Reference: Amos
American
1. The fourth of the minor prophets, was a herdsman of Tekoah, a small town of Judah, about twelve miles south of Jerusalem. He prophesied, however, concerning Israel, at Bethel, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel, about B. C. 787, and was thus a contemporary of Hosea, Joel, and Isaiah. The first two chapters contain predictions against the surrounding nations, enemies of the people of God. But the ten tribes of Israel were the chief subjects of his prophecies. Their temporary prosperity under Jeroboam led to gross idolatry, injustice, and corruption; for which sins he denounces the judgments of God upon them: but he closes with cheering words of consolation. His holy boldness in reproving sin drew on him the wrath of the priests, who labored to procure his banishment, Am 7:10-17. In regard to style, Amos takes a high rank among the prophets. He is full of imagery, concise, and yet simple and perspicuous.
2. One of the ancestors of our Lord, Lu 3:25.
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Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land. read more. Also Amaziah said to Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there. But do not prophesy again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house. Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus says LORD: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou thyself shall die in a land that is unclean. And Israel shall
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
Easton
borne; a burden, one of the twelve minor prophets. He was a native of Tekota, the modern Tekua, a town about 12 miles south-east of Bethlehem. He was a man of humble birth, neither a "prophet nor a prophet's son," but "an herdman and a dresser of sycomore trees," R.V. He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and was contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea (Am 1:1; 7:14-15; Zec 14:5), who survived him a few years. Under Jeroboam II. the kingdom of Israel rose to the zenith of its prosperity; but that was followed by the prevalence of luxury and vice and idolatry. At this period Amos was called from his obscurity to remind the people of the law of God's retributive justice, and to call them to repentance.
The Book of Amos consists of three parts:
(1.) The nations around are summoned to judgment because of their sins (1:1-2:3). He quotes Joe 3:16.
(2.) The spiritual condition of Judah, and especially of Israel, is described (2:4-6:14).
(3.) In 7:1-9:10 are recorded five prophetic visions. (a) The first two (7:1-6) refer to judgments against the guilty people. (b) The next two (7:7-9; 8:1-3) point out the ripeness of the people for the threatened judgements. 7:10-17 consists of a conversation between the prophet and the priest of Bethel. (c) The fifth describes the overthrow and ruin of Israel (9:1-10); to which is added the promise of the restoration of the kingdom and its final glory in the Messiah's kingdom.
The style is peculiar in the number of the allusions made to natural objects and to agricultural occupations. Other allusions show also that Amos was a student of the law as well as a "child of nature." These phrases are peculiar to him: "Cleanness of teeth" [i.e., want of bread] (Am 4:6); "The excellency of Jacob" (Am 6:8; 8:7); "The high places of Isaac" (Am 7:9); "The house of Isaac" (Am 7:16); "He that createth the wind" (Am 4:13). Quoted, Ac 7:42.
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And LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake. But LORD will be a refuge to his people, and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places, yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD.
For, lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth--LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.
Lord LORD has sworn by himself, says LORD, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces, therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is therein.
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. read more. Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac.
LORD has sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
But God turned, and gave them over to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Fausets
("a burden".) Of Tekoah, in Judah, six miles S.E. of Bethlehem. A shepherd (probably owning flocks) and dresser of sycamore fig trees; specially called of the Lord to prophesy, though not educated in the prophets' schools (Am 1:1; 7:14-15). These personal notices occur only as connected with the discharge of his prophetic function; so entirely is self put in the shade by the inspired men of God, and God is made the one all-absorbing theme. Though of Judah, he exercised his ministry in the northern kingdom, Israel; not later than the 15th year of Uzziah of Judah, when Jeroboam II. (son of Joash) of Israel died (compare 1Ki 14:23 with 1Ki 15:1), in whose reign it is written he prophesied "two years before the earthquake"; compare Zec 14:5. Allusions to the earthquake appear in 5/8/type/acv'>Am 5:8; 6:11; 8:8; 9:1,5.
The divine sign in his view confirmed his words, which were uttered before, and which now after the earthquake were committed to writing in an orderly summary. The natural world, being from and under the same God, shows a mysterious sympathy with the spiritual world; compare Mt 24:7; 27:50-54. Probably Amos prophesied about the middle of Jeroboam's reign, when his conquests had been achieved (Am 6:13-14; compare 2Ki 14:25-27), just before Assyria's first attack on Israel, for he does not definitely name that power: Am 1:5; 5:27 (Ho 10:6; 11:5). The two forces from God acted simultaneously by His appointment, the invading hosts from without arresting Israel's attention for the prophet's message from God within the land, and the prophets showing the spiritual meaning of those invasions, as designed to lead Israel to repentance.
