that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights a chilling reversal: instead of God's commanded holy days, they're eager to buy up the poor for a pittance, treating human lives as mere commodities. Even more damning is their willingness to sell the "refuse of the wheat" – the worthless chaff – demonstrating a greed so profound they profit even from what should be discarded.
that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Amos is exposing the wealthy elite who are corruptly manipulating the marketplace and exploiting the poor. In the preceding verse, he describes their eagerness for religious festivals to end so they can resume their dishonest business practices. Now, he reveals the brutal outcome: they reduce the needy to such destitution that they can be bought for mere silver or a pair of sandals, essentially becoming slaves, and to add insult to injury, they profit by selling even the worthless chaff of wheat.
Imagine a world where people can be bought and sold for next to nothing. Amos paints a picture of extreme exploitation where the desperate are treated as commodities.
The wealthy merchants in Amos's day weren't just being unfair; they were actively creating the conditions for people's ruin. By cheating them in daily transactions – short measures, inflated prices – they drove the poor deeper into debt.
The Ultimate Commodity
This desperation allowed the oppressors to "buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals." This wasn't just about acquiring labor; it was about reducing fellow human beings, made in God's image, to mere property. The "silver" or "pair of sandals" represents the shockingly low value placed on a person's freedom and dignity when desperation takes hold.
A Cycle of Exploitation
This practice highlights a brutal cycle: economic injustice leads to debt, debt leads to forced servitude, and that servitude further enriches the oppressors. It's a stark reminder that greed doesn't just harm individuals; it can corrupt entire social systems.
What do you do with the waste after you've harvested your grain? Amos reveals that even the unusable scraps were part of the merchants' profitable scheme.
Beyond exploiting people, these merchants were equally ruthless with their goods. They didn't just sell honest grain; they sold the absolute worst quality.
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The "Refuse of the Wheat"
The phrase "the refuse of the wheat" refers to what would normally be thrown away – the chaff, the broken grains, anything that fell through the sieve because it was empty or damaged. It was essentially animal feed, unfit for human consumption.
Profit Over Integrity
This highlights a complete lack of integrity. In times of scarcity, when people were desperate for any food, these merchants would palm off this worthless refuse on them, making a profit even from waste. They were willing to sell things that had no nutritional value, simply because they could still get a price for them, prioritizing their own gain above the well-being and sustenance of others.
Understand the original words
dal · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
A general term for those lacking material resources, social power, or legal standing; in Scripture, the poor are often the objects of God's special concern and justice.
ebyon · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Those who are lacking or in need, often used in parallel with the poor to emphasize vulnerability and the failure of society to provide for their welfare.
mabbara · Hebrew Noun
The refuse or husks of wheat, used metaphorically to represent that which is worthless, insignificant, or fit for destruction.
Amos's prophecy wasn't just about abstract economic principles; it was a fiery indictment of how the wealthy elite in Israel actively engineered the poverty of others to profit from their desperation, even selling them into slavery for trivial amounts or peddling worthless goods.
c. 760 BC
Amos prophesies during a time of prosperity
Israel, particularly the Northern Kingdom (Samaria), experienced significant economic growth and stability under King Jeroboam II. This prosperity, however, masked deep social and religious corruption.
c. 760 BC— this verse
Amos condemns social injustice and oppression
Amos directly confronts the wealthy elite for exploiting the poor through dishonest business practices, bribery, and the abuse of the legal system. They enriched themselves at the expense of the vulnerable.
c. 750s BC
Assyrian expansion poses a looming threat
While Israel enjoyed peace, the powerful Assyrian Empire was expanding its influence in the region, a reality that would later bring destruction and exile.
c. 740 BC
Prophetic voice diminishes after Amos
Following Amos, other prophets like Hosea and Isaiah continued to call Israel to repentance, but the warnings often went unheeded.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, and its population was exiled, fulfilling the severe judgment threatened by prophets like Amos.
This passage directly addresses the dire consequence of poverty where individuals might be forced into a form of servitude to repay debts, highlighting the legal and social framework that Amos’s prophecy critiques.
Amos 2:6This verse in Amos provides a parallel indictment of similar exploitative practices, mentioning the selling of the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, reinforcing the severity and pattern of injustice.
Micah 6:10-12Micah condemns a similar economic injustice, where dishonest scales and dishonest wealth are used, showing that this corruption was a widespread problem among God's people.
Proverbs 28:11This proverb warns that a rich person may be wise in their own eyes, but a poor and knowing person can see right through them, reflecting the self-deception of those who practice such exploitation.
Luke 16:10-11Jesus teaches about faithfulness in financial matters, contrasting true stewardship with the unrighteous mammon pursued by many, which echoes the greed described in Amos.
gillAmos 8:6: "That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?"
That we may buy the poor for silver,.... Thus making them pay dear for their provisions, and using them in this fraudulent manner, by which they would not be able to support themselves and their families; they might purchase them and theirs for slaves, at so small a price as a piece of silver, or a single shekel, worth about half a crown; and this was their end and design i…
barnesAmos 8:6: "That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?"
That we may buy - Or, indignantly, "To buy the poor!" literally, "the afflicted," those in "low" estate. First, by dishonesty and oppression they gained their lands and goods. Then the poor were obliged to sell themselves. The slight price, for which a man was sold, showed the more contempt for "the image of God." Before, he said, "the needy" were "sold for a pair of sandal…
The verse highlights a chilling reversal: instead of God's commanded holy days, they're eager to buy up the poor for a pittance, treating human lives as mere commodities. Even more damning is their willingness to sell the "refuse of the wheat" – the worthless chaff – demonstrating a greed so profound they profit even from what should be discarded.
The prophet Amos is exposing the wealthy elite who are corruptly manipulating the marketplace and exploiting the poor. In the preceding verse, he describes their eagerness for religious festivals to end so they can resume their dishonest business practices. Now, he reveals the brutal outcome: they reduce the needy to such destitution that they can be bought for mere silver or a pair of sandals, essentially becoming slaves, and to add insult to injury, they profit by selling even the worthless chaff of wheat.
The prophet Amos is exposing the wealthy elite who are corruptly manipulating the marketplace and exploiting the poor. In the preceding verse, he describes their eagerness for religious festivals to end so they can resume their dishonest business practices. Now, he reveals the brutal outcome: they reduce the needy to such destitution that they can be bought for mere silver or a pair of sandals, essentially becoming slaves, and to add insult to injury, they profit by selling even the worthless chaff of wheat.
"that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?”" — The verse highlights a chilling reversal: instead of God's commanded holy days, they're eager to buy up the poor for a pittance, treating human lives as mere commodities. Even more damning is their w…
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Last reviewed October 2026