Amos 5:7

Footnotes

1. 21 Heb “Those who”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity. In light of vv. 11–13, it is also possible that the words are directed at a more limited group within the nation—those with social and economic power.
2. 22 There is an interesting wordplay here with the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn, turn”). Israel “turns” justice into wormwood (cf. 6:12), while the Lord “turns” darkness into morning (v. 8; cf. 4:11; 8:10). Israel’s turning is for evil, whereas the Lord’s is to demonstrate his absolute power and sovereignty.
3. 23 Heb “they throw righteousness.”
4. 24 In v. 7 the prophet begins to describe the guilty Israelites, but then interrupts his word picture with a parenthetical, but powerful, description of the judge they must face (vv. 8–9). He resumes his description of the sinners in v. 10.