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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And Amaziah priest of the house of God, will send to Jeroboam, kind of Israel, saying, Amos conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land will not be able to endure all his words. For thus said Amos: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel being taken captive shall be carried away captive from his land. read more. And Amaziah will say to Amos, Thou seer, go flee for thyself to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and there shalt thou prophesy. And thou shalt no more add to prophesy in the house of God, for it is the king's holy place, and it is the house of the kingdom. And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel. And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak. For this, thus said Jehovah: Thy wife shall commit fornication in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die upon a polluted land: and Israel being taken captive shall be carried into captivity from his land.
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 Jehovah shall cry out from Zion, and from Jerusalem he shall give his voice; and the heavens and the earth trembled: and Jehovah the refuge to his people, and the fortress to the sons of Israel.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
And also I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
For behold, he forming the mountains and creating the wind, and announcing to man his meditation, making the morning darkness and treading upon the heights of the earth, Jehovah, God of armies his name
The Lord Jehovah sware by his soul, says Jehovah God of armies: I abhor the pride of Jacob and I hated his palaces: and I delivered up the city and its fulness.
And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel. read more. And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak.
Jehovah sware by the pride of Jacob, If I will forget forever all their works.
And ye fled to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to the side, and ye fled as ye fled from the face of the shaking in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and Jehovah my God came, all the holy ones with thee.
And God turned, and delivered them up to serve the army of heaven; as it has been written in the book of the prophets, Slain victims and sacrifices brought ye not to me forty years in the desert, 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/juliasmith'>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/juliasmith'>9; 5:18-19/type/juliasmith'>9; 6:12; 7:1; 9/type/juliasmith'>9:3,9/type/juliasmith'>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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And they will also build to them heights and statues, and pillars, upon every high hill, and, under every green tree.
And they will also build to them heights and statues, and pillars, upon every high hill, and, under every green tree.
And in the eighteenth year to Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam reigned over Judah.
And in the eighteenth year to Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam reigned over Judah.
He turned back the bound of Is reel from the entrance of Hamath, even to the sea of the sterile region, according to the word of Jehovah the God of Israel which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, which was of the winepress of the pit.
He turned back the bound of Is reel from the entrance of Hamath, even to the sea of the sterile region, according to the word of Jehovah the God of Israel which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, which was of the winepress of the pit. For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel exceedingly bitter, and none shut up, and none left, and no helper to Israel.
For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel exceedingly bitter, and none shut up, and none left, and no helper to Israel. And Jehovah spake not to wipe away the name of Israel from under the heavens: and he will save them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash.
And Jehovah spake not to wipe away the name of Israel from under the heavens: and he will save them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash.
And they will be fearing Jehovah, and make to them priests of their ends upon the heights, and they will be doing to them in the houses of the heights.
And they will be fearing Jehovah, and make to them priests of their ends upon the heights, and they will be doing to them in the houses of the heights. They were fearing Jehovah, and were serving their gods according to the judgment of the nations who carried them into exile from thence,
They were fearing Jehovah, and were serving their gods according to the judgment of the nations who carried them into exile from thence,
And ye, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord Jehovah: Go serve ye each his blocks, and afterward if ye bear not to me and ye shall not profane my holy name yet with your gifts and with your blocks.
And ye, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord Jehovah: Go serve ye each his blocks, and afterward if ye bear not to me and ye shall not profane my holy name yet with your gifts and with your blocks.
Also it shall be brought to Assur a gift to king Jareb: Ephraim shall take shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel.
Also it shall be brought to Assur a gift to king Jareb: Ephraim shall take shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel.
He shall not turn back to the land of Egypt, and Assur shall be his king, for they refused to turn back.
He shall not turn back to the land of Egypt, and Assur shall be his king, for they refused to turn back.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn back for their threshing Gilead with threshing-sledges of iron.
Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn back for their threshing Gilead with threshing-sledges of iron.
And I broke the bar of Damascus, and I cut off the inhabitants of the valleys of vanity, and him taking hold of the rod of the house of delight: and the people of Aram were carried away captive to a walled place said Jehovah.
And I broke the bar of Damascus, and I cut off the inhabitants of the valleys of vanity, and him taking hold of the rod of the house of delight: and the people of Aram were carried away captive to a walled place said Jehovah.
Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn it back from him, for their rejecting the instructions of Jehovah, and they watched not his laws, and their lies caused them to err which their fathers went after them.
Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn it back from him, for their rejecting the instructions of Jehovah, and they watched not his laws, and their lies caused them to err which their fathers went after them.
Behold, I am pressed under you as a wagon will be pressed being filled with the sheaf to it
Behold, I am pressed under you as a wagon will be pressed being filled with the sheaf to it
Behold, I am pressed under you as a wagon will be pressed being filled with the sheaf to it
Behold, I am pressed under you as a wagon will be pressed being filled with the sheaf to it
Will the lion roar in the forest and not tearing in pieces for him? will the young lion give his voice from his cave if he took nothing?
Will the lion roar in the forest and not tearing in pieces for him? will the young lion give his voice from his cave if he took nothing? Will the bird fall upon the snare of the earth and no noose for her? shall a snare be brought up from the earth and a taking shall not be taken?
Will the bird fall upon the snare of the earth and no noose for her? shall a snare be brought up from the earth and a taking shall not be taken?
And I struck the house of autumn with the house of summer; and the houses of ivory perished, and the great houses were taken away, says Jehovah.
And I struck the house of autumn with the house of summer; and the houses of ivory perished, and the great houses were taken away, says Jehovah.
The Lord Jehovah sware by his holiness, that behold, the days coming upon you and he took you away with hooks, and your last part with thorns of the fish.
The Lord Jehovah sware by his holiness, that behold, the days coming upon you and he took you away with hooks, and your last part with thorns of the fish.
Come to the house of God and transgress: at Gilgal multiply to transgress; and bring your sacrifices for the morning, your tenths for three days:
Come to the house of God and transgress: at Gilgal multiply to transgress; and bring your sacrifices for the morning, your tenths for three days:
And also I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
And also I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah. And I withheld from you the rain in yet three months to harvest: and I caused to rain upon one city, and upon one city I will not cause to rain: and one portion shall be rained upon, and the portion which shall not be rained upon, it shall dry up.
And I withheld from you the rain in yet three months to harvest: and I caused to rain upon one city, and upon one city I will not cause to rain: and one portion shall be rained upon, and the portion which shall not be rained upon, it shall dry up.
I struck you with blasting and with yellowness: the multitudes of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olives the creeping locust shall eat: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
I struck you with blasting and with yellowness: the multitudes of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olives the creeping locust shall eat: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
For behold, he forming the mountains and creating the wind, and announcing to man his meditation, making the morning darkness and treading upon the heights of the earth, Jehovah, God of armies his name
For behold, he forming the mountains and creating the wind, and announcing to man his meditation, making the morning darkness and treading upon the heights of the earth, Jehovah, God of armies his name
And ye shall not seek the house of God, and to Gilgal ye shall not go: and to the well of the oath ye shall not pass over: for Gilgal being taken captive shall be carried away captive, and the house of God shall be for nothing.
And ye shall not seek the house of God, and to Gilgal ye shall not go: and to the well of the oath ye shall not pass over: for Gilgal being taken captive shall be carried away captive, and the house of God shall be for nothing.
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
Seek good and not evil, so that ye shall live: and so Jehovah God of armies shall be with you as ye said.
Seek good and not evil, so that ye shall live: and so Jehovah God of armies shall be with you as ye said.
Wo! to you longing for the day of Jehovah; for what this to you? The day of Jehovah this is darkness and not light
Wo! to you longing for the day of Jehovah; for what this to you? The day of Jehovah this is darkness and not light According as a man will flee from the face of the lion and the bear struck upon him, and he came into the house and leaned his hand upon the wall, and the serpent bit him.
According as a man will flee from the face of the lion and the bear struck upon him, and he came into the house and leaned his hand upon the wall, and the serpent bit him.
I hated, I rejected your festivals, and I will not smell in your assemblies.
I hated, I rejected your festivals, and I will not smell in your assemblies. For if ye shall bring up to me burnt-offerirgs, and your gifts, I will not delight; and I will not look upon the peace-offerings of your fatlings.
For if ye shall bring up to me burnt-offerirgs, and your gifts, I will not delight; and I will not look upon the peace-offerings of your fatlings. Remove from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the music of thy lyres.
Remove from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the music of thy lyres. Judgment shall roll as the waters, and justice as a torrent of strength.
