Amos 5:5 (KJV)

Passage

But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:3 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

Amos 5:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

Amos 5:5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

Amos 5:7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seek", "bethel", "enter", "gilgal", "pass", "beersheba", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seek" and "bethel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "For thus saith the LORD unto the..." into verse 6's "Seek the LORD and ye shall live...", so "seek" and "bethel" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "seek" and "bethel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.