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Who really said it

Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream

Not Martin Luther King Jr. — it’s the prophet Amos The prophet Amos (Amos 5:24) 8th century BC · Hebrew prophet, Book of Amos
Disputed Free to reuse

These are the words of the prophet Amos, from Amos 5:24. The King James rendering reads “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” — the source of the “runs down like water…mighty stream” phrasing. Martin Luther King Jr. did not originate this line; he quoted and popularized it, most famously at the 1963 March on Washington, where his own wording was “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” The words are Scripture, so crediting them to King as their author is a misattribution.

Last verified 8 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” Amos 5:24 (Hebrew Bible); popularized by Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," 1963

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Martin Luther King Jr.. Use the credit shown above instead.

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In context

Evoking the world of Amos — Hebrew prophet & shepherd of Tekoa. Theme: "Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Provenance

The words are Amos 5:24

Work
Book of Amos, chapter 5, verse 24
Author of the words
The prophet Amos (Hebrew Bible)
Translation
Phrasing follows the King James Version (1611) & American Standard Version (1901)
Popularized by
Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” 28 Aug 1963

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Amos 5:23–24, King James Version (1611). The American Standard Version (1901) renders it “But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

Amos 5:24 across translations (Bible Hub)

How we verified this

  • The words are Scripture: Amos 5:24. The King James Version reads “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” (Bible Hub ↗).
  • Martin Luther King Jr. made the verse famous by paraphrasing it in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech — “we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” (HistoryNet transcript ↗).
  • The specific “runs down like water…mighty stream” wording tracks the KJV (“run down as waters…mighty stream”) and ASV (“justice roll down as waters…mighty stream”) — not King’s own “rolls down like waters” phrasing (translation comparison ↗).
Public domain

The line is Amos 5:24 from the Hebrew Bible, an ancient text. The renderings that carry this exact language — the King James Version (1611, “let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”) and the American Standard Version (1901) — are both firmly in the public domain, and the modernized “justice runs down like water” wording derives from that public-domain text.

Fact-check

Why it’s pinned on MLK

Because Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Amos 5:24 so powerfully and so often, the line is now routinely captioned as though he composed it. He didn’t — he was quoting the Bible.

Martin Luther King Jr. Popularizer, not author

King quoted the verse throughout his ministry and made it iconic at the 1963 March on Washington, but his own wording was “justice rolls down like waters” — a paraphrase of Amos, not an original composition (speech transcript ↗).

The King James / American Standard Version Actual source of the phrasing

“Runs down like water…mighty stream” matches the KJV (“judgment run down as waters…a mighty stream”) and ASV (“justice roll down as waters…a mighty stream”), not King’s spoken text (Bible Hub ↗).

The words belong to the prophet Amos (Amos 5:24 ↗); Martin Luther King Jr. borrowed and immortalized them, but did not write them.

Context

An ancient line, a modern movement

Amos 5:24 sits at the heart of the prophet’s attack on hollow worship: God rejects Israel’s festivals and songs and demands instead that justice and righteousness pour out like water that cannot be dammed. It is one of the oldest and starkest statements of social justice in Western scripture.

Martin Luther King Jr. returned to the verse again and again — in the 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, in letters and sermons — until it became fused with his own voice. Maya Lin later carved King’s rendering into the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery. The fusion is why the line is now so often miscredited to King as its author.

Let justice roll down like waters — the prophet’s demand, the preacher’s refrain.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Justice Truth

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Amos 5:24 — parallel translationsbiblehub.com

KJV, ASV, ESV and other renderings side by side, showing the “run down / roll down…mighty stream” language.
“I Have a Dream” full transcripthistorynet.com

King’s 1963 speech, containing “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
“I Have a Dream” speech (NPR transcript)npr.org

A second reliable full transcript of the March on Washington address.
Book of Amosen.wikipedia.org

Background on the prophet Amos and the 8th-century-BC book that contains 5:24.
“I Have a Dream” (Wikipedia)en.wikipedia.org

Context on King’s speech and its scriptural allusions, including Amos 5:24.

The true source

Amos, prophet of Tekoa

Amos

8th century BC · Hebrew prophet & shepherd of Tekoa

Amos was a herdsman and fig-grower from Tekoa in Judah who prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel around 760–750 BC, making him among the earliest of the literary prophets. His short book denounces empty ritual and social injustice, culminating in the demand of Amos 5:24 that justice and righteousness flow like unstoppable water. The verse became a rallying cry of the American civil-rights movement through Martin Luther King Jr., who quoted it repeatedly.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

Amos 5:24 (King James Version, 1611); the verse was famously paraphrased by Martin Luther King Jr. in “I Have a Dream,” Washington, D.C., 28 August 1963.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream’?” Last verified 8 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/justice-runs-down-like-water-and-righteousness-like-a

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