Amos 5:14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.
The setting
Bethel, Northern Israel, ~760 BC. Amos, a shepherd from Judah, confronts wealthy merchants exploiting the poor at their religious festival...
The emotion here: frustrated shepherd overwhelmed by God's burden for justice
The original word
darash (דרש) — to seek with intense investigation, like a detective pursuing truth
Why it matters
Amos prophesied during Israel's golden age under Jeroboam II - they were rich but corrupt
Read with care
What most readers miss in Amos 5:14
This isn't about personal morality - it's about systemic oppression of the poor
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about personal sin avoidance, but Amos is specifically targeting the wealthy who oppress workers and corrupt courts while maintaining religious appearances.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Amos 5:14
Bible Genome reading
Amos 5:14 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Amos 5:14 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 seeking, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include seeking God, moral choice, divine presence. Notable phrases: seek good and not evil; that you may live; Yahweh will be with you. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Amos 5:14 mean to you, today?
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