Amos
A shepherd from Judah sent to warn the prosperous northern kingdom that judgment is coming.
Overview
Amos is one of the twelve shorter prophetic books. A shepherd from Judah is sent north to Israel in a time of wealth and comfort. He announces God's judgment — first on the surrounding nations, then on Judah, and above all on Israel for its injustice to the poor and its hollow worship. The book moves through a series of visions of that judgment and ends with a promise to rebuild what falls.
Book facts
- Author
- AmosA shepherd and fig-grower from Tekoa in Judah, sent to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel.
- Date written
- c. 760 BC"Two years before the earthquake," in the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel.
- Original language
- HebrewHebrew prophecy, much of it in poetry.
- Setting
- The northern kingdom of Israel, c. 760 BCWritten to a wealthy, comfortable Israel about the judgment coming on it.
How it came to be
Amos is named in the book's opening verse as its prophet. He is described as a shepherd from Tekoa in Judah, active "two years before the earthquake," in the days of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel.
Like the other prophetic books, the words were spoken first and later gathered into writing.
The whole book, chapter by chapter
| Chapter | What happens | Who is in it | Where it takes place |
|---|---|---|---|
The nations judged — God's word against Israel's neighbours, and then Israel, chapters 1–2 | |||
| Chapter 1The nations' transgressions | Amos pronounces God's judgment on Israel's neighbours one by one — Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon — for their cruelty in war. | , , | |
| Chapter 2The sins of Israel and Judah | The circle of judgment closes on Moab, then Judah, and finally Israel itself, for selling the poor and trampling the needy. | — | |
Words against Israel — the charges against Israel itself, chapters 3–6 | |||
| Chapter 3The lion's roar | God has spoken — who can help but prophesy? Israel's altars and fine houses will be torn down. | — | |
| Chapter 4The cows of Bashan | Amos rebukes the pampered "cows of Bashan," recalls the disasters Israel ignored, and warns them to prepare to meet their God. | — | , , |
| Chapter 5The call to seek the Lord | A funeral song over Israel, a plea to seek God rather than the shrines, and the cry that justice should roll down like water. | — | , |
| Chapter 6The ease in Zion | Woe to those at ease in Zion and secure in Samaria, lying on beds of ivory while ruin draws near. | — | |
Five visions — what Amos was shown, chapters 7–9 | |||
| Chapter 7The plumbline | Three visions — locusts, fire, and a plumbline — and Amaziah the priest orders Amos to leave Bethel and go home. | , | |
| Chapter 8The basket of summer fruit | A basket of ripe summer fruit means the end has come; Amos condemns cheating merchants and foretells a famine of hearing God's words. | — | |
| Chapter 9The rebuilt tabernacle | A final vision of judgment none can escape closes with a promise to raise up David's fallen tent and restore the people. | — | |
All 9 chapters. Start reading →
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