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Amos 5:14-15, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Amos 5:14-15
Seek Good and Establish Justice in the Gate
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live
Seeking the LORD takes social form. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Claimed presence is tested by the pursuit of good. Hate the evil, love the good, and establish judgment in the gate.
Gate reform is practical legal and economic change, not only private virtue. Hating evil does not authorize hatred, harassment, or violence toward people labeled evil. Establishing justice does not earn grace or guarantee survival.
It may be that the LORD will be gracious
Even after good is sought and justice established, hope for the remnant of Joseph is "it may be." The Hebrew particle keeps possibility without leverage. Grace is not a controllable outcome of reform, and reform is still commanded because good is right.
The remnant of Joseph is survivors of the threatened northern people, not a secret modern elect, race, denomination, or party. Qualified hope prepares the sifting and restoration of 9:7-15 without canceling judgment or creating a prosperity formula.
How this should shape us
Change unjust procedures because good is right, not as a bargain for guaranteed success. Love good and establish fair gates while remaining humble about outcomes. Do not advertise reform as proof that future loss is impossible, and do not hunt a remnant identity in current politics.
Teach it back
Explain Amos 5:14-15 in your own words. Include its place in Amos's judgment-restoration movement, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: The relation between human reform and divine grace and the rhetorical force of 'perhaps' are framed differently across traditions; the imperative and non-guarantee are both explicit.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Amos 5:14-15, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Amos.xml, 5:14-15
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
NET Bible Amos PDF, printed pp. 1713-1716, translation and notes on 5:14-15
Supports: Whole-book movement, eighth-century horizon, literary boundaries, composition, and verse-level alternatives.
Dines, 'Amos,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 585-587, discussion of 5:14-15
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Amos 5:14-15, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Amos
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Amos.xml, 5:14-15
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Amos with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Amos PDF, printed pp. 1713-1716, translation and notes on 5:14-15
Open source ↗modern critical commentary
Amos
Jennifer M. Dines
Oxford University Press, in The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001
Supports: Whole-book movement, eighth-century horizon, literary boundaries, composition, and verse-level alternatives.
Exact location: Dines, 'Amos,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 585-587, discussion of 5:14-15
Open source ↗