Amos 5:24

Context

Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees from Tekoa in the southern kingdom of Judah (Amos 1:1; 7:14) who prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, a period described as one of economic prosperity in which the wealthy nevertheless trampled the poor and justice was perverted by bribery in the courts (Amos 5:10–12). In Amos 5:21–23, God declares that He hates the people's feasts and solemn assemblies, will not accept their burnt offerings and meat offerings, and will not hear the noise of their songs or the melody of their viols. Verse 24 forms the conclusion, stating what God desires instead: "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream" (Amos 5:24).

Interpretation

• "Justice" and "righteousness": The Hebrew terms mishpat and tsedaqah, rendered in the Korean Revised Version as gongbeop ("justice" or "judgment") and jeongui ("righteousness"), frequently appear as a pair in the Old Testament. Mishpat is explained as referring to fair judgment and legal decisions, while tsedaqah refers to a right relationship with God and neighbor and to a righteous life. The Revised New Korean Version renders the verse "justice like water, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
• The imagery of water and a stream: Read in contrast to the wadis of Palestine (streambeds that flow only in the rainy season), the image is understood to mean that justice must not flow briefly and then dry up but must be like a river that flows continually.
• The critique of worship: Read together with verses 21–23, the verse means that God does not accept worship devoid of justice. The prevailing interpretation is that the passage does not call for the abolition of worship but condemns the separation of worship from daily life.

Questions of Application

The verse is widely used as a foundation for movements seeking to correct injustice in social structures. Martin Luther King Jr.'s quotation of this verse in his speeches during the American civil rights movement is well known. Those who emphasize the church's social engagement cite the verse as a basis for its prophetic mission, while others stress that Amos's message was primarily a call to repentance addressed to God's covenant people and emphasize personal righteous living alongside it. Many hold that the two emphases are not mutually exclusive.

In the Korean Church

The verse has frequently been cited in connection with the church's social engagement, by Christian social movements during the democratization movement, and as a motto of Christian civic organizations. It is a representative text for sermons on social justice and church reform.

Related Passages

• Amos 5:21–23
• Micah 6:8
• Isaiah 1:16–17
• Matthew 23:23