Amos 5:24-25

5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,

righteous actions ¹  like a stream that never dries up.

5:25 You did not bring me ²  sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, family ³  of Israel.

[5:24]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “righteousness.”

[5:25]  ² tn Heb “Did you bring me…?” This rhetorical question expects a negative answer. The point seems to be this: Since sacrifices did not characterize God’s relationship with Israel during the nation’s formative years, the people should not consider them to be so fundamental. The Lord places a higher priority on justice than he does on empty ritual.

[5:25]  sn Like Jer 7:22-23, this passage seems to contradict the Pentateuchal accounts that indicate Israel did offer sacrifices during the wilderness period. It is likely that both Amos and Jeremiah overstate the case to emphasize the relative insignificance of sacrifices in comparison to weightier matters of the covenant. See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 428.

[5:25]  ³ tn Heb “house.”