Amos 5:11

11 You walk on poor people, forcing them to give you grain. You have built fancy houses of cut stone, but you will not live in them. You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink the wine from them.

Amos 5:11 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 5:11

Forasmuch therefore as your treading [is] upon the poor
This seems to be spoken to the princes, judges, and civil magistrates, as Kimchi observes; who oppressed the poor and needy, and crushed them to the ground, trampled upon them, stripped them of the little substance they had, and left them destitute; exercising a cruel and tyrannical power over them, they having none to stand by them, and deliver them: and ye take from him burdens of wheat;
which perhaps he had been gleaning in the field, and was carrying home for the support of his family; or which he had gotten with great labour, and was all he had in the world: this they took away from him, for the payment of pretended debts, or lawsuits; or as not in right belonging to him, but taken out of fields where he should not have entered: ye have built houses of hewn stones;
in a very grand and pompous manner for themselves and their children, with money they had extorted from the poor, and got by oppression and injustice: but ye shall not dwell in them;
at least but a very short time; for quickly and suddenly the enemy will come and turn you out of them, and destroy them, which would be a just retaliation for their spoiling the houses of the poor: ye have planted pleasant vineyards:
well situated, and filled with the choicest vines, which promise a large produce of the best wine: but ye shall not drink wine of them;
for before the grapes are fully ripe they should be either taken away by death, or be carried captive, and others should dwell in their houses, and drink the wine of their vineyards.

Amos 5:11 In-Context

9 He destroys the protected city; he ruins the strong, walled city.
10 You hate those who speak in court against evil, and you can't stand those who tell the truth.
11 You walk on poor people, forcing them to give you grain. You have built fancy houses of cut stone, but you will not live in them. You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink the wine from them.
12 I know your many crimes, your terrible sins. You hurt people who do right, you take money to do wrong, and you keep the poor from getting justice in court.
13 In such times the wise person will keep quiet, because it is a bad time.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.