Amos 1 1

Amos 1:1 kjv

The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:1 nkjv

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:1 niv

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa?the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

Amos 1:1 esv

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:1 nlt

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel.

Amos 1 verses

Amos 1 1 Meaning

Amos 1:1 serves as the crucial introduction to the prophetic book, establishing the divine origin and authority of the message, identifying the prophet through his unique, humble background, and precisely dating the revelation to a specific period of prosperity in both Judah and Israel, marked notably by an historically remembered earthquake. It immediately asserts that the ensuing prophecies are not mere human observations but direct, God-given words and visions intended for the northern kingdom of Israel, highlighting God's imminent judgment on their moral and spiritual decay amidst material affluence.

Amos 1 1 Context

Amos 1:1 serves as the theological and historical framework for the entire book. The verse positions the prophet, his source of revelation, and the time and target of his message. The historical period, encompassing the reigns of King Uzziah in Judah (Southern Kingdom) and King Jeroboam II in Israel (Northern Kingdom), was a time of unprecedented peace and material prosperity for both kingdoms, largely due to a temporary power vacuum in Assyria. However, this wealth led to rampant social injustice, oppression of the poor, corruption in the courts, and widespread religious apostasy in Israel, including the worship of false gods and empty ritualism.

Amos, an outsider from the humble Judean town of Tekoa, is divinely sent to confront this complacency and spiritual decay in the powerful Northern Kingdom. His message highlights that outward prosperity cannot mask inward sin and that God will hold His covenant people accountable for their ethical and religious failures. The mention of a severe earthquake anchors the prophecy in verifiable history, possibly foreshadowing the societal "shaking" of judgment that Amos proclaims will dismantle Israel's false security.

Amos 1 1 Word analysis

• The words of Amos: Hebrew d’varei 'Amos (דִּבְרֵי עָמוֹס). This phrase signifies more than just spoken utterances; it refers to a divinely inspired message, an oracle from God. It immediately establishes the supernatural origin and authority of the ensuing prophecy.

• Amos: Hebrew ‘Amos (עָמוֹס). This name means "burden" or "burden-bearer." This etymology fittingly characterizes the prophet as one who carries a heavy message of judgment from God to His people.

• who was among the herdmen: Hebrew banoqedim (בַנֹּקְדִים). The term noqed does not denote a common shepherd, but possibly a specific, prosperous, or specialized breed of sheep-raiser, potentially associated with rough-woolled or distinct dark-colored sheep, or even flocks from specific arid regions. This detail underscores that Amos, despite his rural and seemingly humble occupation, may not have been destitute, but still not a professional prophet or from the urban elite, emphasizing God's choice of an unlikely messenger.

• of Tekoa: A small town in Judah, about six miles south of Bethlehem, situated on the edge of the Judean wilderness. This geographical detail underscores Amos's background as a rural, southern Israelite, accentuating the stark contrast with the opulent and corrupt Northern Kingdom's urban centers like Samaria and Bethel, the recipients of his message.

• which he saw: Hebrew asher chazah (אֲשֶׁר חָזָה). The verb chazah means "to see," but in a prophetic context, it consistently implies a divine vision or revelation. This highlights that Amos's message came to him not through human insight or deduction, but through direct, visual, and conceptual reception from God, solidifying the message's divine authenticity.

• concerning Israel: Refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom (the Kingdom of Israel or Ephraim), comprising the ten northern tribes. This designates the primary target of Amos's judgment pronouncements, distinguishing them from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, though Judah is also implicated in his opening pronouncements against surrounding nations.

• in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: Uzziah (also known as Azariah) reigned over the Southern Kingdom of Judah (c. 792–740 BC). His reign was marked by significant prosperity, military success, and public works (2 Chr 26). The mention of his reign establishes a timeframe relative to Judah.

• and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel: Jeroboam II reigned over the Northern Kingdom of Israel (c. 793–753 BC). His era marked the peak of Israelite power and prosperity since the time of Solomon (2 Ki 14:23-29). The concurrent reigns of these two kings specify the period of shared political stability and material wealth during which Amos prophesied.

• two years before the earthquake: Hebrew shenatayim lifnei hara’ash (שְׁנָתַיִם לִפְנֵי הָרַעַשׁ). This provides a precise and memorable historical anchor for the prophecy's dating. This specific "great earthquake" was so significant that it was recalled generations later by the prophet Zechariah (Zec 14:5), indicating its wide knowledge and destructive impact. It likely served as a divine sign or omen, a physical "shaking" foreshadowing the coming spiritual and national "shaking" through judgment.

• Words-group analysis ("The words of Amos... which he saw"): This combination underscores that Amos's prophetic authority derives from a direct, God-given revelation received through both audibly understood words and divine visions. It positions the book not as human opinion but as divine truth delivered by God's chosen servant.

• Words-group analysis ("herdmen of Tekoa... concerning Israel"): The intentional choice of a non-professional prophet from a humble, rural Judean background to deliver a harsh message to the sophisticated, prosperous Northern Kingdom of Israel highlights God's sovereignty. It demonstrates that divine truth is not confined by human social strata or geopolitical boundaries, and God's justice applies impartially to all His covenant people.

Amos 1 1 Bonus section

• The emphasis on Amos's background as a non-professional prophet, later articulated in Am 7:14-15, reinforces the idea that God's calling transcends human educational qualifications or social standing, choosing simple individuals to carry His profound truths.
• The widespread knowledge and enduring memory of the earthquake (evident from Zechariah's later reference) suggest it was an event of cataclysmic scale, perhaps akin to a marker in people's lives for decades, making it a powerful reference point for Amos's warning message.
• Amos's specific designation of "Israel" (the Northern Kingdom) as the primary target of his prophecy demonstrates God's persistent care for all twelve tribes and His impartiality in judging sin, whether in Judah or Israel. Despite his Judean origin, Amos’s primary commission was northward.
• The period of prosperity during Jeroboam II’s reign, which Amos's prophecy challenges, highlights the biblical principle that material blessing, when uncoupled from spiritual fidelity and justice, often leads to complacency, pride, and ultimately, a hardening against God’s voice.

Amos 1 1 Commentary

Amos 1:1 is the bedrock of the entire book, establishing the unparalleled authority and timely relevance of its divine message. It swiftly moves from presenting Amos, a man from a quiet, seemingly unassuming profession (a noqed or specialized herdman) in the wilderness fringe of Tekoa, to emphasizing that his communication isn't of human origin, but is a divine revelation—a word "seen" as a vision. This unique prophetic introduction highlights God's intentionality in choosing an 'unlikely' messenger to challenge a seemingly invincible and materially blessed, yet spiritually corrupt, nation. The historical setting is meticulously precise: a golden age for both Judah under Uzziah and, crucially, for Israel under Jeroboam II. This backdrop of outward prosperity but inward depravity creates a powerful tension, setting the stage for Amos's condemnations of social injustice and religious hypocrisy. The dramatic inclusion of a historically memorable "earthquake" not only serves as a precise chronological marker but also powerfully symbolizes the imminent "shaking" and eventual destruction that awaits a nation that has strayed far from God's righteousness, despite its earthly security. It’s a subtle yet potent forewarning that the very foundations of their complacent society were about to be severely disturbed.For instance, the precise dating acts as a divine verification, allowing future generations (like Zechariah's contemporaries) to connect God's prior warnings to observable historical events. For us today, it illustrates God's active involvement in human history, linking divine truth to tangible earthly circumstances.