Amos 5:7 (KJV)

What does Amos 5:7 mean?

Amos 5:7 describes people who twist justice into something bitter and abandon doing what is right in society. The verse warns against corrupting fair judgment and neglecting righteousness among the people.

The prophet Amos is speaking to the people of Israel, calling out leaders and citizens who have turned away from God’s standards. Instead of upholding justice, they have made it harsh and harmful, and they no longer practice righteousness in their community. This verse sets the stage for Amos’s larger message about the need for genuine justice and moral living.

The Hebrew behind Amos 5:7

• The word for "turn" is הָפַךְ (haphak), which means to change or overturn. Here, it highlights an active distortion—people are not just ignoring justice, but actually twisting it into something harmful.
• "Judgment" is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), meaning fair decision or justice. The focus is on the legal and moral order that should guide society.
• "Wormwood" is לַעֲנָה (la'anah), a bitter plant. Using this word shows that justice has become something unpleasant and destructive, not life-giving.
• "Righteousness" is צְדָקָה (tsedaqah), which refers to doing what is right and just, especially in relationships and community life. The verse accuses the people of leaving this behind, showing a deep moral failure.

Why Amos 5:7 matters

• Amos 5:7 clarifies that the problem is not just a lack of justice, but an active perversion of it—justice is being made bitter and harmful.
• The verse connects to Amos’s larger message that true worship of God must include fair treatment of others and social righteousness, not just religious rituals.
• This verse helps explain why Amos is so forceful in his warnings: the society’s leaders and people have abandoned the very foundations of a just and healthy community.