The book opens with a historical note about the prophet, then a short oracle announcing yahwehs judgment repeated in the book of joel. The apostle james, bishop of jerusalem, in the acts of the apostles 15. Read amos commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. As in the book of hosea religion was prospering but faith in the one true god yhwh was on the decline. The days are coming, declares the sovereign lord, when i will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the lord. The theology of the book of amos old testament theology. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. Please expand the article to include this information. As such, many peopleand even some christiansbelieve that it is not a reliable source of history. Amos, flourished 8th century bc, the first hebrew prophet to have a biblical book named for him. Amos commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Not one of the recognized prophets of israel, nor was he a priest, not even a native of israel but a farmer called of the lord from judah to warn the northern kingdom of the coming judgement. The prophet amos lived among a group of shepherds in tekoa, a small town approximately ten miles south of jerusalem.
Amos was a shepherd before the spirit of prophecy came over him. Rather, he was a grower of sycamore figs as well as a shepherd amos 7. The bible is often regarded as a book of stories based on a primitive peoples understanding of the world around them. Amos is a shepherd and a fruit picker from the judean village of tekoa when god calls him, even though he lacks an education or a priestly background. He appears on the biblical timeline chart around 750 b. Amos, a judaean prophet from the village of tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom of israel during the reign of jeroboam ii c. Amos was a sheepbreeder of tekoa in judah, who delivered his oracles in the northern kingdom during the prosperous reign of. Clicking on a book of the bible will show you a list of all the chapters of that book. The book of amos is a prophetic book of the hebrew bible largely dating to the 8th century bce and considered to be scripture by modernday jews and christians. This name was given to amos who carried the messages from god to the people of israel.
An ancient earthquake the kings of israel and judah ruled during the period of time designated as the iron age by. Book of amos, the third of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one. The people of israel had fallen into great sinfulness including idolatry, greed, bad leadership, and injustice to the poor. Watch our overview video on the book of amos, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. He moved from tekoa in judah to the northern kingdom of israel during the reign of jeroboam ii and prophesied the destruction of the northern kingdom. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and.
Behold, the days are coming, says the lord god, when i will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water. The book of amos introduction to the book of amos in the bible amos 1. The book of amos is not an easy work to read and understand. The god for whom amos speaks is god of more than merely israel. It considers amos as a figure representing social justice, surveys major developments in the critical assessment of the book, and examines the history of the books reception.
He was a herdsman from the village of tekoa, and a dresser of sycamore trees. Amos is a hebrew name and it means to carry or carried. He was a herder of sheep and possibly cattle and a cultivator of sycamore figs amos 1. Amos, the first hebrew prophet to have a biblical book named for him. Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. The book of amos was likely written between 760 and 753 b. Bible names had meanings, and often, when a prophets name was given to him or her, it described the work that god had called the prophet to do. Amos was a sheepbreeder and tender of sycamore trees. The book of amos is written in some of the finest ot hebrew style. Gods past punishments for unfaithfulness were forgotten, and his patience was at an end which he sent amos to announce. And he said, the lord will roar from zion, and utter his voice from jerusalem.
Amos the prophet the historical background a wandering people at the start of what is a series looking at some of the prophets of israel, it might be helpful to do a little history which gives us a feel of the background. The king james version remains one of the greatest landmarks in the. The prophet amos lived among a group of shepherds in tekoa, a small town. The book of amos is a prophetic book of the hebrew bible largely dating to the 8th century bce and considered to be scripture by modernday. This article is about amos, a minor prophet in the hebrew bible and christian bible. In chapters 1 and 2 of amos, there is a unique phrase, for three transgressions of x and for four set against the nations 1. Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book identifies the author as the prophet amos, who wrote probably between 760 and 753 bc, during the reign of jeroboam ii in israel. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles. Although he hailed from judea, amos preached in the northern kingdom of the neighboring nation, israel. Book of amos overview insight for living ministries. The purpose of the book of amos was to announce gods holy judgment on the kingdom of israel the northern kingdom, call them to repentance, and to turn from their selfrighteous sins and idolatry. The book of amos niv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 30 duration. Interesting facts about amos biblical facts and comments.
