Amos study section
Amos word studies
A handful of Hebrew words carry the theology of Amos. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.
Key words
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) — “Justice”
Usage: Amos 5:7, 15, 24; 6:12
Meaning: Justice, right judgment, the fair and equitable ordering of society, especially in defense of the weak.
Theological Significance: Mishpat is the social outworking of God’s own character. Amos insists true religion produces justice, a demand fulfilled in Christ, who executes perfect justice and calls His people to “do justice” (Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23).
צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) — “Righteousness”
Usage: Amos 5:7, 24; 6:12
Meaning: Righteousness, right living, conformity to God’s standard in relationships and dealings.
Theological Significance: Paired with justice, tsedaqah is to “roll down like an ever-flowing stream.” It finds its perfection in Christ, who is our righteousness and who fills His people with the fruit of righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 1:11).
יוֹם יְהוָה (yom YHWH) — “The Day of the LORD”
Usage: Amos 5:18-20
Meaning: The day of the LORD, God’s decisive coming in judgment and salvation.
Theological Significance: Amos shatters the presumption that this day means automatic blessing, warning it is “darkness, and not light” for the unrepentant. It points to Christ’s coming, both to save His people and to judge the world (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4).
דָּרַשׁ (darash) — “To Seek”
Usage: Amos 5:4, 6, 14
Meaning: To seek, inquire after, resort to. “Seek me and live.”
Theological Significance: God’s gracious call to seek Him and live shows mercy even amid judgment. It anticipates the gospel invitation to seek and find life in Christ, “for everyone who seeks finds” (Amos 5:6; Matthew 7:7-8).
אֲנָךְ (anak) — “Plumb Line”
Usage: Amos 7:7-8
Meaning: A plumb line, the builder’s tool of lead and cord used to test whether a wall is straight and true.
Theological Significance: God measures Israel against His own perfect standard and finds it crooked. The plumb line pictures divine judgment by an unbending standard — a standard met only in Christ, the true and upright cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16-17).
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