.8Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.9And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:10And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.13In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.14They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
5Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit;

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
to sayingלֵאמֹ֗רle-MORH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

when?מָתַ֞יma-TAIH4970
how

מָתַי (ma.tay) 1) when? 1a) with prep 1a1) against when?, until when?, how long?, after how long?

will it passיַעֲבֹ֤רya-'a-VORH5674A
to pass

עָבַר (a.var) 1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over 1a2) to pass beyond 1a3) to pass through, traverse 1a3a) passers-through (participle) 1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant) 1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by 1a4a) passer-by (participle) 1a4b) to be past, be over 1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance 1a6) to pass away 1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory) 1a6b) to vanish …

the new moonהַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ha-CHO-deshH2320H
month

חֹ֫דֶשׁ (cho.desh) : month 1) the new moon, month, monthly 1a) the first day of the month 1b) the lunar month

so we may sell grainוְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָהve-nash-BI-rahH7666
to buy

זְבַן (ze.van) 1) to buy, gain 1a) (P'al) gain (participle)

grainשֶּׁ֔בֶרSHE-verH7668
grain

שֶׁ֫בֶר (she.ver) grain, corn (as foodstuff)

and the sabbathוְהַשַּׁבָּ֖תve-hash-sha-BATH7676
Sabbath

שַׁבָּת (shab.bat) Sabbath 1a) sabbath 1b) day of atonement 1c) sabbath year 1d) week 1e) produce (in sabbath year)

so we may openוְנִפְתְּחָה־ve-nif-te-chah-H6605A
to open

פָּתַח (pa.tach) 1) to open 1a) (Qal) to open 1b) (Niphal) to be opened, be let loose, be thrown open 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to free 1c2) to loosen 1c3) to open, open oneself 1d) (Hithpael) to loose oneself Aramaic equivalent: pe.tach (פְּתַח "to open" H6606)

grainבָּ֑רBarH1250A
grain

בַּר (bar) corn, grain

to make smallלְהַקְטִ֤יןle-hak-TINH6994
be small

קָטֹן (qa.ton) 1) to be small, be insignificant 1a) (Qal) to be insignificant 1b) (Hiphil) to make small, reduce significantly

an ephahאֵיפָה֙'ei-FAHH0374
ephah

אֵיפָה (e.phah) 1) ephah 1a) a dry measure of quantity, equal to 3 seahs, 10 omers; the same as the liquid measure bath; (about 9 imperial gallons (40 l), rabbinical writings give sizes of one-half this amount) 1b) the receptacle for measuring or holding that amount

and to make greatוּלְהַגְדִּ֣ילu-le-hag-DILH1431
to magnify

גָּדַל (ga.dal) 1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grow up 1a2) to become great 1a3) to be magnified 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cause to grow 1b2) to make great, powerful 1b3) to magnify 1c) (Pual) to be brought up 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to make great 1d2) to magnify 1d3) to do great things 1e) (Hithpael) to magnify oneself

a shekelשֶׁ֔קֶלSHE-kelH8255
shekel

שֶׁ֫קֶל (she.qel) 1) shekel 1a) the chief unit of weight or measure 1a1) gold-1/10000 of a talent and equal to 220 grains 1a2) silver-1/3000 of a talent and equal to 132 grains 1a3) copper-1/1500 of a talent and equal to 528 grains Aramaic equivalent: te.qel (תְּקֵל "shekel" H8625B)

and to falsifyוּלְעַוֵּ֖תu-le-'a-VETH5791
to pervert

עָוַת (a.vat) 1) to be bent, be crooked, bend, make crooked, pervert 1a)(Piel) 1a1) to make crooked, falsify, pervert, subvert 1a2) to bend, make crooked 1b) (Pual) thing bent (participle) 1c) (Hithpael) to bend oneself

balances ofמֹאזְנֵ֥יmoz-NEIH3976
balance

מֹאזֵן (mo.zen) scales, balances Aramaic equivalent: mo.zen (מֹאזֵנְיָא "scale" H3977)

deceitמִרְמָֽה׃mir-MAHH4820
deceit

מִרְמָה (mir.mah) deceit, treachery

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.