God declares He "hates" and "despises" their feasts, not because of the outward rituals themselves, but because these are "your feasts" – humanly devised celebrations, not truly His. He rejects them because they’re filled with empty religious performance lacking genuine obedience and love for Him.
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Amos is addressing the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a time when they are outwardly religious, observing all the appointed festivals and offering numerous sacrifices. However, their worship is tainted by injustice, oppression, and a deep-seated idolatry that has corrupted their relationship with God. God's message is that He utterly rejects these hollow rituals because they are not accompanied by true repentance or a life of righteousness.
You go through the motions, but does God really notice? Amos delivers a sharp word about religious observance that misses the mark.
God's reaction to Israel's worship in Amos 5:21 is one of intense disgust. He uses strong verbs – 'hate' and 'despise' – to communicate His abhorrence. This wasn't about a lack of attendance or the quality of the sacrifices; the issue ran much deeper.
The Problem of Hypocrisy
Israel was meticulously performing religious duties: feast days, solemn assemblies, and sacrifices. They offered the best of their flocks, fulfilling the outward requirements. However, their hearts were far from God. They were living lives of injustice and idolatry, and their religious performances were a thin veneer over their sin.
What God Truly Desires
God wasn't interested in a show. He detested their 'feasts' and 'assemblies' because they were devoid of genuine devotion and obedience. It was like giving a gift with an angry heart – the gesture is meaningless. God's desire wasn't for more sacrifices, but for a transformed life characterized by justice and wholehearted love for Him.
Why would God compare His acceptance of worship to 'smelling' something? This imagery reveals a powerful truth about His engagement with our offerings.
The phrase 'I will not smell' is a powerful metaphor for God's rejection of Israel's worship. In the ancient Near East, the aroma of sacrifices was associated with pleasure and acceptance by the divine.
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The Aroma of Sacrifice
When sacrifices were offered correctly, the smoke rising from the altar was seen as a 'sweet savor' – a pleasing aroma to God. It signified His acceptance and pleasure with the offering and the worshiper.
A Stench Instead of Sweetness
But for Israel, their feasts and assemblies were so tainted by their sinful actions – their injustice, greed, and idolatry – that the offerings no longer produced a pleasing aroma. Instead, they became a 'stench' in God's nostrils. He wasn't just ignoring them; He was repulsed by them. Their religious activities, meant to draw them closer to God, actually pushed Him away because of the unrepented sin in their lives.
Understand the original words
chag · Hebrew Noun
An appointed time, season, or festival often associated with Israel's religious calendar and divine worship. It refers to the designated gatherings established by God in the Law of Moses.
atsarah · Hebrew Noun
A formal gathering of the people of God for religious purposes, often characterized by rest from work and communal worship. It implies an assembly designated by divine decree.
olah · Hebrew Noun
A sacrificial act where the animal is entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing complete surrender and dedication to God. It represents the offerer's total devotion and the atonement for sin.
minchah · Hebrew Noun
A sacrifice given in the Old Testament, often consisting of flour and oil, presented to God as an expression of thanksgiving or dedication. It recognized God as the provider of the harvest.
shelem · Hebrew Noun
A sacrificial offering intended to maintain or restore fellowship and communion between God and the offerer. Unlike other sacrifices, a portion was eaten by the worshippers, symbolizing peace and covenantal unity.
Amos's message to Israel wasn't just about their internal hypocrisy; it was also a stark warning against a backdrop of growing geopolitical instability, highlighting that true faith requires justice and obedience, not just religious rituals.
c. 760-750 BC— this verse
Amos Prophesies to Israel
Amos, a shepherd from Judah, is called to prophesy against the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity but also deep social injustice and religious corruption.
c. 8th Century BC
Religious Syncretism in Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, while maintaining some outward forms of worship of Yahweh, had largely incorporated pagan practices and idol worship alongside true devotion.
c. 8th Century BC
Social Injustice and Oppression
The wealthy elite in Israel were exploiting the poor, engaging in corrupt business practices, and ignoring the cries for justice, creating a society deeply at odds with God's law.
c. 755 BC
Assyrian Imperial Pressure Increases
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was a rising military power, and the surrounding nations, including Israel, felt increasing pressure and threat from its expansionist policies.
This passage echoes Amos's message, directly stating that God's distaste for religious festivals is due to their lack of genuine righteousness and justice, not the offerings themselves.
Micah 6:6-8Micah presents a similar prophetic critique, asking what kind of offerings can appease God, then revealing that God truly desires justice, mercy, and humble obedience over sacrifices and rituals.
Psalm 51:16-17This psalm expresses a heart that understands God's true desire: not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but for a broken and contrite spirit, directly contrasting with the hollow outward worship described in Amos.
Matthew 23:23Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their meticulous attention to small matters of ritual while neglecting the weightier matters of the law like justice, mercy, and faithfulness, mirroring the hypocrisy Amos condemns.
barnesAmos 5:21: "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies."
Is the multitude - There was no deficiency in the amount of offerings. It was admitted that they complied in this respect with the requirements of the law; and that they offered an abundance of sacrifices, so numerous as to be called a multitude - רב rôb, a vast number. Hypocrites abound in outward religious observances just in proportion to their neglect of the spiritual requirements of God's word…
ellicottAmos 5:21: "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies."
(21, 22) These verses closely resemble the condemnation which Isaiah pronounces ( Amos 1:10-15 ) upon mere ritual, however punctilious, mere profession of orthodoxy, however exacting, which was not accompanied by righteousness and mercy, and was not the expression of inward penitence and purity. Will not smell in your . . .—A strong expression for “I take no delight in them.” That Baal worship, as we…
God declares He "hates" and "despises" their feasts, not because of the outward rituals themselves, but because these are "your feasts" – humanly devised celebrations, not truly His. He rejects them because they’re filled with empty religious performance lacking genuine obedience and love for Him.
Amos is addressing the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a time when they are outwardly religious, observing all the appointed festivals and offering numerous sacrifices. However, their worship is tainted by injustice, oppression, and a deep-seated idolatry that has corrupted their relationship with God. God's message is that He utterly rejects these hollow rituals because they are not accompanied by true repentance or a life of righteousness.
Amos is addressing the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a time when they are outwardly religious, observing all the appointed festivals and offering numerous sacrifices. However, their worship is tainted by injustice, oppression, and a deep-seated idolatry that has corrupted their relationship with God. God's message is that He utterly rejects these hollow rituals because they are not accompanied by true repentance or a life of righteousness.
"“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animal…" — God declares He "hates" and "despises" their feasts, not because of the outward rituals themselves, but because these are "your feasts" – humanly devised celebrations, not truly His. He rejects them…
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Last reviewed October 2026