Judgment shall roll as the waters, and justice as a torrent of strength. Did ye bring near to me sacrifices and gifts in the desert forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring near to me sacrifices and gifts in the desert forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring near to me sacrifices and gifts in the desert forty years, O house of Israel?
Did ye bring near to me sacrifices and gifts in the desert forty years, O house of Israel? Ye lifted up the tent of your king and the statue of your images, the star of your God which he made for you.
Ye lifted up the tent of your king and the statue of your images, the star of your God which he made for you.
Ye lifted up the tent of your king and the statue of your images, the star of your God which he made for you.
Ye lifted up the tent of your king and the statue of your images, the star of your God which he made for you. And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
The Lord Jehovah sware by his soul, says Jehovah God of armies: I abhor the pride of Jacob and I hated his palaces: and I delivered up the city and its fulness.
The Lord Jehovah sware by his soul, says Jehovah God of armies: I abhor the pride of Jacob and I hated his palaces: and I delivered up the city and its fulness.
For behold, Jehovah commands, and he struck the great house with breaches, and the small house with clefts.
For behold, Jehovah commands, and he struck the great house with breaches, and the small house with clefts. Shall horses run upon the rock? will he plough with oxen? for ye turned judgment to poison and the fruit of justice to wormwood.
Shall horses run upon the rock? will he plough with oxen? for ye turned judgment to poison and the fruit of justice to wormwood. Rejoicing to no word, saying, Did we not take horns by our strength?
Rejoicing to no word, saying, Did we not take horns by our strength? For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king. And it was if he finished to devour the green herb of the land, and saying, O Lord Jehovah, forgive now: who shall raise up Jacob? for he is small.
And it was if he finished to devour the green herb of the land, and saying, O Lord Jehovah, forgive now: who shall raise up Jacob? for he is small. Jehovah lamented for this: It shall not be, said Jehovah.
Jehovah lamented for this: It shall not be, said Jehovah. Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: and behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend with fire, and it will devour the great deep, and devoured the portion.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: and behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend with fire, and it will devour the great deep, and devoured the portion. And saying, O Lord Jehovah, cease now: who shall cause Jacob to rise? for he is small.
And saying, O Lord Jehovah, cease now: who shall cause Jacob to rise? for he is small. Jehovah lamented for this: Also this shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah.
Jehovah lamented for this: Also this shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah. Thus he caused me to see: and behold, Jehovah stood upon a wall of lead, and lead in his hand.
Thus he caused me to see: and behold, Jehovah stood upon a wall of lead, and lead in his hand. And Jehovah will say to me, What seest thou, Amos? And saying, Lead. And Jehovah will say to me: Behold me setting lead in the midst of my people Israel: I will no more add to pass by to him.
And Jehovah will say to me, What seest thou, Amos? And saying, Lead. And Jehovah will say to me: Behold me setting lead in the midst of my people Israel: I will no more add to pass by to him. And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
And thou shalt no more add to prophesy in the house of God, for it is the king's holy place, and it is the house of the kingdom.
And thou shalt no more add to prophesy in the house of God, for it is the king's holy place, and it is the house of the kingdom. And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores.
And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel.
And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel. And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak.
And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak.
Hear this, ye, panting after the needy, to cause the humble of the, land to cease.
Hear this, ye, panting after the needy, to cause the humble of the, land to cease. Saying, When will the month pass through, and we will sell grain? and the Sabbath, and we will open wheat to diminish the ephah, and to enlarge the shekel, and to make crooked the balance of deceit?
Saying, When will the month pass through, and we will sell grain? and the Sabbath, and we will open wheat to diminish the ephah, and to enlarge the shekel, and to make crooked the balance of deceit?
Jehovah sware by the pride of Jacob, If I will forget forever all their works.
Jehovah sware by the pride of Jacob, If I will forget forever all their works. For this shall not the land be moved, and all dwelling in it, mourn? And it came up all of it as a river; and it was driven out and watered as the river of Egypt
For this shall not the land be moved, and all dwelling in it, mourn? And it came up all of it as a river; and it was driven out and watered as the river of Egypt
They swearing by the trespass of Shomeron, and they said, Thy God lives, O Dan, and the way of the well of the oath lives, and they fell, and they shall rise no more.
They swearing by the trespass of Shomeron, and they said, Thy God lives, O Dan, and the way of the well of the oath lives, and they fell, and they shall rise no more.
I saw Jehovah standing upon the altar: and he will say, Strike the crown, and the thresholds shall tremble: and dash them in pieces upon the head of them all; and the last of them I will slay with the sword: the fleeing to them shall not flee, and he escaping to them shall not escape.
I saw Jehovah standing upon the altar: and he will say, Strike the crown, and the thresholds shall tremble: and dash them in pieces upon the head of them all; and the last of them I will slay with the sword: the fleeing to them shall not flee, and he escaping to them shall not escape.
And if they shall hide in the head of Carmel, from thence will I search and take them; and if they shall be concealed from before mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, from thence I will command the serpent, and he bit them.
And if they shall hide in the head of Carmel, from thence will I search and take them; and if they shall be concealed from before mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, from thence I will command the serpent, and he bit them.
And the Lord Jehovah of armies touching upon the land, and it shall melt, and all dwelling in it mourned: and it came up as a river all of it, and it was overflowed as the river of Egypt.
And the Lord Jehovah of armies touching upon the land, and it shall melt, and all dwelling in it mourned: and it came up as a river all of it, and it was overflowed as the river of Egypt.
For behold, I command, and I caused the house of Israel to move to and fro among all nations as it will move to and fro in a sieve, and a stone shall not fall to the earth.
For behold, I command, and I caused the house of Israel to move to and fro among all nations as it will move to and fro in a sieve, and a stone shall not fall to the earth.
In that day I will raise up the tent of David having fallen, and I walled in their breaches, and I will raise up its destructions, and I built it as the days of old:
In that day I will raise up the tent of David having fallen, and I walled in their breaches, and I will raise up its destructions, and I built it as the days of old:
In that day I will raise up the tent of David having fallen, and I walled in their breaches, and I will raise up its destructions, and I built it as the days of old:
In that day I will raise up the tent of David having fallen, and I walled in their breaches, and I will raise up its destructions, and I built it as the days of old: So that they shall possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which my name was called upon them, says Jehovah doing this
So that they shall possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which my name was called upon them, says Jehovah doing this
So that they shall possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which my name was called upon them, says Jehovah doing this
So that they shall possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which my name was called upon them, says Jehovah doing this Behold, the days coming, says Jehovah, the ploughing touched upon the harvesting, and the treading of grapes upon the drawing of the seed; and the mountains dropped new wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days coming, says Jehovah, the ploughing touched upon the harvesting, and the treading of grapes upon the drawing of the seed; and the mountains dropped new wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days coming, says Jehovah, the ploughing touched upon the harvesting, and the treading of grapes upon the drawing of the seed; and the mountains dropped new wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Behold, the days coming, says Jehovah, the ploughing touched upon the harvesting, and the treading of grapes upon the drawing of the seed; and the mountains dropped new wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I turned back the captivity of my people Israel, and they built the cities laid waste, and they inhabited; and they planted vineyards, and they drank their wine; and they made gardens and ate their fruit
And I turned back the captivity of my people Israel, and they built the cities laid waste, and they inhabited; and they planted vineyards, and they drank their wine; and they made gardens and ate their fruit
And I turned back the captivity of my people Israel, and they built the cities laid waste, and they inhabited; and they planted vineyards, and they drank their wine; and they made gardens and ate their fruit
And I turned back the captivity of my people Israel, and they built the cities laid waste, and they inhabited; and they planted vineyards, and they drank their wine; and they made gardens and ate their fruit And I planted them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up from their land which I gave to them, said Jehovah thy God.
And I planted them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up from their land which I gave to them, said Jehovah thy God.
And ye fled to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to the side, and ye fled as ye fled from the face of the shaking in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and Jehovah my God came, all the holy ones with thee.
And ye fled to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to the side, and ye fled as ye fled from the face of the shaking in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and Jehovah my God came, all the holy ones with thee.
For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and plagues, and shakings in places.
For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and plagues, and shakings in places.
And Jesus, again having cried with a great voice, let go the spirit.
