Amos 1

Chapter context

What is happening in Amos 1?

justicefalse worshipjudgmentpoverty

Amos 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as oracles against the nations. Amos is a relentless prophetic book of justice, judgment, false worship, and the remnant hope that survives divine shaking. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justice, false worship, and judgment in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ 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. ² And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. ³ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: ⁴ But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. ⁵ I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD. ⁶ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom: ⁷ But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof: ⁸ And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD. ⁹ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: ¹⁰ But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof. ¹¹ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: ¹² But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. ¹³ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border: ¹⁴ But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind: ¹⁵ And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.

Study helps

Glossary

Amos Person v. 1: Borne; a burden, one of the twelve minor prophets. He was a native of Tekota, the modern Tekua, a town about 12 miles south-east of Bethlehem.
Jeroboam Person v. 1: Increase of the people. (1. ) The son of Nebat ( 1 Kings 11:26-39 ), “an Ephrathite,” the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B. C. 976-945).
Joash Person v. 1: Whom Jehovah bestowed. (1. ) A contracted form of Jehoash, the father of Gideon ( Judg. 6:11 , 29; 8:13, 29, 32). (2. ) One of the Benjamite archers who joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chr. 12:3 ).
Tekoa Place v. 1: Pitching of tents; fastening down, a town of Judah, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, and visible from the city. Modern identification: Khirbet Teku’a.
Jerusalem Place v. 2: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Mount Carmel Place v. 2: Biblical mountain. Modern identification: Mount Carmel.
Zion Place v. 2: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Damascus Place v. 3, 5: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Damascus.
Gilead Place v. 3, 13: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.
Hazael Person v. 4: Whom God beholds, an officer of Ben-hadad II., king of Syria, who ultimately came to the throne, according to the word of the Lord to Elijah ( 1 Kings 19:15 ), after he had put the king to death ( 2 Kings 8:15 ).
Beth-eden Place v. 5: Biblical region. Modern identification: Til Barsip.
Kir Place v. 5: A wall or fortress, a place to which Tiglath-pileser carried the Syrians captive after he had taken the city of Damascus ( 2 Kings 16:9 ; Amos 1:5 ; 9:7 ). Modern identification: Der.
Syria Place v. 5: Biblical region. Modern identification: Damascus.
Valley of Aven Place v. 5: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Baalbek.
Edom Place v. 6, 9, 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Gaza Place v. 6-7: Called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name. Modern identification: Tell Harube.
Ashdod Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Ashdod.
Ashkelon Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.
Ekron Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Miqne.
Tyre Place v. 9-10: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tyre.
Bozrah Place v. 12: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Buseira.
Teman Place v. 12: Id. (1. ) A grandson of Esau, one of the “dukes of Edom” ( Gen. 36:11 , 15, 42). (2. ) A place in Southern Idumea, the land of “the sons of the east,” frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Modern identification: Tawilan.
Ammon Place v. 13, 15: Biblical region. Modern identification: Amman.
Rabbah Place v. 14: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Amman.