Amos 5 · Verse 23

Amos 5:23

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
Amos 5:23, King James Version

Amos 5:23 in other translations

BSBTake away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
WEBTake away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
ASVTake thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
YLTTurn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.
DARBYTake away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;
BBETake away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
WebsterTake thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

What does Amos 5:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. Take ... away from me--literally, "Take away, from upon Me"; the idea being that of a burden pressing upon the bearer. So Is 1:14, "They are a trouble unto Me (literally, 'a burden upon Me'): I am weary to bear them." the noise of thy songs--The hymns and instrumental music on sacred occasions are to Me nothing but a disagreeable noise. I will not hear--Isaiah substitutes "prayers" (Is 1:15) for the "songs" and "melody" here; but, like Amos, closes with "I will not hear."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 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 on Amo 6:5 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Amos 5:18-27

Woe unto those that desire the day of the Lord's judgments, that wish for times of war and confusion; as some who long for changes, hoping to rise upon the ruins of their country! but this should be so great a desolation, that nobody could gain by it. The day of the Lord will be a dark, dismal, gloomy day to all impenitent sinners. When God makes a day dark, all the world cannot make it light. Those who are not…

Read the full comment on Amos 5:18-27 →

Amos 5:23 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הָסֵ֥רha.SerremoveH5493
מֵעָלַ֖יme.'a.Laifrom with <the> meH5921
הֲמ֣וֹןha.Mon[the] noise ofH1995
שִׁרֶ֑יךָshi.Rei.khasongs yourH7892
וְזִמְרַ֥תve.zim.Ratand [the] music ofH2172
נְבָלֶ֖יךָne.va.Lei.khalyres yourH5035
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
אֶשְׁמָֽע\׃'esh.Ma'I will listen toH8085

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Amos 5:23

  • Amos 6:5

    That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

  • Amos 8:10

    And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

  • Amos 8:3

    And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the noise.
6:5; 8:3,10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Amos 5:22

    Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

  • Amos 5:23

    Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

  • Amos 5:24

    But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Read all of Amos 5

Amos 5:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Quita de mí la multitud de tus cantares, que no escucharé las salmodias de tus instrumentos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ôte de devant moi le bruit de tes cantiques; et la musique de tes luths, je ne l’écouterai pas.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Tue den Lärm deiner Lieder von mir hinweg, und das Spiel deiner Harfen mag ich nicht hören.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Aufer a me tumultum carminum tuorum; et cantica lyræ tuæ non audiam.