Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹  He ²  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ³  during the time of ⁴  King Uzziah of Judah and ⁵  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ⁶ 

Amos 5:16

5:16 Because of Israel’s sins ⁷  this is what the Lord, the God who commands armies, the sovereign One, ⁸  says:

“In all the squares there will be wailing,

in all the streets they will mourn the dead. ⁹ 

They will tell the field workers ¹⁰  to lament

and the professional mourners ¹¹  to wail.

Amos 7:1

Symbolic Visions of Judgment

7:1 The sovereign Lord showed me this: I saw ¹²  him making locusts just as the crops planted late ¹³  were beginning to sprout. (The crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest. ¹⁴ )

Amos 7:8

7:8 The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The sovereign One then said,

“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel.

I will no longer overlook their sin. ¹⁵ 

Amos 9:5

9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. ¹⁶ 

He touches the earth and it dissolves; ¹⁷ 

all who live on it mourn.

The whole earth ¹⁸  rises like the River Nile, ¹⁹ 

and then grows calm ²⁰  like the Nile in Egypt. ²¹ 

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¹ tn Heb “The words of Amos.” Among the prophetic books this opening phrase finds a parallel only at Jer 1:1 but is not that uncommon in other genres (note, e.g., Prov 30:1; 31:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).

² tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

⁴ tn Heb “in the days of.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶ sn This refers to a well-known earthquake that occurred during the first half of the 8th century b.c. According to a generally accepted dating system, Uzziah was a co-regent with his father Amaziah from 792-767 b.c. and ruled independently from 767-740 b.c. Jeroboam II was a co-regent with his father Joash from 793-782 b.c. and ruled independently from 782-753 b.c. Since only Uzziah and Jeroboam are mentioned in the introduction it is likely that Amos’ mission to Israel and the earthquake which followed occurred between 767-753 b.c. The introduction validates the genuine character of Amos’ prophetic ministry in at least two ways: (1) Amos was not a native Israelite or a prophet by trade. Rather he was a herdsman in Tekoa, located in Judah. His mere presence in the northern kingdom as a prophet was evidence that he had been called by God (see 7:14-15). (2) The mighty earthquake shortly after Amos’ ministry would have been interpreted as an omen or signal of approaching judgment. The clearest references to an earthquake are 1:1 and 9:1, 5. It is possible that the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn”) at 3:13-15, 4:11, 6:11, and 8:8 also refers to an earthquake, as might the descriptions at 2:13 and 6:9-10. Evidence of a powerful earthquake has been correlated with a destruction layer at Hazor and other sites. Its lasting impact is evident by its mention in Zech 14:5 and 2 Chr 26:16-21. Earthquake imagery appears in later prophets as well (cf. D. N. Freedman and A. Welch, “Amos’s Earthquake and Israelite Prophecy,” Scripture and Other Artifacts, 188-98). On the other hand, some of these verses in Amos could allude to the devastation that would be caused by the imminent military invasion.

⁷ tn Heb “Therefore.” This logical connector relates back to the accusation of vv. 10-13, not to the parenthetical call to repentance in vv. 14-15. To indicate this clearly, the phrase “Because of Israel’s sins” is used in the translation.

⁸ tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

⁹ tn Heb “they will say, ‘Ah! Ah!’” The Hebrew term הוֹ (ho, “ah, woe”) is an alternate form of הוֹי (hoy), a word used to mourn the dead and express outwardly one’s sorrow. See 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5. This wordplay follows quickly, as v. 18 begins with הוֹי (“woe”).

¹⁰ tn Or “farmers” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

¹¹ tn Heb “those who know lamentation.”

sn Professional mourners are referred to elsewhere in the OT (2 Chr 35:25; Jer 9:17) and ancient Near Eastern literature. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 180.

¹² tn Heb “behold” or “look.”

¹³ sn The crops planted late (consisting of vegetables) were planted in late January-early March and sprouted in conjunction with the spring rains of March-April. For a discussion of the ancient Israelite agricultural calendar, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 31-44.

¹⁴ tn Or “the mowings of the king.”

sn This royal harvest may refer to an initial mowing of crops collected as taxes by the royal authorities.

¹⁵ tn Heb “And I will no longer pass over him.”

¹⁶ tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁷ tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.

¹⁸ tn Heb “all of it.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Or “sinks back down.”

²¹ sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.