Amos 2:6-8

[6] Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; [7] That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: [8] And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

What is the context of Amos 2:6-8?

What does Amos 2:6-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Not all the sins that Amos identified appear in Amos 2:6-8; two more appear in Amos 2:12. Amos named seven sins of Israel all together rather than just one, as in the previous oracles, though he continued to use the "for three transgressions and for four" formula. Seven seems to be the full measure of Israel"s sin. The idea of "the straw that broke the camel"s back" carries over from the first seven oracles into the eighth with double force.