King James Version
Amos
Amos in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Amos: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Amos, a herdsman from Tekoa in Judah who prophesied in Israel. Most scholars accept him as the main source. |
|---|---|
| Date | About 760–750 BC in one survey, two years before the earthquake. |
| Place written | Tekoa in Judah and Bethel in Israel, both in the modern West Bank. |
| Genre | Prophecy of judgment and justice. |
| Chapters | 9 |
| Verses | 146 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Amos 5:24Amos 5:24 · King James VersionBut let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.Amos 5:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
Amos 1:1Amos 1:1 · King James VersionThe 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.
Amos 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) names Amos, among the herdsmen of Tekoa. Amos 7:14–15Amos 7:14–15 · King James Version7:14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
7:15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
Amos 7:14–15 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) has him say he was no prophet or prophet’s son but a herdman, sent by the Lord. The Twelve were collected, per the Talmud, by the men of the Great Assembly. (2)
Who It Is Not
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel who opposes him in Amos 7:10Amos 7:10 · King James VersionThen Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
Amos 7:10 · King James VersionOpen the Source, is not the author. Amos is not Amoz, Isaiah’s father.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 760–750 BC. (5)
Audience and Setting
The prosperous northern kingdom. The purpose is to denounce injustice and empty worship and warn of exile.
Rulers at the Time
Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel, per Amos 1:1Amos 1:1 · King James VersionThe 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.
Amos 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Reign dates were not checked for this essay and are omitted.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Oracles against nations | Amos 1–2 |
| Oracles against Israel | Amos 3–6 |
| Visions | Amos 7–9 |
| Composition | 760–750 BC in one survey. (5) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Tekoa | Khirbet Tequ’, near Tuqu’, West Bank. | Amos 1:1Amos 1:1 · King James VersionThe 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.Amos 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Bethel | Near Beitin, West Bank. | Amos 7:10Amos 7:10 · King James VersionThen Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.Amos 7:10 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Samaria | Sebastia, West Bank. | Amos 4:1Amos 4:1 · King James VersionHear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.Amos 4:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Amos 1–2 judge the nations and then Judah and Israel. Amos 3–6 indict Israel. Amos 7–9 give five visions and end with restoration of David’s tabernacle.
Key Themes
Justice in Amos 5:24Amos 5:24 · King James VersionBut let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Amos 5:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Judgment on complacency in Amos 6:1Amos 6:1 · King James VersionWoe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Amos 6:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Hope in Amos 9:11Amos 9:11 · King James VersionIn that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
Amos 9:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
Some critics regard the hopeful ending in Amos 9:11–15Amos 9:11–15 · King James Version9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
9:15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
Amos 9:11–15 · King James VersionOpen the Source as a later addition. Others read it as the book’s intended turn.
How the Book Points to Christ
James quotes Amos 9:11–12Amos 9:11–12 · King James Version9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
Amos 9:11–12 · King James VersionOpen the Source at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:16–17Acts 15:16–17 · King James Version15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Acts 15:16–17 · King James VersionOpen the Source for the Gentiles’ inclusion in Christ. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
The Twelve are among the books found at Qumran. (6)
Canon Reception
Received with the Twelve. (4) (3)
Further Reading
References
- Book of Amos, 1:1; 7:14–15Amos 1:1 · King James Version
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.
Amos 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Amos (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Amos as 760–750 BC. It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.