Amos 8:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

A person who completely disregards the commandments of love and lacks any connection to its blessings becomes unfit and can rightly be seen as burdened with various vices, for where there is a lack of concern for righteousness, sin will surely thrive.

It is important to note the structure of this discourse: initially, it addresses Ephraim, or Israel, condemning their wickedness and depicting them as idolaters who lack love for the one true God, being too attached to their own creations. This is followed by pointing out their neglect in showing love to their fellow humans. The indictment is stated broadly yet clearly, briefly outlining the transgressions. He declares, "Hear this," speaking to those who seek to exploit the vulnerable and commit injustices against the poor, as if directing the message to those who eagerly desire to erase the presence of the weak and impoverished.

Those devoted to genuine piety, when the day dawns, express gratitude to God, bow in reverence, pray, and focus their efforts on all that is commendable. Conversely, those who are preoccupied with malicious intent and greed fail to see anything but their own desires rush out of bed at dawn to engage in their usual sinful pursuits. These individuals, as if indicting the night for not allowing them more time to gather wealth, lament, "When the month is gone and everything is sold." This reflects the greed of moneylenders who thrive on trifles, eagerly awaiting the month’s end to increase their profits through dishonest gains, disregarding the clear instruction from the Law: "But if thou lend a piece of silver to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury” (Exodus 22:25).

Those similarly afflicted or caught up in wrongful gains murmur, "When will the sabbaths be over, so we can open our barns to diminish the measure, to expand our gain, and to falsify weights?" Understanding what is meant by their longing for the end of the sabbaths is essential. The Law stipulates in Deuteronomy, “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release” (Deuteronomy 15:1-3). Furthermore, it warns, “Take heed to thyself that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee” (Deuteronomy 15:9).

Although the Law commanded that debts be forgiven during the year of release, advising kindness by lending to the needy even when the release year was near, the wealthy often clutched their riches tightly, waiting until the year’s end to lend, fearing that their debts might be forgiven. These individuals express, "When will the sabbaths pass, so we can access our riches?" Their wickedness did not end there; they cruelly exploited the poverty of the destitute, offering less while demanding more, disobeying God’s command through Moses: "Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small: Thou shalt not have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small: But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have" (Deuteronomy 25:13-16). They ignored justice, driven solely by greed, and trampled on the needy as if they were mere commodities, a reflection of what is said, "The fields of the rich are fruitful" (Sir 13:23).

Moreover, we find wisdom in considering, “Let not thine heart be snared by greed, for the paths of man are before the eyes of the Lord” (Proverbs 5:21). It follows, then, that if God observes every action, those sincerely striving for goodness ought to walk in righteousness and consider love for God and neighbor paramount. Such love must be sincere and unwavering in faith, while love for others is adorned with justice, as genuine love "worketh no ill to his neighbor" (Rom. 13:10). Those who passionately pursue righteousness and live in accordance with the Law should embrace the spirit of generosity (Colossians 3:12), overcoming covetousness and sharing their resources with those in need, for those who follow the law of love will be esteemed and honored in the eyes of both God and mankind, as it is written, “He hath dispersed; he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth forever” (Psalms 111:9).

“...and the needy for sandals,” refers to the lowest possible price, much like how, as previously mentioned, the Tyrians exchanged young men for the favors of harlots (Joel 3:5). The prophet may also suggest that the starving poor were driven to relinquish their freedom in exchange for food.

Listen again, you who crush the poor and exploit them from the dawn, saying, "When the month ends, we will trade, and once the Sabbath is over, we will open our stores." You manipulate the measures, inflate the weights, and make the scales dishonest, in order to purchase the needy for silver and the impoverished for sandals, profiting from every transaction. The vision of impending judgment looms, highlighting the reasons for God’s anger.

O Judah and Israel, recognize the offenses you have committed: instead of rising in the night to seek God and worship Him, you engage in the oppression of the poor, aiming to drive them from the land through hunger and destruction. You wait for new moons to trade and to increase the burden of interest, and for the Sabbath to open your barns and provide bread with the intent of profit. You twist the feasts of God for your own gain, reducing the measure of goods sold, increasing the weight in what you receive, and corrupting the scales to seize the money of the poor, treating people as though they have no worth. You fulfill the very words I have spoken concerning you: "They sold the righteous for silver and the needy for sandals" (Amos 2:6).

Your greed has reached such extremes that you do not sell bread, which nourishes the body, but rather refuse that you pass off as food to the poor, mixing wheat with dirt and chaff. This same perversion can be observed in misguided teachers and leaders who, lacking reverence for God, dominate the faithful. As Jeremiah proclaims, "Their possessions will not be beneficial for them" (Jeremiah 12:13). They treat piety as a path to personal gain, standing in the temple as merchants offering doves—not in cages, but on platforms, like instructors, selling the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They alter the measures by offering little or nothing to the needy, while delivering lengthy orations to the affluent from whom they desire favors. In their pursuit of wealth, they crush the heads of the poor, offering not the Bread of Life that nourishes the soul, but worthless refuse to the thirsty, even selling that which is without value, despite the command of the Lord to His disciples: "You have received freely; give freely" (Matthew 10:8).