Amos 5:7 (DRB)

Passage

You that turn judgment into wormwood, and forsake justice in the land,

Nearby Context

Amos 5:5 But seek not Bethel, and go not into Galgal, neither shall you pass over to Bersabee: for Galgal shall go into captivity, and Bethel shall be unprofitable.

Amos 5:6 Seek ye the Lord, and live: lest the house of Joseph be burnt with fire, and it shall devour, and there shall be none to quench Bethel.

Amos 5:7 You that turn judgment into wormwood, and forsake justice in the land,

Amos 5:8 Seek him that maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and that turneth darkness into morning, and that changeth day into night: that calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

Amos 5:9 He that with a smile bringeth destruction upon the strong, and waste upon the mighty.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turn", "judgment", "wormwood", "forsake", "justice", and "land". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "judgment", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Seek ye the Lord and live lest..." into verse 8's "Seek him that maketh Arcturus and Orion...", so "turn" and "judgment" 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 "turn" and "judgment" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.