Amos 5:23 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Amos 5:21-27

The scope of these verses is to show how little God valued their shows of devotion, nay, how much he detested them, while they went on in their sins. Observe, I. How unpleasing, nay, how displeasing, their hypocritical services were to God. They had their feast-days at Bethel, in imitation of those at Jerusalem, in which they pretended to rejoice before God. They had their solemn assemblies for religious worship, in which they put on the gravity of those who come before God as his people come,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:23

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ,.... The ten tribes, very probably, imitated the, temple music at Jerusalem, both vocal and instrumental, and had their songs and hymns of praise, which they sung to certain tunes; but the music of these is called a noise, being very disagreeable to the Lord, as coming from such carnal and wicked persons; and therefore he desires it might cease, be took away, and he be no more troubled with it: for I will not hear the melody of thy viols :... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 5:23

The noise of thy songs - the melody of thy viols - They had both vocal and instrumental music in those sacrificial festivals; and God hated the noise of the one and shut his ears against the melody of the other. In the first there was nothing but noise, because their hearts were not right with God; and in the latter there could be nothing but ( זמרת zimrath ) cutting and scraping, because there was no heart - no religious sense in the thing, and nearly as little in them that used it. See... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 5:23

Verse 23 It follows, Take away from me the multitude of thy songs By speaking of multitude, he aims at hypocrites, who toil much in their devices without measure or end, as we see done at this day by those under the Papacy; for they accumulate endless forms of worship, and greatly weary themselves, morning and evening; in short, they spend days and nights in performing their ceremonies, and every one devises some new thing, and all these they heap together. Inasmuch, then, as men, when they... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:18-27

The prophet enforces the threat by denouncing woe on those that trust to their covenant relation to God, expecting the day when he would punish the heathen for their sakes, and thinking that external, heartless worship was acceptable to him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-23

The autograph of the unreal. Wicked Israel, strange to say, was worshipping Israel still. Theirs was sanctimonious sinning. It was done more or less in a religious connection. It was accompanied, and attempted to be covered, by an unstinted dressing of pietistic cant. But it only smelled the more rank to Heaven. Unreal worship is no mitigation, but only an aggravation, of the guilt of unholy living. I. INSINCERITY IS OFTEN SCRUPULOUS ABOUT ALL THE CIRCUMSTANTIALS OF ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-23

Ceremonialism disdained. Although the Jewish religion prescribed, as is evident especially from the Book of Leviticus, innumerable observances, elaborate ritual, frequent and costly sacrifices, still nowhere are there to be found more disclaimers, more denunciations, of a merely ritual and ceremonial piety than in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. This is but one of many declarations that the true and living God will not accept any tribute of the hands which may be offered in lieu of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-24

The divinely abhorrer and the divinely demanded. "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies," etc. Notice - I. THE DIVINELY ABHORRENT . What is that? Mere ceremonial religion; empty ritual. "I hate, I despise your feast days, and 1 will not smell in your solemn assemblies," etc. "The same aversion from the ceremonial observances of the insincere and rebellious Israelites which Jehovah here expresses he afterwards employed Isaiah to declare... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:23

The noise of thy songs. Their psalms and hymns of praise were mere noise in God's ear, and wearied him ( Isaiah 1:14 ; Isaiah 24:8 ; Ezekiel 26:13 ). Viols ( Amos 6:5 ); ὀργάνων . The nebel, usually translated "psaltery," was a kind of harp. Josephus ('Ant.,' 7.12. 3) describes it as having twelve strings, played by the fingers. Music, both instrumental and vocal, was used in the temple worship (see 1 Chronicles 16:42 ; 1 Chronicles 23:5 ; and 25.). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Amos 5:23

Take thou away from Me - Literally, “from upon Me,” that is, from being a burden to Me, a weight on Me. So God says by Isaiah, “your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth; they are a burden upon Me; I am weary to bear them” Isaiah 1:14. Their “songs” and hymns were but a confused, tumultuous, “noise,” since they had not the harmony of love.For - (And) the melody of thy viols I will not hear - Yet the “nebel,” probably a sort of harp, was almost exclusively consecrated to the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Amos 5:21-27

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 5:23

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 5:23

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 5:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:18-27

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:21-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 5:23

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Amos 5:23

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