Book of the Prophet Amos

The prophecies of Amos date back to the reign of the Israeli king Jeroboam II (Jeroboam ben Joash) and the king of Judea Uzziah , when both kingdoms reached the peak of prosperity. He was a senior contemporary of Hosea . Most likely, his activity dates back to the fall of 750 or 749. BC. It is believed that the Bethel (Beth-El) sermon lasted from one day to several days. At this time, Assyria waged war with the Syrians, which significantly reduced the threat to the Northern kingdom from Damascus . At this time, it almost reached the borders of the time of David . In addition, the prophecy was fulfilled two years before the great earthquake, which was recalled after 200 years.

We learn about Amos from 1: 1 and 7:10 - 14 , where it is written that he is a shepherd from Fekoi. Fekoya - a city 8 km south of Bethlehem , it was located at an altitude of 850 m above sea level. Amos was called by the Lord from his flocks in order to go to a neighboring state and turn a prophecy against his elite, which he courageously fulfills.

The first and second chapters of the book are devoted to the prediction of the earthquake and God's punishment for all Middle Eastern peoples, and then directly to Judah and Israel , for moral decay, for the crimes of their rulers. Chapters 3 through 6 deal directly with the sins of Israel.

The main accusations in this passage are social injustice and oppression of the poor ( 2: 6–8 , 3:10 , 4: 1–3 ), which are regarded as breaking the covenant with God and his commandments.

In 5: 4-5 Amos refers to the religious practice of the Israelites - religiosity without devotion to the commandments and the law is not pleasing to God. This is reflected in 5:21 - 27 , where God rejects rituals and sacrifices that are not accompanied by the fulfillment of the commandments and, above all, the proper legal process. In this regard, the Day of the Lord , expected by all with hope, will turn into darkness, and not light ( 5:18 - 20 ). How punishment can be avoided, the prophet explains in the same place ( 5: 4 - 7 , 5:14 - 15 ): “Seek the Lord, and you will live” “Seek good, not evil, so you can stay alive.”

The last part of Amos’s book, chapters 7–9 , is often called the Book of Visions. Three visions: locusts ( 7: 1 - 3 ), fire ( 7: 4 - 6 ), plumb ( 7: 7 - 9 ) - a symbol of the increasing fury of God, his refusal to pardon the people of God, the same - a basket with ripe fruits ( 8: 1 - 3 ). He portends the famine of the word of the Lord ( 8:11 - 12 ).

In the last chapter, Amos gives the last vision - the Lord standing above the altar ( 9: 1 - 4 ). This chapter emphasizes the equality before God of all nations ( 9: 7 ). The restoration of the Kingdom of David and the preaching of the word of God among all nations are foreshadowed.

• Amos book // Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron . - SPb. , 1908-1913.
• A chapter on the book of Amos from the Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin.
• John (Smirnov) . Amos and Obadiah. Ryazan, 1874.