Amos 8:5 - Exposition

When? expresses impatience and desire, as in the hymn—

"Thy joys when shall I see?"

The new moon . The first day of the month was a holiday, on which all trade was suspended. It is not mentioned in Exodus, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy; but its observance is enjoined in Numbers 28:11 , and various notices of this occur in later Scriptures; e.g. 1 Samuel 20:5 ; 2 Kings 4:23 ; Hosea 2:11 ; Colossians 2:16 . These greedy sinners kept the festivals, indeed, but they grudged the time given to them, and considered it as wasted. The sabbath. Compare the difficulties with which Nehemiah had to contend in upholding the sanctity of the sabbath ( Nehemiah 10:31 ; Nehemiah 13:15-22 ). May set forth; literally, open ; so Septuagint, καὶ ἀνοίξομεν θησαυρόν . The word expresses the opening of the granaries and storehouses. The ephah, by which corn was measured (see note on Micah 6:10 ). This they made small, and so gave lees than was paid for. The shekel. The weight by which money was weighed. This they made great, and thus gained too high a price for the quantity of corn. Coined money of determined value seems not to have been used before the return from Captivity, all payments of fixed amount previous to that period being made by weighing (comp. Genesis 23:16 ; Genesis 33:19 ; Genesis 43:21 ; Exodus 30:13 ; Isaiah 46:6 ). Falsifying the balances by deceit ; better, as in the Revised Version, dealing falsely with balances of deceit. To increase their gains they falsified their scales or used fraudulent weights (see Le 19:36). Thus they cheated the poor probably in three ways—by small measure, exorbitant price, and light weight.