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 8:6KJV
Know the Bible

Amos 8:6 (KJV)

What does Amos 8:6 mean?

Amos 8:6 describes corrupt merchants in Israel who are so greedy that they are willing to buy the poor for silver and the needy for something as cheap as a pair of shoes, and even sell the worst parts of their wheat. The verse exposes how people were being exploited and treated as worthless, with basic human needs and dignity ignored for profit.

The prophet Amos is speaking God’s message to the people of Israel, especially targeting wealthy traders and leaders. The situation is one of deep social injustice, where the powerful take advantage of the vulnerable. Amos uses vivid examples to show just how little value was placed on the lives of the poor, highlighting a society where greed had overtaken fairness and compassion.

The Hebrew behind Amos 8:6

  • "buy" (קָנָה, qanah): This word means to acquire or purchase, and here it shows that people are being treated as property, not as human beings.
  • "poor" (דַּל, dal): This word refers to someone who is weak or lacking resources, emphasizing the vulnerability of those being exploited.
  • "needy" (אֶבְיוֹן, ’evyon): This word often means someone in desperate need, highlighting just how dire the situation is for those being sold.
  • "shoes" (נַעַל, na‘al): The mention of shoes as a price shows how little the needy were valued—being traded for something trivial.
  • "refuse" (מָפָל, maphal): This word means the leftovers or sweepings, the lowest quality part of the wheat, showing that even what should be discarded is being sold for profit.

Why Amos 8:6 matters

  • Amos 8:6 clears up any idea that ancient Israel’s economic problems were minor; it reveals a deep moral crisis where people’s lives were valued less than material goods.
  • The verse emphasizes how greed can lead to the dehumanization of others, making it clear that God sees and condemns such injustice.
  • This verse connects to the wider message of Amos, where the prophet repeatedly calls out the wealthy and powerful for ignoring the needs and rights of the poor, warning that God will hold them accountable.

Where else these words appear

“refuse” Hebrew H4651 · used in 2 verses

  • Job 41:23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

“wheat” Hebrew H1250 · used in 14 verses

  • Genesis 41:35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
  • Genesis 45:23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.
  • Proverbs 11:26 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

“sell” Hebrew H7666 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
  • Genesis 42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
  • Genesis 44:25 And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

“shoes” Hebrew H5275 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
  • Joshua 9:5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
  • Song of Solomon 7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.