1. Amos 2:8 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does it mean to lie down on garments taken in pledge?

Amos 2:8 (ESV)

8 they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

This refers to the practice of taking a garment as security for a loan. Normally only unnecessary garments could be taken from a debtor and they had to be returned (i.e., they could not be kept overnight). The Israelites were thus breaking biblical law and exploiting those who are poor (Exodus 22:26–27).