Amos

Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, called by God as a prophet to Israel.

Amos was a prophet from Tekoa who prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel (Amo 1:1). He was originally a shepherd and fig grower before being called by God to deliver His message (Amo 7:14-15). Amos prophesied against the sins of Israel, warning them of impending judgment (Amo.7.8; 8.2). His prophecies were met with opposition from Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, who told him to stop prophesying and leave (Amo 7:10-13). However, Amos remained faithful to his calling and continued to proclaim God's word.

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. He was a man of humble birth, neither a “prophet nor a prophet’s son,” but “an herdman and a dresser of sycomore trees,” R.V. He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and was contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea (Amos 1:1; 7:14, 15; Zech. 14:5), who survived him a few years. Under Jeroboam II. the kingdom of Israel rose to the zenith of its prosperity; but that was followed by the prevalence of luxury and vice and idolatry. At this period Amos was called from his obscurity to remind the people of the law of God’s retributive justice, and to call them to repentance.

The Book of Amos consists of three parts: