Original Word: בָּשַׁס
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: bashac
Pronunciation: bah-shash
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-shas')
KJV: tread
NASB: impose heavy rent
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to trample down

tread

A primitive root; to trample down -- tread.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to trample
NASB Translation
impose heavy rent (1).

[בשׁס] verb Po`el Infinitive suffix בּוֺשַׁסְכֶם Amos 5:11 probably your trampling (by dissimilation from בּוּס) followed by עַל.

בּשֶׁת see below בושׁ.

Scriptural Setting

The verb בָּשַׁס appears once, in Amos 5:11, where Amos confronts the land-owning elite of the Northern Kingdom: “Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine of the lush vineyards you have planted.”

Historical Context

• Date and Audience: Amos prophesied during the long, outwardly prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (circa 793–753 B.C.). Wealth increased through trade and military expansion, yet covenant fidelity eroded.
• Social Conditions: Prosperity created a class of land barons who acquired estates by foreclosure and heavy rents, pushing tenant farmers off ancestral allotments. Archaeological strata from eighth-century Samaria reveal luxurious ivory-inlaid furniture (cf. Amos 6:4), underscoring the prophet’s charges.
• Legal Backdrop: Mosaic legislation (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:8-17; Deuteronomy 24:14-15) protected smallholders and day-laborers. By “trampling,” the wealthy nullified these statutes, inviting covenant sanctions spelled out in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

Theological Emphasis

1. Sin against Imago Dei: Exploiting the poor desecrates persons made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27; Proverbs 14:31).
2. Violation of Stewardship: Land was Yahweh’s gift, entrusted, not possessed absolutely (Leviticus 25:23). Using it to strip others of dignity rebels against the Giver.
3. Certain Judgment: Amos links social oppression to impending exile (Amos 5:27). The causal connector “Therefore” highlights divine retribution as morally logical, not arbitrary.
4. Eschatological Overtones: Amos anticipates the Day of the Lord (Amos 5:18-20). Economic injustice becomes evidence that Israel will experience that day as darkness, prefiguring final judgment where Christ will “judge with justice” (Acts 17:31).

Inter-Canonical Parallels

• Prophetic: Isaiah 3:15; Micah 2:2; Habakkuk 2:9-12.
• Wisdom: Proverbs 22:22-23; 28:27.
• Gospel Witness: Luke 4:18; Luke 6:24-26—Jesus denounces wealth hoarded at others’ expense.
• Apostolic Teaching: James 5:1-6; 1 John 3:17—echo the moral trajectory set in Amos.

Applications for Ministry

• Preaching: Use Amos 5:11 to expose contemporary forms of exploitation—predatory lending, unjust labor practices, corruption. Ground application in the unchanging character of God, who “shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11).
• Pastoral Care: Encourage believers to practice neighbor-love through fair wages, generous giving, and advocacy for the vulnerable (Galatians 6:10).
• Discipleship: Teach stewardship as service, not self-indulgence; wealth is a trust to advance kingdom priorities (Matthew 6:19-21).
• Corporate Witness: Churches can model jubilee principles by debt relief initiatives, benevolence funds, and partnerships with local agencies combating poverty.

Homiletical Outline (Sample)

1. The Crime: Trampling on the poor (Amos 5:11a).
2. The Cost: Divine reversal of ill-gotten gains (5:11b).
3. The Cure: Seek the Lord and live (5:6, 14). Emphasize repentance that bears fruit in equitable practices.

Devotional Reflection

Meditating on Amos 5:11 challenges each believer to examine personal attitudes toward possessions. Christ, who “though He was rich, yet for your sake became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9), empowers His people to live counter-culturally—lifting the lowly rather than trampling them.

Key Takeaways

• בָּשַׁס highlights a concrete act—crushing the disadvantaged—that violates covenant love.
• God’s judgment against such oppression is certain, comprehensive, and rooted in His righteous character.
• The gospel supplies both the motive and the means for transforming economic relationships, moving from exploitation to service in imitation of Christ.

בּוֹשַׁסְכֶ֞ם בושסכם bō·wō·šas·ḵem boshasChem bōwōšasḵemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts