Book of Amos
book of the Bible
The Book of Amos is the third of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Christian Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh and the second in the Greek Septuagint. The Book of Amos has nine chapters. According to the Bible, Amos was an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, and was active c. 750 BC during the reign of Jeroboam II (788–747 BC) of Samaria (Northern Israel), while Uzziah was King of Judah. Amos is said to have lived in the kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel where themes of social justice, God's omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy. In recent years, scholars have grown more skeptical of the Book of Amos's presentation of Amos's biography and background. It is known for its distinct "sinister tone and violent portrayal of God."
Structure
According to Michael D. Coogan, the Book of Amos can be structured as follows:
Oracles against the nations (1:3–2:6)
Oracle concerning prophecy (3:3–8)
Addresses to groups in Israel
Women of Samaria (4:1–3)
Rich people in Samaria (6:1–7)
Rich people in Jerusalem (8:4–8)
Five visions of God's judgment on Israel, interrupted by a confrontation between Amos and his listeners at Bethel (7:10–17):
Locusts (7:1–3)
Fire (7:4–6)
A plumb line (7:7–9)
A basket of fruit (8:1–3)
God beside the altar (9:1–8a)
Epilogue (9:8b–15)
Summary
The book opens with a historical note about the prophet, then a short oracle announcing Yahweh's judgment (repeated in the Book of Joel). The prophet denounces the crimes committed by the gentile (non-Jewish) nations, and tells Israel that even they have sinned and are guilty of the same crimes, and reports five symbolic visions prophesying the destruction of Israel. Included in this, with no apparent order, are an oracle on the nature of prophecy, snippets of hymns, oracles of woe, a third-person prose narrative concerning the prophet, and an oracle promising restoration of the House of David, which had not yet fallen in the lifetime of Amos.
Composition
Amos prophesied during the reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of Judah; this places him in the first half of the 8th century BC. According to the book's superscription (Amos 1:1) he lived in Tekoa, a town in Judah south of Jerusalem, but his prophetic mission was in the northern kingdom. He is called a "shepherd" and a "dresser of sycamore trees", but the book's literary qualities suggest a man of education rather than a poor farmer.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q174677. VIAF identifies the subject as 316751468. The Library of Congress control number is n79082390. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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