God’s Word Translation
Amos 5:15
15Hate evil and love good. Then you will be able to have justice in your courts. Maybe the Lord God of Armies will have pity on the faithful few of Joseph.
Amos 5:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
- New International Version (NIV)Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Context of Amos 5:15
13That is why a wise person remains silent at such times, because those times are so evil. 14Search for good instead of evil so that you may live. Then the Lord God of Armies will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil and love good. Then you will be able to have justice in your courts. Maybe the Lord God of Armies will have pity on the faithful few of Joseph. 16This is what the Lord, the Almighty God of Armies, says: There will be loud crying in every city square, and people will say in every street, “Oh, no!” They will call on farmers to mourn and on professional mourners to cry loudly. 17There will be loud crying in every vineyard, because I will pass through your land ⌞with death⌟. The Lord has said this.
Read all of Amos 5Amos 5:15 word by word
שִׂנְאוּ־רָע֙ וְאֶ֣הֱבוּ ט֔וֹב וְהַצִּ֥יגוּ בַשַּׁ֖עַר מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אוּלַ֗י יֶֽחֱנַ֛ן יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁאֵרִ֥ית יוֹסֵֽף׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Hateשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
- the evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- and loveאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- the goodטוֹבţôb · goodH2896
- and establishיָצַגyâtsag · to setH3322
- judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- in the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- it may be that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
- will be graciousחָנַןchânan · be graciousH2603
- unto the remnantשְׁאֵרִיתshe'êrîyth · remnantH7611
- of Josephיוֹסֵףyôsêph · JosephH3130
Cross-references for Amos 5:15
- Psalms 34:14Turn away from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it!
- Psalms 36:4He invents trouble while lying on his bed and chooses to go the wrong direction. He does not reject evil.
- Psalms 37:27Avoid evil, do good, and live forever.
- Psalms 97:10Let those who love the Lord hate evil. The one who guards the lives of his godly ones will rescue them from the power of wicked people.
- Psalms 119:104From your guiding principles I gain understanding. That is why I hate every path that leads to lying.
- Psalms 139:21Shouldn’t I hate those who hate you, O Lord? Shouldn’t I be disgusted with those who attack you?
- Romans 7:15I don’t realize what I’m doing. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate.
- Romans 8:7This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t.
- Romans 12:9Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good.
- Amos 5:10Israel, you hate anyone who speaks out against injustice. You are disgusted by anyone who speaks the truth.
- Amos 6:12Do horses run on rocks? Does a farmer plow the sea with oxen? Yet, you have turned justice into something deadly and what is righteous into poison.
- 2 Chronicles 19:6He told the judges, “Pay attention to what you’re doing. When you judge, you aren’t doing it for a human but for the Lord. He will be with you when you hear a case.
- Psalms 82:2“How long are you going to judge unfairly? How long are you going to side with wicked people?” Selah
- Jeremiah 7:5“ ‘Suppose you really change the way you live and act and you really treat each other fairly.
- Exodus 32:30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”
Commentaries on Amos 5:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Hate the evil, and love the good - What ruins you, avoid; what helps you, cleave to. And as a proof that you take this advice, purify the seats of justice, and then expect God to be gracious to the remnant of Joseph - to the posterity of the ten tribes.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Hate the evil and love the good - Man will not cease wholly to “seek evil,” unless he “hate” it; nor will he “seek good,” unless he “love” it. Jerome: “He hateth evil,‘ who not only is not overcome by pleasure, but hates its deeds; and he loveth good,‘ who, not unwillingly or of necessity or from fear, doth what is good, but because it is good.” Dionysius: “Evil of sin must be hated, in and for itself; the sinner must not be hated in himself, but only the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-17Verses 7-17 The same almighty power can, for repenting sinners, easily turn affliction and sorrow into prosperity and joy, and as easily turn the prosperity of daring sinners into utter darkness. Evil times will not bear plain dealing; that is, evil men will not. And these men were evil men indeed, when wise and good men thought it in vain even to speak to them. Those who will seek and love that which is good, may help to save the land from ruin. It…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15the remnant of Joseph: The phrase the remnant of Joseph comes from the Hebrew text to refer to the northern kingdom. They remained God's people despite their rebellion and idol worship.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. Hate ... evil ... love ... good--(Is 1:16, 17; Ro 12:9). judgment in the gate--justice in the place where causes are tried. it may be that the Lord ... will be gracious--so, "peradventure" (Ex 32:30). Not that men are to come to God with an uncertainty whether or no He will be gracious: the expression merely implies the difficulty in the way, because of the want of true repentance on man's part, so as to stimulate the zealous earnestness of believers…Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 5:15
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries