Elizabeth Hayes, Christine. Introduction to the Bible (The Open Yale Courses Series) (p. 249). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
The first of the literary prophets, Amos preached in the northern kingdom of Israel during a relatively stable period in the reign of Jeroboam II, around 750 B.C.E., before the Assyrian threat became very apparent. In a brief introduction (Amos 1:1), Amos is described as a sheep breeder from Tekoa (about ten miles from Jerusalem in the southern kingdom). In chapter 7, he adds to this description the datum that he is a tender of sycamore figs (7:14) sent by Yahweh to deliver his prophecies in Bethel, one of the royal sanctuaries of the northern kingdom (7:10–16). It is likely that Amos was not a common shepherd, but a wealthy owner of land or flocks, educated and literate. Judging from the reactions of Amaziah, priest of Bethel, the northerners disliked his message and sought to dispatch him to the southern kingdom. The confrontation between Amos and Amaziah is found in chapter 7.
The book of Amos is structured in four main sections:
- (1) brief oracles of doom (Amos 1–2);
- (2) three short oracles (3–6) to the women of Samaria, to the wealthy of Samaria and Jerusalem, and to Israel as a whole;
- (3) five symbolic visions of judgment: locusts, fire, a plumb line, a basket of fruit, and Yahweh himself by the altar at Bethel (7:1–9:8a); and
- (4) an epilogue (9:8b–15).
The book of Amos is a set of oracles by a prophet addressing a concrete situation in the northern kingdom. These oracles were subject to some additions that reflect the perspective of a later editor. Amos’s basic message was that all sins and moral failings would be punished by Yahweh on a national level. When the northern kingdom fell, it was understood as the fulfillment of Amos’s words—the Assyrians were the instruments of Yahweh’s just punishment. Amos’s words were preserved in Judah, and after Judah fell, a later editor added a few key passages reflecting knowledge of this later reality: Amos 2:4 containing the oracle against Judah and Amos 9:8b–15 referring to a future day (“on that day”) on which the fallen booth of David would be raised. While other literary prophets continue many of the themes apparent in Amos, they also develop new ideas to address changing historical circumstances. (p. 262).
Amos Opens Anchoring to the Earthquake
Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen 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. ASV
Zechariah 14:5 And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and Jehovah my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee.
The quake is also referenced in Zechariah 14:5, where Zechariah compares the devastation wrought by the approaching end of days to the earthquake that shook Judah during the reign of King Uzziah. Given that Zechariah lived two centuries after Amos, the earthquake must have been extreme enough to leave a lasting impression on the Judean consciousness. Indeed, the IAA excavators believe it was “probably one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes in ancient times.”
Evidence for this powerful eighth-century B.C.E. earthquake has now been discovered in several sites across modern Israel, including Hazor, Gezer, Tel Agol, and Tell es-Safi. The Jerusalem excavation, however, provides the first evidence that the quake impacted the Judean hill country as well.
A June, 2021 analysis of the evidence from the site of Tel Agol in the Jezreel Valley has shed further light on this momentous earthquake. The fortress of Tel Agol, first constructed in the tenth century B.C.E., allowed the Kingdom of Israel to control and watch over the strategic valley. Around the mid-eighth century, large sections of the fortress’s walls were destroyed by what the excavators concluded could only have been an earthquake. Although some sections were rebuilt, the fortress never regained its original prominence.
While the eighth-century earthquake itself is now well documented through archaeological evidence, each new discovery provides a fuller picture of the quake’s destructive power. The evidence shows that the quake wrought devastation from Hazor in the north to Tell es-Safi in the south, a swath of destruction more than 125 miles long—certainly a powerful and remarkable event that was remembered by the biblical prophets. BAR
Minor Prophets in the Bible: Amos, Reading the Book of Amos in context.
By John Ahn, published by BAS on August 21, 2025. The following was extracted from his very good article.
1. The Historical and Social Context
The prophet Amos is historically and socially situated in the eighth century B.C.E. Leading up to this setting, Israel and Judah were two separate kingdoms. Beginning in the ninth century B.C.E., the northern kingdom of Israel was politically, economically, and socially wealthier and more stable than their southern counterpart, the kingdom of Judah.
2. The Message of Amos the Prophet
In the midst of national and international affairs, Amos, a local rancher (Amos 1:1) and/or farmer (7:14) from Tekoa in Judah is commissioned to the influential north, Israel. Amos 1:1 describes Amos as one who deals with sheep. Although Amos’s occupation is simply translated as a “shepherd,” the preferred technical translation is “one who owns or tends sheep or cattle.” In other words, Amos could be a simple shepherd or, conversely, a wealthy rancher owning or tending a plethora of sheep or cattle.
3. Amos’s Audience
The most famous encounter of Amos is found in 7:10–17. Amos goes to Israel to confront Amaziah, the (high) priest of Bethel, and King Jeroboam of Israel. Amos prophesied that Jeroboam will die by the sword and the nation collapse and then go into exile. In that exchange, Amaziah calls Amos a seer and tells him to go back to Judah and prophesy there, make your living there. Amos says, “I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet” (7:14). He says, “The Lord took me and sent me to go and prophesy to my people Israel” (7:15).
4. Redactions in the Book of Amos
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.C.E. In chapters 1 and 2 of Amos, there is a unique phrase, “for three transgressions of [X] and for four” set against the nations (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; Amos 2:1, 4, 6). This literary phrase denotes the threefold exile or forced migration of the southern kingdom of Judah in 597, 587, and 582 B.C.E. to Babylonia and the fourfold return migrations in 538, 520, 458, and 445–30 B.C.E.
