Amo 5:10-13 | TNotes | STEP | 5:10 Amos resumes the thought begun in 5:7 . Israel’s courts, controlled by the wealthy, depended on corrupt judges and hired witnesses. They had no use for what was true, but only for what was expedient to their own cause (5:12 ).

‏ Amos 5:10-13

5:10 ^a Amos resumes the thought begun in 5:7 ^b. Israel’s courts, controlled by the wealthy, depended on corrupt judges and hired witnesses. They had no use for what was true, but only for what was expedient to their own cause (5:12 ^c).
5:11 ^d stone houses: Again, Amos targets the rich. The houses of peasants were built of mud brick. Cut stone, the result of laborious handwork, was very expensive.
5:13 ^e Witnesses pleaded that they saw and heard nothing. Truthfulness had become a liability (5:10 ^f) and might endanger the one who spoke it.