Amos 5:24 (WEB)

Passage

But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:22 Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

Amos 5:23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Amos 5:24 But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Amos 5:25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

Amos 5:26 You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "justice", "roll", "like", "rivers", "righteousness", "mighty", and "stream". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "justice" and "roll", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "Take away from me the noise of..." into verse 25's "Did you bring to me sacrifices and...", so "justice" and "roll" 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 "justice" and "roll" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.