And Jesus, again having cried with a great voice, let go the spirit. And, behold, the covering of the temple was cleft in two, from above to below; and the earth was shaken; and the rocks were cleft:
And, behold, the covering of the temple was cleft in two, from above to below; and the earth was shaken; and the rocks were cleft: And the tombs were opened: and many bodies of the holy ones, having been set to sleep, were raised,
And the tombs were opened: and many bodies of the holy ones, having been set to sleep, were raised, And having come forth from the tombs, after his arising, went into the holy city, and were exhibited to many.
And having come forth from the tombs, after his arising, went into the holy city, and were exhibited to many. And the centurion, and they with him, observing Jesus, having seen the shaking, and the things having been, were greatly afraid, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And the centurion, and they with him, observing Jesus, having seen the shaking, and the things having been, were greatly afraid, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And God turned, and delivered them up to serve the army of heaven; as it has been written in the book of the prophets, Slain victims and sacrifices brought ye not to me forty years in the desert, O house of Israel,
And God turned, and delivered them up to serve the army of heaven; as it has been written in the book of the prophets, Slain victims and sacrifices brought ye not to me forty years in the desert, O house of Israel,
After these will I return, and rebuild the tent of David, having fallen; and its things undermined will I rebuild, and set it upright:
After these will I return, and rebuild the tent of David, having fallen; and its things undermined will I rebuild, and set it upright: So that they remaining of men might seek out the Lord, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called upon them, says the Lord, making all these.
So that they remaining of men might seek out the Lord, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called upon them, says the Lord, making all these.
Hastings
AMOS
1. The man.
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And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, A god of the mountains is their God; for this they were strong above us; and on the contrary, we will war with them in a plain; surely, shall we not be strong above them?
And he will say to Bidkar the third, Lift up, cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for I remember I and thou riding in pairs after Ahab his father, and Jehovah lifted up upon him this lifting up.
In those days Jehovah began to out off in Israel, and Hazael will strike them in all the bound of Israel;
For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram destroyed them, and he will set them as dust to trample upon.
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking. And he will say, Jehovah will cry out from Zion, and from Jerusalem he will give his voice; and the habitations of the shepherds mourned, and the head of Carmel was dried up.
Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn it back, for their selling the just one for silver and the needy for shoes; Panting for the dust of the earth upon the head of the poor, and they will turn away the way of the humble: and a man and his father will go to the same young girl to profane my holy name: read more. And upon garments taken in pledge they will turn by every altar, and they will drink the wine of the amerced in the house of their God.
And upon garments taken in pledge they will turn by every altar, and they will drink the wine of the amerced in the house of their God.
And flight perished from the swift; and the strong shall not strengthen his power, and the mighty shall not save his soul. And he holding the bow shall not stand; and the swift with his feet shall not escape: and he riding the horse shall not save his soul. read more. And he strong of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says Jehovah.
And he strong of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says Jehovah.
You only did I know from all the families of the earth: for this I will review over you all your iniquities.
The lion roared, who shall not be afraid? the Lord Jehovah spake, who shall not prophesy?
And they knew not to do the straight, says Jehovah, storing up violence and oppression in their palaces.
Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd will deliver from the mouth of the lion two legs, and part of an ear, thus shall the sons of Israel be delivered dwelling in Shomeron in the extremity of a tribe, or in Damascus under a roof.
Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd will deliver from the mouth of the lion two legs, and part of an ear, thus shall the sons of Israel be delivered dwelling in Shomeron in the extremity of a tribe, or in Damascus under a roof. Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, says the Lord Jehovah, God of armies. read more. For in the day of my reviewing the transgressions of Israel upon him, and reviewed upon the altars of the house of God: and the horns of the altar were broken, and they fell to the earth. And I struck the house of autumn with the house of summer; and the houses of ivory perished, and the great houses were taken away, says Jehovah.
And I struck the house of autumn with the house of summer; and the houses of ivory perished, and the great houses were taken away, says Jehovah.
And I struck the house of autumn with the house of summer; and the houses of ivory perished, and the great houses were taken away, says Jehovah.
Hear this word, ye heifers of Bashan, which are upon the mountain of Shomeron, oppressing the poor, breaking in pieces the needy, saying to their lords, Bring, and we will drink. The Lord Jehovah sware by his holiness, that behold, the days coming upon you and he took you away with hooks, and your last part with thorns of the fish. read more. And ye shall go forth at the breaches, a woman before her; and ye cast to the fortress, says Jehovah. Come to the house of God and transgress: at Gilgal multiply to transgress; and bring your sacrifices for the morning, your tenths for three days: And burn incense from leaven, a thanksgiving, and call; cause the free will offerings to be heard: for thus ye loved ye sons of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah.