This accounts for the outburst of prophetic fire in Uzziah's and his successors' reigns. The golden calves, the forbidden representation of Jehovah, not Baal, were the object of worship in Jeroboam's reign, as being the great grandson of Jehu, who had purged out Baal worship, but retained the calves. Israel, as abounding in impostors, needed the more true prophets of God from Judah to warn her. Her prophets often fled to Judah from fear of her kings. Oppression, luxury, weariness of religious ordinances as interrupting worldly pursuits, were rife: Am 8:4-5; 3:15. The king's sanctuary and summer palace were at Bethel (Am 7:13); here Amos was opposed by Amaziah for his faithful reproofs, and informed against to Jeroboam. (See AMAZIAH.) Like the prophet in 1 Kings 13, Amos went up from Judah to Bethel to denounce the idol calf at the risk of his life.
Calf worship prevailed also at Dan, Gilgal, and Beersheba, in Judah (Am 4:4; 5:5; 8:14), blended with Jehovah's worship (Am 5:14,21-26); 2Ki 17:32-33, compare Eze 20:39.
The book is logically connected, and is divisible into four parts. Am 1:1 to Am 2:13; the sins of Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, the neighbors of Israel and Judah Am 2:4 to Am 6:14; Israel's own state and consequent punishment; the same coasts "from the entering in of Hamath," which Jeroboam has just recovered from Syria, shall be "afflicted," and the people carried into "captivity beyond Damascus" (Am 5:27). Am 7:1-9:10; Amos's visions of grasshoppers devouring the grass, and fire the land and deep, both removed by his intercession; the plumb line marking the buildings for destruction; Amaziah's interruption at Bethel, and foretold doom; the basket of summer fruits marking Israel's end by the year's end; the Lord standing upon the altar, and commanding the lintel to be smitten, symbolizing Israel's destruction as a kingdom, but individually not one righteous man shall perish.
Am 9:11-15; David's fallen tabernacle shall be raised, the people re-established in prosperity in their own land, no more to be pulled out, and the conversion of the pagan shall follow the establishment of the theocracy finally; compare Am 9:12 with Ac 15:17. Reference to agricultural life and the phenomena of nature abounds, in consonance with his own former occupation, an undesigned propriety and mark of truth: Am 1:3; 2:13; 3:4-5; 4:2,7,9/type/acv'>9; 5:18-19/type/acv'>9; 6:12; 7:1; 9/type/acv'>9:3,9/type/acv'>9,13-14. The first six chapters are without figure; the last three symbolical, with the explanation subjoined. He assumes his readers' knowledge of the Pentateuch, and that the people's religious ritual (excepting the golden calves) accords with the Mosaic law, an incidental confirmation of the truth of the Pentateuch.
Stephen (Ac 7:42) quotes Am 5:25-27; and James (Ac 15:16) quotes Am 9:11. Philo, Josephus, the Talmud, Justin Martyr, the catalogues of Melito, Jerome, and the council of Laodicea, confirm the canonicity of Amos. His use of the names Adonai (Lord) and God of hosts marks that Jehovah, Israel's covenant God, is universal Lord. Characteristic and peculiar phrases occur: "cleanness of teeth," i.e., want of bread (Am 4:6); "the excellency of Jacob" (Am 6:8; 8:7); "the high places of Isaac" (Am 7:9), "the house of Isaac" (Am 7:16); "he that createth the wind" (Am 4:13). Hosea, his contemporary, survived him a few years.
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For they also built for them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
For they also built for them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.
He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. For LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter, for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel.
For LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter, for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel. And LORD did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
And LORD did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
So they feared LORD, and made for them priests of the high places from among themselves, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
So they feared LORD, and made for them priests of the high places from among themselves, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
They feared LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus says lord LORD: Go ye. Serve each one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken to me. But ye shall no more profane my holy name with your gifts, and with your idols.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus says lord LORD: Go ye. Serve each one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken to me. But ye shall no more profane my holy name with your gifts, and with your idols.
It shall also be carried to Assyria for a present to king Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
It shall also be carried to Assyria for a present to king Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
They shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be their king, because they refused to return [to me].
They shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be their king, because they refused to return [to me].
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron.
Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron.
