Amos 5:15

Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Cross-references

Amos 5:24 Parallel

In Amos 5:24, the same call for justice is amplified with the image of justice rolling like waters — a powerful parallel within the book.

Amos 5:6 Parallel

In Amos 5:6, 'seek the Lord and live' is the same urgent call to repentance and life found in this verse.

Amos 6:12 Contrast

In Amos 6:12, Israel has turned justice into poison — a stark contrast to the command to maintain justice in the gate.

In Jeremiah 31:7, the call to save the remnant of Israel echoes the hope for the remnant of Joseph expressed in this verse.

3 John 1:11 Parallel

In 3 John 1:11, John exhorts not imitating evil but imitating good—a close parallel to hating evil and loving good, with a focus on imitation.

Romans 12:9 Allusion

In Romans 12:9, Paul directly echoes this command: 'abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good'—a NT restatement of hate evil, love good.

Micah 5:7 Parallel

In Micah 5:7, the remnant of Jacob is described as a blessing among peoples — expanding on the remnant theme from this verse.

Micah 5:3 Parallel

In Micah 5:3, the future return of the remnant after judgment parallels the conditional hope for the remnant of Joseph here.

Micah 2:12 Parallel

In Micah 2:12, God promises to gather the remnant of Israel — the same remnant this verse hopes will receive mercy.

Jonah 3:9 Parallel

In Jonah 3:9, the king's 'who knows?' mirrors the conditional 'perhaps' here — both express hope that God may relent after repentance.

Joel 2:14 Parallel

Joel 2:14 uses 'who knows' for God turning to bless after repentance — a parallel to Amos's conditional hope for grace on the remnant.

Jeremiah 7:5-7 parallels Amos's conditional hope: if they execute justice, God will let them dwell in the land — a close thematic match.

2 Chronicles 19:6–11 Historical context

2 Chronicles 19:6-11 gives a concrete example of judicial reform: judges warned to act for the Lord, echoing Amos's concern for justice in the gate.

Psalm 34:14 Parallel

Psalm 34:14 directly echoes 'depart from evil and do good' — a near verbatim parallel to Amos's 'hate evil, love good'.

Psalm 37:27 Parallel

Psalm 37:27 commands 'depart from evil, do good' — echoing Amos's 'hate evil, love good' with the same two-part moral call.

Psalm 82:2-4 similarly demands defending the weak and fatherless, reinforcing Amos's call to uphold justice for the oppressed.

Psalm 97:10 Parallel

Psalm 97:10 says 'ye that love the LORD, hate evil' — a direct parallel to Amos's call to hate evil as a mark of faithfulness.

1 Samuel 14:6 uses the same hopeful phrase 'it may be that the LORD will...' showing reliance on God's potential action.

Zechariah 8:16 commands true judgments in the gates for peace, a direct parallel to establishing justice in the gate.

Zephaniah 2:3 calls to seek righteousness and humility with 'perhaps' being hidden, directly paralleling Amos's call and hope.

2 Samuel 12:22 echoes 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious'—the same uncertain hope for grace.

Hosea 11:7 Contrast

Hosea 11:7 describes Israel bent on turning away, contrasting with Amos's call to turn to good and hope for a remnant.

Hosea 10:12 Parallel

Hosea 10:12 calls to sow righteousness and seek the LORD for rain of righteousness, paralleling Amos's call to establish justice and hope for grace.

Psalm 119:163 mirrors the 'hate... love' structure, contrasting hatred of falsehood with love for God's law.

Isaiah 1:16-17 calls to cease evil, learn to do good, and seek justice—a nearly identical exhortation to Amos 5:15.

Hebrews 1:9 Allusion

Hebrews 1:9 says of Christ 'you loved righteousness and hated wickedness', directly reflecting Amos's call to hate evil and love good.

Ruth 4:1 Historical context

Ruth 4:1 depicts Boaz at the gate settling legal matters, directly illustrating the gate as a place of justice.

Romans 7:15 Parallel

In Romans 7:15, Paul describes doing the very thing he hates—an internal struggle that illustrates the difficulty of consistently hating evil.

Psalm 119:104 says 'I hate every false way' — a specific application of hating evil, tied to obedience to God's precepts.

Psalm 36:4 Contrast

Psalm 36:4 describes the wicked who 'abhorreth not evil' — the opposite of Amos's command to hate evil, highlighting the contrast.

Isaiah 7:15 Parallel

Isaiah 7:15 describes the child refusing evil and choosing good, mirroring Amos's call to hate evil and love good.

Romans 8:7 Contrast

In Romans 8:7, the flesh is hostile to God—the opposite of hating evil and loving good, highlighting the fallen nature's rebellion.

2 Samuel 8:15 describes David administering justice and equity, embodying the call to establish justice.

Proverbs 8:13 links hatred of evil to the fear of the Lord, broadening the motivation for hating evil.

Proverbs 24:7 refers to the gate as a place of wisdom where fools are silent, connecting to justice at the gate.