Amos 5:7

An accusation of legal injustice 5:7

The reason for Yahweh’s consuming judgment of Israel was that the Israelites were turning sweet justice into something bitter and were throwing righteousness to the ground with disrespect. These figures picture their total contempt for what was right (cf. Proverbs 1:3; Proverbs 2:9; Proverbs 8:20; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:21; Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 28:17). Right conduct was the proper action, and justice was the result, but the Israelites had despised both in their courts. Instead of the judicial system functioning like medicine, healing wrongs and soothing the oppressed, the Israelites had turned it into poison.