Amos 2:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The nature of Israel's offenses is clear; they have sold the righteous for silver and the poor for trifles, refusing to allow truth and justice to be proclaimed, or for judgment to be executed according to the law. When a righteous man, pure and honest, who detests vanity—often represented as a poor man or one poor in spirit—is brought before the powerful, he is sold to his enemies, despite the law's explicit command, “You shall not show partiality in judgment” (Deuteronomy 1:17, 16:19), as well as, “You shall not kill the innocent and righteous” (Exodus 23:7). Those who are entrusted with the duty of judgment assume the role of God, Who alone possesses the right to judge; for “there is one lawgiver and judge” (James 4:12), according to the word of the Holy One. Therefore, anyone who renders an unjust judgment against a righteous person and acts with hypocrisy diminishes divine dignity and offends God, Who commands: “Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother” (Zechariah 7:9). Thus, the Lord condemns them for selling a righteous man and a needy man to their adversaries, often for minimal and insignificant gains, just enough for those who received them to buy sandals. Instead, their focus should have been on justice and pleasing God, cherishing the honor bestowed by Him, and gaining riches in a good reputation: for “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (Proverbs 22:1). It is important to note that through Isaiah, He addresses the mother of the Jews, namely Jerusalem: “Your princes do not judge the orphans, nor do they defend the cause of the widows” (Isaiah 1:23). Micah reiterates this by stating: “Her leaders judge for a bribe” (Micah 3:11). It is always a cause for cursing when judgment is not executed with righteousness and impartiality but instead with hatred and a disregard for the truth. They trample upon the heads of the downtrodden. The Lord accuses them directly, asserting that their power-lust and selfishness render them ungodly and unmerciful, unjustly harming those who should have been cared for, honored, and from whom blessings should have been sought through love. By inflicting suffering on the impoverished, they act contrary to the call for mutual love; for “the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Proverbs 10:4). In the writings of James, we learn: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

The way of the humble is often led astray. This can be understood in two manners: either that they had become exceedingly arrogant to the point of despising their brethren who lacked material wealth and lavish surroundings, refusing to associate with those devoid of greed; or it could imply that, as teachers and leaders, they misled the weaker members of society, those unable to discern useful knowledge, instead blindly following their guides. Many people belong to this latter category; they live simply and carefree, relying upon the words and teachings of their instructors, firmly adhering to what they believe to be good as they have learned it. In contrast, the wise and God-fearing among teachers illuminate the correct path, while those who stray from divine law mislead the humble, drawing them away from the righteous standard. They divert them from the true worship of the living God, exploiting their naivety for their own gain. The way of the humble is also corrupted by those who entice the simple-minded, urging them to engage in unrighteous deeds. Similarly, those who distort the teachings of the Church lead the less discerning toward a false and corrupt way, having nothing truthful, only twisted and impious expressions devoid of understanding.

He also accused them of engaging in unrestrained and immoral lusts, demonstrating that they held all decency in contempt. Instead of courageously resisting sin, they succumbed to their base desires, failing to uphold the glorious virtue of self-control while permitting their passions to roam unchecked. A stark reminder of their folly lies in the sin of a son with his father, which is universally understood as an abomination, condemned even by natural law. Reuben’s transgression of his father’s bed highlights a grave offense, which Paul addressed vehemently when he wrote to the Corinthians about their own immoral behavior: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you” (1 Corinthians 5:1). His fury did not conclude there; he delivered the offender to Satan to work toward his repentance through the trials of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5). Those who indulge in such passions bring dishonor to the name of their God. We assert that they conflate impurity and defilement with the divine essence. Why is this so? Their actions elevate evil against the Almighty, treating Him as the ruler of the impure. Therefore, it is said to the Jews, “For your sake My name is blasphemed among the Gentiles” (Isaiah 52:5); just as those who live righteously honor God, so it can be seen that those who lead unclean and disgraceful lives bring reproach to Him (Matthew 6:9; 1 Peter 3:15).

The impoverished and vulnerable, suffering from hunger and nakedness, were tragically sold into servitude, treated by the affluent as if they were mere possessions. Much like the Tyrians and Sidonians who offered their young men as payment to harlots and for wine, the Hebrews, as prophesied, sold their fellow countrymen for the price of worn-out footwear, a sum that reflected something of little value, barely sufficient to be accounted as human worth. When these footwear items were found, even more greedily were they claimed from the destitute.

The humble were led astray or coerced into abandoning their rightful aspirations and thoughts. Moreover, “And his son and his father shall go to the whoremonger” illustrates how families, even on the Sabbath, exploited the day’s rest to visit the house of the prostitute, thus desecrating the holiness of God’s name through their actions. With idol temples erected in every city, accompanied by prostitution, fathers and sons were drawn together into acts of immorality.