And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and he who holds the scepter from the house of Eden, and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir, says LORD.
And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and he who holds the scepter from the house of Eden, and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir, says LORD.
Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have rejected the law of LORD, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, accord
Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have rejected the law of LORD, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, accord
Behold, I will press [you] in your place, as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
Behold, I will press [you] in your place, as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
Behold, I will press [you] in your place, as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
Behold, I will press [you] in your place, as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has taken nothing?
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no net is [set] for him? Shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no net is [set] for him? Shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, says LORD.
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, says LORD.
Lord LORD has sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.
Lord LORD has sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.
Come to Bethel and transgress, to Gilgal [and] multiply transgression. And bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes every three days.
Come to Bethel and transgress, to Gilgal [and] multiply transgression. And bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes every three days.
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places, yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD.
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places, yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD. And I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest. And I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece upon which it
And I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest. And I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece upon which it
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. The multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees the palmer-worm has devoured. Yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD.
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. The multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees the palmer-worm has devoured. Yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD.
For, lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth--LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.
For, lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth--LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.
But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught.
But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught.
[seek him] who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth (LORD is his name),
[seek him] who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth (LORD is his name),
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, and so LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, and so LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.
Woe to you who desire the day of LORD! Why would ye have the day of LORD? It is darkness, and not light.
Woe to you who desire the day of LORD! Why would ye have the day of LORD? It is darkness, and not light. As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Did ye bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god {Remphan (LXX/NT)}, your images which ye made to yourselves.
Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god {Remphan (LXX/NT)}, your images which ye made to yourselves.
Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god {Remphan (LXX/NT)}, your images which ye made to yourselves.
Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god {Remphan (LXX/NT)}, your images which ye made to yourselves. Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Lord LORD has sworn by himself, says LORD, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces, therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is therein.
Lord LORD has sworn by himself, says LORD, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces, therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is therein.
For, behold, LORD commands, and the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
For, behold, LORD commands, and the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts. Shall horses run upon the rock? Will [a man] plow [there] with oxen? That ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
Shall horses run upon the rock? Will [a man] plow [there] with oxen? That ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood, ye who rejoice in a thing of nothing, who say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
ye who rejoice in a thing of nothing, who say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O lord LORD, forgive, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small?
And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O lord LORD, forgive, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small? LORD relented concerning this. It shall not be, says LORD.
LORD relented concerning this. It shall not be, says LORD. Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, lord LORD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, lord LORD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land. Then I said, O lord LORD, cease, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small?
Then I said, O lord LORD, cease, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small? LORD relented concerning this. This also shall not be, says lord LORD.
LORD relented concerning this. This also shall not be, says lord LORD. Thus he showed me: And, behold, LORD stood beside a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand.
Thus he showed me: And, behold, LORD stood beside a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And LORD said to me, Amos, what do thou see? And I said, A plumb-line. Then LORD said, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.
And LORD said to me, Amos, what do thou see? And I said, A plumb-line. Then LORD said, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more. And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
But do not prophesy again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house.
But do not prophesy again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house. Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees.
Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac.
Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac.
Hear this, O ye who would swallow up a needy man, and cause the poor of the land to fail,
Hear this, O ye who would swallow up a needy man, and cause the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit,
saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit,
LORD has sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
LORD has sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells therein? Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the River, and it shall be troubled and sink again like the River of Egypt.
Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells therein? Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the River, and it shall be troubled and sink again like the River of Egypt.
Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As thy god, O Dan, lives, and, As the way of Beersheba lives, they shall fall, and never rise up again.
Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As thy god, O Dan, lives, and, As the way of Beersheba lives, they shall fall, and never rise up again.
I saw LORD standing beside the altar. And he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake, and break them in pieces on the head of all of them, and I will kill the last of them with the sword. There shall not one of them
I saw LORD standing beside the altar. And he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake, and break them in pieces on the head of all of them, and I will kill the last of them with the sword. There shall not one of them
And though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there. And though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
And though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there. And though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
For the Lord, LORD of hosts, [is] he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell therein shall mourn. And it shall rise up wholly like the River, and shall sink again like the River of Egypt.
For the Lord, LORD of hosts, [is] he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell therein shall mourn. And it shall rise up wholly like the River, and shall sink again like the River of Egypt.
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, just as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet the least kernel shall not fall upon the earth.
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, just as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet the least kernel shall not fall upon the earth.