For behold, he forming the mountains and creating the wind, and announcing to man his meditation, making the morning darkness and treading upon the heights of the earth, Jehovah, God of armies his name
And ye shall not seek the house of God, and to Gilgal ye shall not go: and to the well of the oath ye shall not pass over: for Gilgal being taken captive shall be carried away captive, and the house of God shall be for nothing.
For this, because of your treading upon the poor one, and ye will take away the liftings up of wheat from him: ye built houses of hewn stone, and ye shall not dwell in them; ye planted vineyards of desire and ye shall not drink their wine. For I knew your many transgressions, and your strong sins: pressing upon the just, taking a ransom, and they turned away the needy in the gate
I hated, I rejected your festivals, and I will not smell in your assemblies.
I hated, I rejected your festivals, and I will not smell in your assemblies. For if ye shall bring up to me burnt-offerirgs, and your gifts, I will not delight; and I will not look upon the peace-offerings of your fatlings.
For if ye shall bring up to me burnt-offerirgs, and your gifts, I will not delight; and I will not look upon the peace-offerings of your fatlings. Remove from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the music of thy lyres. read more. Judgment shall roll as the waters, and justice as a torrent of strength. Did ye bring near to me sacrifices and gifts in the desert forty years, O house of Israel?
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
And I caused you to be carried away captive farther off than Damascus, said Jehovah, God of armies his name.
Drinking wine in vases, and they will anoint with the chief of ointments: and they were not grieved for the breaking of Joseph.
Drinking wine in vases, and they will anoint with the chief of ointments: and they were not grieved for the breaking of Joseph. For this now shall they be carried away captive with the head of those carried away captive, and the shouting a those poured forth was removed.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
For behold, I raise up against you, O house of Israel, says Jehovah God of armies, a nation; and they pressed you from the entrance of Hamath, even to the torrent of the sterile region.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king. And it was if he finished to devour the green herb of the land, and saying, O Lord Jehovah, forgive now: who shall raise up Jacob? for he is small. read more. Jehovah lamented for this: It shall not be, said Jehovah. Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: and behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend with fire, and it will devour the great deep, and devoured the portion. And saying, O Lord Jehovah, cease now: who shall cause Jacob to rise? for he is small. Jehovah lamented for this: Also this shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah. Thus he caused me to see: and behold, Jehovah stood upon a wall of lead, and lead in his hand. And Jehovah will say to me, What seest thou, Amos? And saying, Lead. And Jehovah will say to me: Behold me setting lead in the midst of my people Israel: I will no more add to pass by to him. And the heights of Isaak were made desolate, and the holy places of Israel shall be laid waste; and I rose up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. And Amaziah priest of the house of God, will send to Jeroboam, kind of Israel, saying, Amos conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land will not be able to endure all his words.
And Amaziah priest of the house of God, will send to Jeroboam, kind of Israel, saying, Amos conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land will not be able to endure all his words. For thus said Amos: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel being taken captive shall be carried away captive from his land.
For thus said Amos: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel being taken captive shall be carried away captive from his land. And Amaziah will say to Amos, Thou seer, go flee for thyself to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and there shalt thou prophesy.
And Amaziah will say to Amos, Thou seer, go flee for thyself to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and there shalt thou prophesy.
And Amaziah will say to Amos, Thou seer, go flee for thyself to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and there shalt thou prophesy. And thou shalt no more add to prophesy in the house of God, for it is the king's holy place, and it is the house of the kingdom.
And thou shalt no more add to prophesy in the house of God, for it is the king's holy place, and it is the house of the kingdom. And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores.
And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel.
And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel. And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak.
And now hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop against the house of Isaak. For this, thus said Jehovah: Thy wife shall commit fornication in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die upon a polluted land: and Israel being taken captive shall be carried into captivity from his land.
For this, thus said Jehovah: Thy wife shall commit fornication in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die upon a polluted land: and Israel being taken captive shall be carried into captivity from his land.
For this, thus said Jehovah: Thy wife shall commit fornication in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die upon a polluted land: and Israel being taken captive shall be carried into captivity from his land.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see: and behold, a basket of fruit. And he will say, Amos, what seest thou? And saying, A basket of fruit. And Jehovah will say to me: The end came upon my people Israel; I will no more add to pass by to him. read more. The songs of the temple wailed in that day, says the Lord Jehovah; many a corpse in every place being cast forth: silence.
Saying, When will the month pass through, and we will sell grain? and the Sabbath, and we will open wheat to diminish the ephah, and to enlarge the shekel, and to make crooked the balance of deceit? To buy the poor with silver, and the needy for shoes; and we will sell the refuse of the grain.
For this shall not the land be moved, and all dwelling in it, mourn? And it came up all of it as a river; and it was driven out and watered as the river of Egypt
I saw Jehovah standing upon the altar: and he will say, Strike the crown, and the thresholds shall tremble: and dash them in pieces upon the head of them all; and the last of them I will slay with the sword: the fleeing to them shall not flee, and he escaping to them shall not escape.
I saw Jehovah standing upon the altar: and he will say, Strike the crown, and the thresholds shall tremble: and dash them in pieces upon the head of them all; and the last of them I will slay with the sword: the fleeing to them shall not flee, and he escaping to them shall not escape. If they shall break through into hades, from thence shall my hand take them; and if they shall go up to the heavens, from thence I will bring them down. read more. And if they shall hide in the head of Carmel, from thence will I search and take them; and if they shall be concealed from before mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, from thence I will command the serpent, and he bit them. If they shall go into captivity before the face of their enemies, from thence I will command the sword and it slew them: and I set mine eyes upon them for evil and not for good. And the Lord Jehovah of armies touching upon the land, and it shall melt, and all dwelling in it mourned: and it came up as a river all of it, and it was overflowed as the river of Egypt.
And the Lord Jehovah of armies touching upon the land, and it shall melt, and all dwelling in it mourned: and it came up as a river all of it, and it was overflowed as the river of Egypt. He building his ascents in the heavens, and founding his arches upon the earth; he calling to the waters of the sea, and he will pour them forth upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name. read more. Are ye not as the sons of the Cushites to me, O sons of Israel? says Jehovah. Did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the rovers from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?
Are ye not as the sons of the Cushites to me, O sons of Israel? says Jehovah. Did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the rovers from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?
Are ye not as the sons of the Cushites to me, O sons of Israel? says Jehovah. Did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the rovers from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah upon the sinning kingdom, and I destroyed it from the face of the earth; only that destroying, I will not destroy the house of Jacob, says Jehovah. read more. For behold, I command, and I caused the house of Israel to move to and fro among all nations as it will move to and fro in a sieve, and a stone shall not fall to the earth. By the sword shall all sinning of my people die, saying, It shall not draw near, and the evil shall not cleave about us. In that day I will raise up the tent of David having fallen, and I walled in their breaches, and I will raise up its destructions, and I built it as the days of old: So that they shall possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which my name was called upon them, says Jehovah doing this Behold, the days coming, says Jehovah, the ploughing touched upon the harvesting, and the treading of grapes upon the drawing of the seed; and the mountains dropped new wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I turned back the captivity of my people Israel, and they built the cities laid waste, and they inhabited; and they planted vineyards, and they drank their wine; and they made gardens and ate their fruit And I planted them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up from their land which I gave to them, said Jehovah 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 shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
Behold, I am pressed under you as a wagon will be pressed being filled with the sheaf to it
Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd will deliver from the mouth of the lion two legs, and part of an ear, thus shall the sons of Israel be delivered dwelling in Shomeron in the extremity of a tribe, or in Damascus under a roof.
I struck you with blasting and with yellowness: the multitudes of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olives the creeping locust shall eat: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
Shall horses run upon the rock? will he plough with oxen? for ye turned judgment to poison and the fruit of justice to wormwood.
Thus the Lord Jehovah caused me to see; and behold, he will form locusts in the beginning of the coming up of the latter grass; and behold, the latter grass after the moorings of the king. And it was if he finished to devour the green herb of the land, and saying, O Lord Jehovah, forgive now: who shall raise up Jacob? for he is small.
And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say 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.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
The words of Amos who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking.
And Amos will answer and say to Amaziah, I am no prophet, and I not the son of a prophet; for I a herdsman, and gathering figs of the sycamores. And Jehovah will take me from after the sheep, and Jehovah will say 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.