Amos 5:7

“Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, etc.] This seems to be spoken to kings and judges, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi observe; in whose hands is the administration of justice, and who often pervert it, as these did here addressed and complained of; that which was the most useful and salubrious, and so the most desirable to the commonwealth, namely, just judgment, was changed into the reverse, what was as bitter and as disagreeable as wormwood; or “hemlock”, as it might be rendered, and as it is in (<300612>Amos 6:12); even injustice: and leave off righteousness in the earth; leave off doing it among men: or rather, “leave [it] on the earth”f123; who cast it down to the ground, trampled upon it, and…”

“turn judgment to wormwood--that is, pervert it to most bitter wrong. As justice is sweet, so injustice is bitter to the injured. "Wormwood" is from a Hebrew root, to "execrate," on account of its noxious and bitter qualities. leave on righteousness in . . . earth--MAURER translates, "cast righteousness to the ground," as in Isa 28:2; Dan 8:12.”

“Ye who turn - Those whom he calls to seek God, were people filled with all injustice, who turned the sweetness of justice into the bitterness of wormwood . Moses had used “gall” and “wormwood” as a proverb; “lest there be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; the Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him” Deuteronomy 29:18, Deuteronomy 29:20. The word of Amos would remind them of the word of Moses. And leave off righteousness in the earth - Better, “and set righteousness to rest on the ground” . They dethroned righteousness, the representative and…”

“Ye - Rulers and judges. Judgment - The righteous sentence of the law. To wormwood - Proverbially understood; bitterness, injustice and oppression. Leave off - Make to cease in your courts of judicature. Amos 5:8”

“turn: Amo 5:11, Amo 5:12, Amo 6:12; Deu 29:18; Isa 1:23, Isa 5:7, Isa 10:1, Isa 59:13, Isa 59:14; Hos 10:4; Hab 1:12-14 leave: Psa 36:3, Psa 125:5; Eze 3:20, Eze 18:24, Eze 33:12, Eze 33:13, Eze 33:18; Zep 1:6 Amos 5:8”