Amos 5:22
Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
Original Language Analysis
כִּ֣י
H3588
כִּ֣י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 12
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
2 of 12
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
תַּעֲלוּ
Though ye offer
H5927
תַּעֲלוּ
Though ye offer
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
3 of 12
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
עֹל֛וֹת
me burnt offerings
H5930
עֹל֛וֹת
me burnt offerings
Strong's:
H5930
Word #:
5 of 12
a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke)
וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם
and your meat offerings
H4503
וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם
and your meat offerings
Strong's:
H4503
Word #:
6 of 12
a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)
לֹ֣א
H3808
לֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
7 of 12
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
אֶרְצֶ֑ה
I will not accept
H7521
אֶרְצֶ֑ה
I will not accept
Strong's:
H7521
Word #:
8 of 12
to be pleased with; specifically, to satisfy a debt
וְשֶׁ֥לֶם
the peace offerings
H8002
וְשֶׁ֥לֶם
the peace offerings
Strong's:
H8002
Word #:
9 of 12
properly, requital, i.e., a (voluntary) sacrifice in thanks
Historical Context
Israel maintained elaborate worship at Bethel and Dan, offering sacrifices regularly (Amos 4:4-5). But their worship was syncretistic (mixing Yahweh worship with Canaanite practices) and hypocritical (maintaining ritual while oppressing the poor). They assumed religious observance guaranteed divine favor regardless of ethics. Amos demolishes this: God rejects worship that coexists with injustice. This was fulfilled when Assyria destroyed Israel (722 BC)—their sanctuaries couldn't save them.
Questions for Reflection
- How do churches and individuals today sometimes substitute religious ritual for genuine obedience and justice?
- What does it mean that God refuses to "accept" or "regard" worship offered without righteousness?
Analysis & Commentary
Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them (ki im-ta'alu li olot uminchoteikhem lo ertzeh, כִּי אִם־תַּעֲלוּ־לִי עֹלוֹת וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶם לֹא אֶרְצֶה)—God categorically rejects Israel's worship. Olah (עֹלָה, "burnt offering") was the premier sacrifice, wholly consumed on the altar (Leviticus
God says: I will not accept (lo ertzeh, לֹא אֶרְצֶה) and I will not regard (lo abbit, לֹא אַבִּיט)—meaning He refuses to acknowledge or approve their worship.
The phrase your fat beasts (meri'eikhem, מְרִיאֵיכֶם, "fattened animals") emphasizes they brought expensive, high-quality sacrifices—yet God rejects them. Why? Because worship divorced from justice and righteousness is abomination (vv. 21-24). Isaiah 1:11-15 and Micah 6:6-8 make identical points: God desires obedience, not ritual; mercy, not ceremony. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6: "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). Hebrews 10:8 notes that God takes "no pleasure" in sacrifices offered under the old covenant—how much less when offered hypocritically!
This doesn't mean ritual is inherently wrong but that ritual without heart-righteousness is empty performance. The Reformed tradition rightly emphasizes that worship must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24)—external forms mean nothing if divorced from internal reality and ethical obedience.