Amos 5:23

Amos 5:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
• New International Version (NIV)Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

Context of Amos 5:23

21The Lord says, ‘When you have your festivals, I hate them! When you meet to worship me, it does not make me happy! 22When you bring burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, they do not please me. I will not accept your friendship offerings of fat animals. When you sing songs to worship me, I will not listen. They are just noise! I do not want to hear the music of your harps. 24What I do want to see is justice! I want to see that you always do what is right. Those good things should never stop, like a river that always runs with water. 25You people of Israel's family, listen to me! I led you through the wilderness for 40 years. During that time, did you worship me with sacrifices and offerings? No!

Amos 5:23 word by word

הָסֵ֥ר מֵעָלַ֖י הֲמ֣וֹן שִׁרֶ֑יךָ וְזִמְרַ֥ת נְבָלֶ֖יךָ לֹ֥א אֶשְׁמָֽע׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Take thou awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• from me the noiseהָמוֹןhâmôn hâmôn · crowdH1995
• of thy songsשִׁירshîyr shîyrâh · songH7892
• for I will not hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the melodyזִמְרָהzimrâh · melodyH2172
• of thy violsנֵ֫בֶלnebel nêbel · harpH5035

Cross-references for Amos 5:23

• Amos 6:5Like King David, you play music on your harps and you sing new songs.
• Amos 8:3On the day that I come to punish them, people will not sing in the temple. Instead they will weep loudly. There will be dead bodies everywhere. Be quiet now!’ That is what the Lord God says.

Commentaries on Amos 5:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23The noise of thy songs - the melody of thy viols - They had both vocal and instrumental music in those sacrificial festivals; and God hated the noise of the one and shut his ears against the melody of the other. In the first there was nothing but noise, because their hearts were not right with God; and in the latter there could be nothing but (זמרת zimrath ) cutting and scraping, because there was no heart - no religious sense in the thing, and nearly as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Take thou away from Me - Literally, “from upon Me,” that is, from being a burden to Me, a weight on Me. So God says by Isaiah, “your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth; they are a burden upon Me; I am weary to bear them” Isaiah 1:14. Their “songs” and hymns were but a confused, tumultuous, “noise,” since they had not the harmony of love. For - (And) d the melody of thy viols I will not hear - Yet the “nebel,” probably a sort of harp, was…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-27Verses 18-27 Woe unto those that desire the day of the Lord's judgments, that wish for times of war and confusion; as some who long for changes, hoping to rise upon the ruins of their country! but this should be so great a desolation, that nobody could gain by it. The day of the Lord will be a dark, dismal, gloomy day to all impenitent sinners. When God makes a day dark, all the world cannot make it light. Those who are not reformed by the judgments of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-27Amos again confronts the religious hypocrisy and spiritual unfaithfulness of the Israelites. They practiced worship outwardly, but their lives did not match faithfulness to God (see Amos 4:4–5; Isaiah 1:10–20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. Take ... away from me--literally, "Take away, from upon Me"; the idea being that of a burden pressing upon the bearer. So Is 1:14, "They are a trouble unto Me (literally, 'a burden upon Me'): I am weary to bear them." the noise of thy songs--The hymns and instrumental music on sacred occasions are to Me nothing but a disagreeable noise. I will not hear--Isaiah substitutes "prayers" (Is 1:15) for the "songs" and "melody" here; but, like Amos, closes…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 5:23

• Formalism
• Hypocrisy
• Music
• Offerings
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Manifold
• Seek
• Calf, Golden
• High Place
• Idolatry
• Law in the Old Testament
• Melody
• Pekahiah
• Priests and Levites
• Psalms, Book of

Commentaries on Amos 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings