PROPHET TO ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF UZZIAH AND JEROBOAM SON OF JOASH · TWO KINGDOMS

Amos. A herdman of Tekoa in Judah, sent to prophesy at Beth-el in the northern kingdom.

SCRIPTURE CALLS

Prophet

ERA

Two kingdoms 930–586 BC

IN THE DAYS OF

Uzziah · Jeroboam son of Joash

BOOK

Amos

HOW THE WORD CAME

Taken from the flock (Amos 7:14–15)

THE CALL

How the word first came

TAKEN FROM THE FLOCK (AMOS 7:14–15)

“And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel”

Amos 7:15 (KJV) →

HOW THE WORD KEPT COMING

  • The book is “The words of Amos ... which he saw concerning Israel”. Amos 1:1
  • Five visions are told in the first person, three of them opening “Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me”. Amos 7:1 Amos 7:4 Amos 7:7 Amos 8:1 Amos 9:1
  • He prophesied at Beth-el, “the king's chapel”, and Amaziah told him to flee into Judah and prophesy there. Amos 7:10–13
  • He says the prophet cannot keep silent: “the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:7–8

BEFORE THE KINGS

Before two kings

KING OF JUDAH

Uzziah

KING OF ISRAEL

Jeroboam son of Joash (Jeroboam II)

“I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword”

Amos 7:9 (KJV) →

THE MESSAGE

The word in its main themes

The LORD roars from Zion

“The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem”

Amos 1:2 (KJV) →

The poor sold for silver

“they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes”

Amos 2:6 (KJV) →

Feasts without justice

“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”

Amos 5:24 (KJV) →

Seek the LORD and live

“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live”

Amos 5:14 (KJV) →

The day of the LORD is darkness

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light”

Amos 5:18 (KJV) →

Chosen, therefore judged

“prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”

Amos 4:12 (KJV) →

The tabernacle of David raised

“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen”

Amos 9:11 (KJV) →

THE WORD TO …

To whom the word was spoken

TO DAMASCUS

“because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron”

Amos 1:3 (KJV) →

TO GAZA

“because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom”

Amos 1:6 (KJV) →

TO TYRE

“because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant”

Amos 1:9 (KJV) →

TO EDOM

“because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity”

Amos 1:11 (KJV) →

TO AMMON

“because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border”

Amos 1:13 (KJV) →

TO MOAB

“because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime”

Amos 2:1 (KJV) →

TO JUDAH

“because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments”

Amos 2:4 (KJV) →

TO ISRAEL

“because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes”

Amos 2:6 (KJV) →

TO “YE KINE OF BASHAN” IN THE MOUNTAIN OF SAMARIA

“Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy”

Amos 4:1 (KJV) →

TO AMAZIAH, PRIEST OF BETH-EL

“Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword”

Amos 7:17 (KJV) →

SIGNS

Signs and wonders

VISION

Locusts

VISION

Fire

VISION

The plumbline

VISION

A basket of summer fruit

VISION

The Lord upon the altar

THE BOOK

The book of Amos

  • 1 The LORD roars from Zion Amos 1:1–2
  • 2 For three transgressions, and for four: the nations, Judah and Israel Amos 1:3–2:16
  • 3 Hear this word: Samaria's sins and the woes Amos 3:1–6:14
  • 4 Five visions, and Amaziah at Beth-el Amos 7:1–9:10
  • 5 The tabernacle of David raised up Amos 9:11–15

WHERE THE NEW TESTAMENT QUOTES IT · 2

Each band joins a chapter of Amos to the New Testament book quoting it (one book).

COMPANIONS AND OPPONENTS

Who stood with him, and against him

Amaziah the priest of Beth-el

Opponent

HOW THE STORY ENDS

Scripture says, tradition says

SCRIPTURE SAYS

  • Amaziah told Amos to flee to Judah and “eat bread, and prophesy there”. Amos answered with a word against Amaziah. Scripture does not say whether Amos left, or how or where he died. Amos 7:12–17

TRADITION SAYS

  • The Lives of the Prophets, attributed to Epiphanius, tells that Amos was killed by a blow on the temple struck by Amaziah, priest of Beth-el.[18] Who says so: The pseudo-Epiphanian Lives of the Prophets, as reported in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901), date of the Lives not given in the source read
  • A rabbinic tradition says King Uzziah killed Amos, striking him on the forehead with a glowing iron. The Jewish Encyclopedia gives it from Gedaliah ibn Yahya's Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah as quoted in the Seder ha-Dorot, and notes that the Venice edition of 1587 does not mention it.[18] Who says so: Rabbinic tradition, as reported in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901) from Gedaliah ibn Yahya's Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah, no date given in the source read; the Jewish Encyclopedia notes that the Venice edition of 1587 lacks the story

OPEN QUESTIONS

Where readers have differed

Scripture gives only the reign

Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5

Amos's words are dated “two years before the earthquake”, and Zechariah later recalls how the people “fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah”. Neither gives a year. Amos 1:1 Zechariah 14:5

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 11

Amos 1 Amos 2 Amos 3 Amos 4 Amos 5 Amos 6 Amos 7 Amos 8 Amos 9 Acts 7 Acts 15

PASSAGES · 3

Amos 1:1–9:15 Acts 7:42–43 Acts 15:15–17

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture does not say how long Amos prophesied, whether he left Beth-el when told to, or how he died.
  • Amos's father is not named.
  • Scripture does not tell how Jeroboam answered Amaziah's report.

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (1891), pp. 203, 214–215 (Isaiah 36–39), 219–223 (Isaiah 40–66), 219 and 229 note 4 (the Servant), 282–283 (Hosea's heading), 287–292 (Joel).
  • J. A. Alexander, The Earlier Prophecies of Isaiah (1846), p. 23 (Isaiah 2:2–4 and Micah 4:1–3); pp. 114, 116, 121 (Isaiah 7:14); pp. 161, 166 (Isaiah 9:6); pp. 588–589 (Isaiah 36–39).
  • J. A. Alexander, The Later Prophecies of Isaiah (1847), Introduction, p. xix.
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of Isaiah, vol. I (The Expositor's Bible) (1888), pp. 115–117, 133–135, 140–141 (Immanuel and the Prince of the Four Names).
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of Isaiah, vol. II (The Expositor's Bible) (1890), ch. I, “The Date of Isaiah xl.–lxvi.”, pp. 3–13.
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, vol. I (The Expositor's Bible) (1896), pp. 236–239 (Hosea's marriage); pp. 365–366 (Micah 4:1–5).
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, vol. II (The Expositor's Bible) (1898), Preface; pp. 375–377, 439–440 (the date of Joel).
  • E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets, with a Commentary (1860), Introduction to the Prophet Joel.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Minor Prophets, vol. I (1868), introduction, and on Hosea 1:2–3 (read on Bible Hub).
  • B. Duhm, Das Buch Jesaia, 2nd edition (first edition 1892) (1902), Einleitung (Tritojesaia, chapters 56–66).
  • G. L. Robinson, “Isaiah”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. III (1915), §5, p. 1496 (his martyrdom); §9, pp. 1504–1508 (the critical problem; Ecclesiasticus and “the Holy One of Israel”).
  • R. H. Charles (tr.), The Ascension of Isaiah (1900), Introduction pp. xi–xii, xliv–xlvi; text 5:1–14, p. 40.
  • Justin Martyr, tr. M. Dods and G. Reith, Dialogue with Trypho (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1) (1885), chs. 43, 67, 77, 84, 120.
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Scorpiace (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3) (1885), ch. 8.
  • Origen, tr. F. Crombie, Letter to Africanus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4) (1885), §9.
  • Origen, tr. F. Crombie, Against Celsus, book 1 (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4) (1885), 1.55.
  • E. G. Hirsch, T. K. Cheyne, I. Singer and I. Broydé, “Isaiah”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 6 (1904), pp. 635–636.
  • K. Budde, K. Kohler and L. Ginzberg, “Amos”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 1 (1901), pp. 530–533.
  • E. G. Hirsch and V. Ryssel, “Hosea, the Prophet”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 6 (1904), p. 473.
  • I. Singer, M. Seligsohn, S. Schechter and E. G. Hirsch, “Micah”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 8 (1904), pp. 533–534.
  • D. D. Luckenbill, The Annals of Sennacherib (Oriental Institute Publications 2) (1924), pp. 32–34 (Oriental Institute Prism, col. III).

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