עמוס, פרק ד׳, פסוק ד׳

The prophet addresses the people with biting irony, mocking their mistaken belief that an abundance of sacrifices can somehow make up for their sins. Rather than commanding them to stop their wrongdoing, he sarcastically invites them to deepen their invalid worship, highlighting the depth of their spiritual blindness. The primary approach among commentators is that this call to sin is not a genuine instruction, but rather an exaggeration and a taunt. The prophet speaks to them in the way one might speak to a wicked person: continue doing as you please until your measure of sin is completely full and you finally receive your punishment [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

He directs them to Bethel because it served as the religious center of the Kingdom of Israel, the very place where Jeroboam erected the golden calf [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. He then calls on them to travel to Gilgal and multiply their offenses even further. Gilgal was an ancient religious site where the Tabernacle originally stood after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. False prophets deliberately exploited the sacred history of this location to legitimize the idolatry practiced there [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Ultimately, the transgressions committed in Gilgal are viewed as even greater and more severe than those in Bethel [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

Regarding their routine of bringing sacrifices and tithes, commentators present two distinct views on the nature of the people's worship. One approach suggests that the people simply copied the laws of the Torah and applied them to their idolatry. In this view, they diligently brought sacrifices every morning and offered tithes every three years. Just as the Torah required bringing tithes to the Temple every third year, the people strictly adhered to this schedule, but directed their offerings to the calves and idols in Bethel and Gilgal [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

Conversely, another perspective paints the exact opposite picture, arguing that the people intentionally acted contrary to God's commands. They did this under the assumption that the idolatrous priests were lenient and forgiving. For example, while the Torah strictly forbids leaving the fats of a sacrifice until the morning, the people deliberately brought their offerings to be left for the morning. Furthermore, while the Torah mandates that minor holy offerings must be consumed within two days, the people left their animal tithes for three days, waiting to eat them only on the third day [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל].