Amos 4:4"Go to Bethel, and sin; to Gilgal, and sin more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days,
The setting
Bethel and Gilgal, Israel, ~760 BC. Major worship centers where people bring elaborate offerings while ignoring justice. Modern-day West Bank, Palestine.
The emotion here: disgusted by religious performance while injustice thrives
The original word
harbû (הַרְבּוּ) — multiply, increase your sins through worship
Why it matters
Bethel housed one of Jeroboam's golden calves, making worship there already idolatrous
Read with care
What most readers miss in Amos 4:4
This is sarcasm — God is saying 'go ahead, add religious sins to your social sins'
Common misconceptionPeople think God wants more religious activity. Amos shows God despises religious show when hearts are cold and the poor are oppressed.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Amos 4:4
Bible Genome reading
Amos 4:4 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Amos 4:4 comes from the book of Amos, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Amos. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include false worship, sarcasm. Notable phrases: go sin more; bring sacrifices. This verse contains a command. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Amos 4:4 mean to you, today?
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