New International Version
Amos 8:5
5saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?”— skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales,
Amos 8:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
- English Standard Version (ESV)saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Saying: “When will the New Moon be past, That we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, That we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit,
- New Living Translation (NLT)You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.
Context of Amos 8:5
3“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!” 4Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?”— skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, 6buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.
Read all of Amos 8Amos 8:5 word by word
לֵאמֹ֗ר מָתַ֞י יַעֲבֹ֤ר הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ וְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָה שֶּׁ֔בֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר לְהַקְטִ֤ין אֵיפָה֙ וּלְהַגְדִּ֣יל שֶׁ֔קֶל וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִרְמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- When will the new moonחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · month: new moonH2320
- be goneעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- that we may sellשָׁבַרshâbar · to buy grainH7666
- cornשֶׁ֫בֶרsheber · grainH7668
- and the sabbathשַׁבָּתshabbâth · SabbathH7676
- that we may set forthפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
- wheatבַּרbâr bar · grainH1250
- making the ephahאֵיפָה'êyphâh 'êphâh · ephahH374
- smallקָטֹןqâţôn · be smallH6994
- and the shekelשֶׁ֫קֶלsheqel · shekelH8255
- greatגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- and falsifyingעָוַת‛âvath · to pervertH5791
- the balancesמֹאזֵןmô'zên · balanceH3976
- by deceitמִרְמָהmirmâh · deceitH4820
Cross-references for Amos 8:5
- Numbers 10:10Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”
- Numbers 28:11“ ‘On the first of every month, present to the Lord a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.
- 2 Kings 4:23“Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” “That’s all right,” she said.
- Psalms 81:3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
- Isaiah 1:13Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
- Colossians 2:16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
- Malachi 1:13And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord.
- Exodus 20:8“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Nehemiah 13:15In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.
- Isaiah 58:13“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
- Romans 8:6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
- Leviticus 19:36Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 25:13Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.
- Proverbs 11:1The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.
- Proverbs 16:11Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making.
- Proverbs 20:23The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.
Commentaries on Amos 8:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5When will the new moon be gone - This was kept as a kind of holy day, not by Divine command, but by custom. The Sabbath was strictly holy; and yet so covetous were they that they grudged to give to God and their own souls this seventh portion of time! But bad and execrable as they were, they neither set forth their corn, nor their wheat, nor any other kind of merchandise, on the Sabbath. They were saints then, when compared to multitudes called…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5When will the new moon be gone? - They kept their festivals, though weary and impatient for their close. They kept sabbath and festival with their bodies, not with their minds. The Psalmist said, “When shall I come to appear before the presencc of God?” Psalm 42:2. These said, perhaps in their hearts only which God reads to them, “when will this service be over, that we may be our own masters again?” They loathed the rest of the sabbath, because they had…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-10Verses 4-10 The rich and powerful of the land were the most guilty of oppression, as well as the foremost in idolatry. They were weary of the restraints of the sabbaths and the new moons, and wished them over, because no common work might be done therein. This is the character of many who are called Christians. The sabbath day and sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts. It will either be profaned or be accounted a dull day. But can we spend our time…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Work was strictly forbidden on the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:9–10). Amos suggests that shops also closed during pagan new-moon religious festivals. Merchants cheated their customers by using small ephahs (containers for measuring grain), so buyers received less than they paid for. They also cheated their suppliers by using heavy shekels (weights of silver) on their scales, so sellers received less payment. God’s law clearly forbade these dishonest practices…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. So greedy are they of unjust gain that they cannot spare a single day, however sacred, from pursuing it. They are strangers to God and enemies to themselves, who love market days better than sabbath days; and they who have lost piety will not long keep honesty. The new moons (Nu 10:10) and sabbaths were to be kept without working or trading (Ne 10:31). set forth wheat--literally, "open out" stores of wheat for sale. ephah--containing three seahs, or…Read the comment
Topics related to Amos 8:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Amos 8
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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