Their foremost transgression, reiterated three or four times, was the selling of a righteous man for money, which is particularly astonishing since even dire poverty did not lead him to wickedness. Had they been driven by hunger to sell a impoverished and righteous soul, there might have been some justification for that act. Instead, they treated a precious human life as mere currency for the most trivial of items, shoes that tread upon dirt and refuse. They were so egotistical and proud that they refused to walk alongside the humble.

Although this act may seem insignificant, their shamelessness culminates in the father and son’s desecration of God's holy name. Every shameful action offends the Lord, who declares, “My name is blasphemed among the Gentiles” (Rom. 2:24). The Apostle Paul addresses this matter in his message to the Corinthians: “It has been reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that does not even occur among the Gentiles, such as a man having his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Should you not mourn rather than let him who has done this be removed from your midst?” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). It is common for a father to bring disgrace upon his son's wife and vice versa, contrary to God’s commands: “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your daughter-in-law” (Lev. 18:7, 15). Observing the literal fulfillment of these commands provides great importance.

Since every dishonorable act intensifies offenses and leads to further degradation, the ten tribes reclined on pledged garments at every altar. The Hebrews explain that at feasts held in the temple, they reclined on garments stolen from those who refused to worship idols. Their contempt for God grew so pronounced that they hung the garments of their carnal conduct on ropes at the altar to obscure the view of those engaging in immorality, indulging in drunkenness and debauchery. The wine they consumed did not come from their own labor but from slander, all performed in their gods' temple, thus bringing dishonor to those they acknowledged as deities.

While some interpret these events within the context of historical occurrences, we highlight that in the interpretation of Hosea, names such as Israel, Samaria, Ephraim, and the sons of Joseph refer to heretics. After addressing Judah and Jerusalem, indicative of the church, we must also recognize the prophetic language as directed at heretics who sell a poor yet righteous man for wealth. A righteous man in poverty represents a church member lacking Scriptural knowledge yet fulfilling commands through sincere simplicity. As noted, “The poor are not without punishment” (Proverbs 13:3), and in the letter to the Galatians, Paul instructs to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10). All heretics pursue wealth and shoes, symbols they trample on the dust of the earth, unable to tread barefoot on sacred ground, a privilege of those like Moses and Joshua (Ex. 3; Josh. 5), as the apostles were commanded to walk barefoot (Lk. 10). The heretics strike at the heads of the poor because they have forsaken the path of humility—the path defined by Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and invites us to walk therein, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Heretics are filled with pride and arrogance; the Apostle warns, “Let not a novice be lifted up with pride, lest he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6), who arrogantly declares his intentions to exalt himself above the heavens (Is. 14:13-14). Consequently, God opposes the proud yet grants grace to the humble (James 4).

Furthermore, a father and son enter the same woman's dwelling, seeking to both honor and discredit the holy name of God. Our father represents the Jewish nation, as Paul articulates, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-2); elsewhere, he instructs us to “ask your fathers, and they will show you” (Deut. 32:7), and “instead of your fathers, you shall have sons” (Psalm 44). Thus, the church that arose from the Gentiles laments, “The sons of my mother fought against me” (Song 1). Therefore, we are sons of the Jewish nation. We offend when we, alongside our forefathers, uphold the circumcision and rituals of the obsolete law while observing the Sabbath. Paul warns, “If you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you” (Gal. 5:2), and “Those who seek to be justified by the law have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Thus, those who enter the church to observe both the law and the gospel engage in acts of spiritual adultery, dishonoring the name of the Lord. Consequently, certain teachings suggesting it is acceptable for Jews to believe in the Lord while simultaneously adhering to the old law defile both father and son.

Likewise, they entwine their garments with cords and create veils at the altar, obscuring the faith of Christ. For those baptized into Christ have clothed themselves in Him (Gal. 3), yet they, binding their garments with cords of sin, hide their disgrace from those who witness their actions, that their abominations may remain unobserved. This parallels the apostles, who placed their garments on the young donkey (Matthew 21), cushioning it for the Lord’s transport along the path marked by the law and the prophets. In contrast, the heretics do not lay their garments beneath the feet of the Savior; instead, they bind them at the altar to disguise their vices and partake in the wine of slander or condemnation, which leads them astray. This wine belongs to the Sodomites, the wrathful, the wine that brings ruin to those who partake. Yet they drink this wine not in the true house of God, which embodies both the temple and Jerusalem, but rather in the house of their own creation, which they have fabricated through their words.

They did this while uttering blasphemies against the name of their God, for when outsiders living nearby discovered these acts, they spoke against the God of all, whether implying that He condoned such behavior or that He overlooked the wickedness of the people.