In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old,
In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old,
In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old,
In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says LORD who does this.
that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says LORD who does this.
that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says LORD who does this.
that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says LORD who does this. Behold, the days come, says LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days come, says LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days come, says LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days come, says LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of it. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of it. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of it. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of it. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says LORD thy God.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says LORD thy God.
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, just as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And LORD my God shall come, a
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in places.
And Jesus, having cried out again in a great voice, yielded up his spirit.
And Jesus, having cried out again in a great voice, yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split, and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose.
and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose. And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
But God turned, and gave them over to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
But God turned, and gave them over to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David that has fallen. And I will rebuild the things of it that have been demolished, and I will restore it,
After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David that has fallen. And I will rebuild the things of it that have been demolished, and I will restore it, so that the rest of men might seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called upon them, says the Lord, who does these things.
so that the rest of men might seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called upon them, says the Lord, who does these things.
Hastings
AMOS
1. The man.
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And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their god is a god of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
Then [Jehu] said to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, LORD laid this burden upon him:
In those days LORD began to cut off from Israel. And Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel,
For he did not leave to Jehoahaz of the people except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing.
The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said, LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the pastures of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have sold a righteous man for silver, and a needy man for a pair of shoes-- those who pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek. And a man and his father go to the [same] maiden, to profane my holy name. read more. And they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge. And in the house of their God they drink the wine of such as have been fined.
And they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge. And in the house of their God they drink the wine of such as have been fined.
And flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, nor shall the mighty deliver himself. Neither shall he stand who handles the bow. And he who is swift of foot shall not deliver [himself], nor shall he who rides the horse deliver himself. read more. And he who is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says LORD.
And he who is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says LORD.
You only I have known of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.
The lion has roared, who will not fear? Lord LORD has spoken, who can but prophesy?
For they do not know to do right, says LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
Thus says LORD: As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria in the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.
Thus says LORD: As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria in the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed. Hear ye, and testify against the house of Jacob, says lord LORD, the God of hosts. read more. For in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, says LORD.
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, says LORD.
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, says LORD.
Hear this word, ye cows of Bashan, who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their lords, Bring, and let us drink. Lord LORD has sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks. read more. And ye shall go out at the breaches, each one straight before her, and ye shall cast [yourselves] into Harmon, says LORD. Come to Bethel and transgress, to Gilgal [and] multiply transgression. And bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes every three days. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings, and publish them. For this pleases you, O ye sons of Israel, says lord LORD.
For, lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth--LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.
But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught.
Inasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions of wheat from him. Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them. Ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof. For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins--ye who afflict the just man, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the gate [from their right].
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. read more. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Did ye bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore they shall now go captive with the first who go captive, and the revelry of those who stretched themselves shall pass away.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says LORD, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O lord LORD, forgive, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small? read more. LORD relented concerning this. It shall not be, says LORD. Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, lord LORD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land. Then I said, O lord LORD, cease, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small? LORD relented concerning this. This also shall not be, says lord LORD. Thus he showed me: And, behold, LORD stood beside a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And LORD said to me, Amos, what do thou see? And I said, A plumb-line. Then LORD said, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more. And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.
For thus Amos says: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land. Also Amaziah said to Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there.
Also Amaziah said to Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there.
Also Amaziah said to Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there. But do not prophesy again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house.
But do not prophesy again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house. Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees.
Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac.
Now therefore hear thou the word of LORD: Thou say, Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop [thy word] against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus says LORD: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou thyself shall die in a land that is unclean. And Israel shall
Therefore thus says LORD: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou thyself shall die in a land that is unclean. And Israel shall
Therefore thus says LORD: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou thyself shall die in a land that is unclean. And Israel shall
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what do thou see? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then LORD said to me, The end has come upon my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more. read more. And the songs of the temple shall be wailings in that day, says lord LORD. The dead bodies shall be many. In every place they shall cast them forth with silence.
saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit, that we may buy the poor for silver, and a needy man for a pair of shoes, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells therein? Yea, it shall rise up wholly like the River, and it shall be troubled and sink again like the River of Egypt.
I saw LORD standing beside the altar. And he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake, and break them in pieces on the head of all of them, and I will kill the last of them with the sword. There shall not one of them
I saw LORD standing beside the altar. And he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake, and break them in pieces on the head of all of them, and I will kill the last of them with the sword. There shall not one of them Though they dig into Sheol, from there my hand shall take them, and though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. read more. And though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there. And though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them. And I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. For the Lord, LORD of hosts, [is] he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell therein shall mourn. And it shall rise up wholly like the River, and shall sink again like the River of Egypt.
