Amos 7:13 kjv
But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
Amos 7:13 nkjv
But never again prophesy at Bethel, For it is the king's sanctuary, And it is the royal residence."
Amos 7:13 niv
Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom."
Amos 7:13 esv
but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
Amos 7:13 nlt
Don't bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king's sanctuary and the national place of worship!"
Amos 7 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 7:13 | "Do not prophesy anymore at Bethel, for this is the king's sanctuary and is a temple of the kingdom." | Historical Context (Israel) |
| Amos 7:14 | "But Amos answered Amaziah, 'I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son. But I was a shepherd, and a dresser of sycamore trees.'" | Divine Calling |
| Amos 7:15 | "'And the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" | God's Commission |
| Amos 7:16 | "'Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.'' | Rejection of Authority |
| Amos 7:17 | "'Therefore thus says the Lord: Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by measure; you yourself shall die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.'" | Judgment against Amaziah |
| Jeremiah 1:17 | "But you, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them." | Prophetic Commission and Fear |
| 1 Corinthians 1:27 | "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." | God's Choice of the Unlikely |
| 1 Corinthians 9:16 | "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no reason to boast. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" | Compulsion to Prophesy |
| Acts 4:19-20 | "But Peter and John answered them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.'" | Obedience to God over Man |
| Galatians 1:15-16 | "But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood." | Divine Calling over Human Counsel |
| John 15:18-19 | "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as it belonging to it. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." | Persecution for God's People |
| Matthew 5:10-12 | "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." | Beatitude for Persecution |
| Acts 20:22-24 | "And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as preceding my own completion, so that I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." | Readiness for Affliction |
| 1 Samuel 3:11 | "Then the Lord said to Samuel, 'Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.'" | Foretelling Judgment |
| Isaiah 6:8 | "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" | Willingness to be Sent |
| Acts 1:8 | "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” | The Great Commission |
| Romans 10:14 | "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" | Necessity of Preaching |
| Ezekiel 3:17-18 | "‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word of my mouth and give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to give him life, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.'" | Responsibility of the Watchman |
| Hosea 5:8-9 | "Blow the trumpet in Gibeah, sound the alarm in Ramah; cry out at Beth-aven; beware O Benjamin! Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is certain." | Prophecy of Doom for Israel |
| Amos 3:7-8 | "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?" | Inescapable Divine Word |
Amos 7 verses
Amos 7 13 Meaning
Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, is commanded by Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, to cease prophesying within Israel. Amos refuses, stating he was called by God and was not a professional prophet. He declares God's judgment is inevitable.
Amos 7 13 Context
This confrontation occurs during a period of outward prosperity but inner corruption for the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II. Amaziah is the priest at Bethel, a royal sanctuary and a center of calf worship, established by Jeroboam I as an alternative to Jerusalem. Amos, a Judean shepherd and farmer, was sent by God to prophesy against the religious and social injustices prevalent in Israel. Amaziah's command to Amos reflects the interference of the state and the established religious order in prophetic activity, especially when the message challenged their practices and prosperity. The prohibition is personal and political: cease prophesying because Bethel is sacred to the king and the kingdom.
Amos 7 13 Word Analysis
- Go (Lek) - Hebrew imperative, signifying a direct command or dismissal.
- prophesy (innāh) - From the root naba, meaning to speak forth or proclaim, often under divine inspiration. It’s not merely predicting but conveying God’s message.
- anymore (ōd) - Indicates a cessation, a stopping of a present action.
- at (bə) - A preposition with broad meanings, here indicating location.
- Bethel (Bēṯ-'Ēl) - Literally "House of God," but in this context, it refers to a place of worship established by Jeroboam I that had become a center of illicit calf worship, directly opposing God's prescribed worship in Jerusalem. It represented state-sponsored religion tainted with idolatry.
- for (kî) - Connective, giving the reason or explanation for the prohibition.
- this (hizeh) - Referring specifically to Bethel.
- is (hû) - Present tense verb.
- the king's (melek) - Pertaining to the monarch, indicating royal prerogative or ownership.
- sanctuary (miqdash) - A holy place, a consecrated site.
- and (wə) - Connective.
- is (hû) - Present tense verb.
- a temple (bayit) - House, structure for worship.
- of (šel) - Possessive.
- the kingdom (hammelekût) - The realm or dominion of the king, highlighting the political intertwining of worship at Bethel.
Group of Words Analysis:
- "king's sanctuary and... temple of the kingdom": This phrase underscores that Bethel was not just a place of worship but was ideologically and institutionally linked to the monarchy and its legitimacy. Amaziah viewed it as a national monument and an affront to his authority to prohibit prophecy there would be an act of defiance against the king and the state. It frames Amos's prophesying not as a spiritual matter, but a political one, bordering on treason in Amaziah's eyes.
Amos 7 13 Bonus Section
The conflict highlights the ancient tension between state-sponsored religion and true prophetic proclamation. Bethel had become a syncretistic religious center, merging Canaanite fertility practices with Israelite worship. Amos, by speaking against the very people the king represented, directly challenged the religious and political establishment of the Northern Kingdom. His statement "I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet's son" is crucial; he was not part of the guild of professional prophets who often gave palatable messages to rulers. He was an outsider, unequivocally sent by God, which is why his message carried a starker, unvarnished truth. The severity of the judgment pronounced upon Amaziah underscores that opposition to God’s prophets and His messages is ultimately opposition to God Himself. The analogy of God taking him from the flock emphasizes that prophetic ministry is not self-appointed but a divine mandate, even when it is difficult and costly.
Amos 7 13 Commentary
Amaziah, representing the established religious and political order, attempts to silence God's prophet, Amos, by appealing to the sanctity of Bethel as the king's sanctuary and a royal temple. This shows the fusion of religious institutions with political power in Israel, where places of worship served the monarchy. Amos, however, distinguishes his prophetic ministry as being divinely appointed, not an occupation he can simply quit. His calling comes directly from God, who took him from his humble occupation as a shepherd. Amos firmly rejects Amaziah's authority, asserting that God's command supersedes human decrees. He frames his prophetic obligation as involuntary and inescapable ("Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"). He warns Amaziah that his defiance of God's message will bring severe personal and national judgment, illustrating the danger of resisting God's appointed messengers and His will.