The book of amos is a prophetic book in the old testament. John ahn may 16, 2018 11 comments 9083 views share. This article is missing information about evidence as to whether amos was a historical person. A song of lament hear this worda funeral songthat i am lifting up against you, house of israel. Lessons from the book of amos, part i steps to life.
The commissioning of the king james bible took place in 1604 at the hampton court conference outside of london. Amos made clear in his writings that he did not come from a family of prophets, nor did he even consider himself one. Amos a prophet of israel amazing bible timeline with. His major themes of social justice, gods omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy. Book of amos, the third of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book under the jewish canon titled the twelve. Unlike some of the prophetsjonah or hoseaamos doesnt tell a story that is easy to remember. This amos should not be confused with amoz, the father of isaiah. His given name was prophetically significant to the work that he was called to do. He began his prophecies in the days of uzziah king of judah, and in the days of jeroboam the son of joash, the king of israel, two years before the earthquake. The prophet amos was a simple shepherd called by god to speak to the northern kingdom of israel. The book of amos, the third of the twelve minor prophets, has been one of the most significant and influential books of the bible from the time it was written 8th century bce down to the 20th century. Study the bible online using commentary on amos and more. Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death.
He is the great king who rules the whole universe 4. The book of amos is an intriguing scripture from a unique individual, amos, a shepherd and fig tree farmer dwelling in southern judah who is called by god to go to bethel and announce warnings of judgment to the northern kingdom of israel. Intro to amos biblica the international bible society. God raised up the prophet amos, as an act of his great mercy to a. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. He brings prophecies against neighbors of israel, mentioning names and places one can only recognize with the help of maps and reference books.
In this book, amos accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god. He also uses one nation against another to carry out his purposes 6. Amos the prophet the historical background a wandering. The city that marched out one thousand people will have one hundred left, and the city that marched out one hundred will have ten left in the house of israel.
With amos, the messages of the prophets began to be preserved in permanent form, being brought together in books that would accompany israel through the coming debacle and beyond. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters. Amos bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. The scientific and scriptural impact of amos earthquake. Amos was a contemporary of hosea, isaiah, and jonah.
Find out what true worship looks like in the book of amos. Because he is allsovereign, the god of israel holds the history and destiny of all peoples and of the world in his hands. The book of amos amos was a sheepbreeder of tekoa in judah, who delivered his oracles in the northern kingdom during the prosperous reign of jeroboam ii 786746 b. Prophet amos, gods message and judgments, false worship, israel, hate bad, love good, jehovahs day. A history of the bible is a book that focuses on the origins of biblical texts and is an interesting foray into biblical it can be used as guidance and a source of wisdom, you can read it for some kind of entertainment, maybe your specific sect deals with the bible as though it was directly inspired by god. Comprising only nine chapters of oracles, it was judaism. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. The book of amos begins and ends with references to an earthquake 1. In this book, amos accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god and.
Amos, whose name means burden, gives no family pedigree, hence we can assume he was not of noble or prominent stock, like isaiah or zephaniah. He accurately foretold the destruction of the northern kingdom of israel although he did not specify assyria as the cause and, as a prophet of doom, anticipated later old testament prophets. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. About the author john barton is oriel and laing professor of the interpretation of holy scripture, university of oxford. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the northern kingdom of israel. Watch our overview video on the book of amos, which breaks down the literary. According to the first verse, amos prophesied during the reigns of uzziah over judah 792740 b. The septuagint renders this prophets name as amos was not prophetically trained or endorsed by the church leaders. For the father of isaiah, a prophet in the hebrew bible, see amoz.
He prophesied in israel at the great cult center of bethel, from which he was finally expelled by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary 7. The redactions or continued growth of the book of amos has a richer complex literary history that extends into the sixth and fifth centuries b. Book of amos read, study bible verses online bible study tools. More than almost any other book of scripture, the book of amos holds gods. Fallen, no more to rise, is virgin israel, deserted on her land, with no one to raise her up.
813 1178 1508 1 507 720 553 16 591 626 1306 1349 1129 1057 417 1172 253 1269 1467 1043 523 352 94 1376 232 1060 524 370 1371 450 342 456 1389 605 354 1314 426 1089 489 90 1231 1484