For the Lord, LORD of hosts, [is] he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell therein shall mourn. And it shall rise up wholly like the River, and shall sink again like the River of Egypt. He who builds his chambers in the heavens, and has founded his vault upon the earth, he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth, LORD is his name. read more. Are ye not as the sons of the Ethiopians to me, O sons of Israel? says LORD. Have I not brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
Are ye not as the sons of the Ethiopians to me, O sons of Israel? says LORD. Have I not brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
Are ye not as the sons of the Ethiopians to me, O sons of Israel? says LORD. Have I not brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of lord LORD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says LORD. read more. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, just as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet the least kernel shall not fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us. In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof. And I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says LORD who does this. Behold, the days come, says LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of it. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says LORD thy God.
Morish
A'mos
One of the minor Prophets, a native of Tekoa in Judah, possibly the father of the prophet Isaiah. He told Amaziah, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdsman and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." Am 7:14-15. His language indicates an acquaintance with things that would be familiar to one leading an agricultural life: cf. Am 2:13; 3:12; 4:9; 5:8; 6:12; 7:1-2. He tells us that his prophecy was given in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and of Jeroboam II, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake; or at least began at that time. Am 1:1. For about 25 years these two kings were contemporaneous: B.C. 810-785.
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The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Behold, I will press [you] in your place, as a cart presses that is full of sheaves.
Thus says LORD: As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria in the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. The multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees the palmer-worm has devoured. Yet ye have not returned to me, says LORD.
[seek him] who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth (LORD is his name),
Shall horses run upon the rock? Will [a man] plow [there] with oxen? That ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
Thus lord LORD showed me: And, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O lord LORD, forgive, I beseech thee. How shall Jacob stand, for he is small?
Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
Smith
A'mos
(burden), native of Tekoa in Judah, about six miles south of Bethlehem, originally a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees, who was called by God s Spirit to be a prophet, although not trained in any of the regular prophetic schools.
He travelled from Judah into the northern kingdom of Israel or Ephraim, and there exercised his ministry, apparently not for any long time. (His date cannot be later than B.C. 808 for he lived in the reigns of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel; but his ministry probably took place at an earlier date, perhaps about the middle of Jeroboam's reign Nothing is known of the time or manner of his death.--ED.)
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The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. And LORD took me from following the flock, and LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
Watsons
AMOS, the fourth of the minor prophets, who in his youth had been a herdsman in Tekoa, a small town about four leagues southward of Jerusalem. He was sent to the people of Samaria, to bring them back to God by repentance, and reformation of manners. Hence it is natural to suppose that he must have been born within the territories of Israel, and that he only retired to Tekoa, on being expelled from Bethel by Amaziah, the priest of the calves at Bethel. He frequently complains of the violence offered him by those who endeavoured to impose silence on him. He boldly inveighs against the crying sins of the Israelites, such as idolatry, oppression, wantonness, and obstinacy. Nor does he spare the sins of Judah, such as their carnal security, sensuality, and injustice. He utters frequent threatenings against them both, and predicts their ruin. It is observable in this prophecy, that, as it begins with denunciations of judgment and destruction against the Syrians, Philistines, Tyrians, and other enemies of the Jews, so it concludes with comfortable promises of the restoration of the tabernacle of David, and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. Amos was called to the prophetic office in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Some writers, in adverting to the condition of Amos, have, with a minute affectation of criticism, pretended to discover a certain rudeness and vulgarity in his style; and even Jerom is of opinion that he is deficient in magnificence and sublimity. He applies to him the words which St. Paul speaks of himself, that he was rude in speech, though not in knowledge; and his authority, says Bishop Lowth, "has influenced many commentators to represent him as entirely rude, and void of elegance; whereas it requires but little attention to be convinced that he is not a whit behind the very chiefest of the prophets;" equal to the greatest in loftiness of sentiment, and scarcely inferior, to any in the splendour of his diction, and in the elegance of his composition. Mr. Locke has observed, that his comparisons are chiefly drawn from lions, and other animals, because he lived among, and was conversant with, such objects. But, indeed, the finest images and allusions, which adorn the poetical parts of Scripture, in general are drawn from scenes of nature, and from the grand objects that range in her walks; and true genius ever delights in considering these as the real sources of beauty and magnificence. The whole book of Amos is animated with a fine and masculine eloquence.