Minor Prophets · Old Testament
Amos
c. 760 BC
- Section
- Minor Prophets · Old Testament
- Events span
- c. 760 BC
- Written
- c. 760 BC
- Author
- Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa
Amos, a shepherd from Judah, prophesies against the prosperous but corrupt northern kingdom of Israel. He thunders against injustice, empty religion, and the oppression of the poor, warning that God will not overlook their sins: “let judgment run down as waters.”
Historical setting: The northern kingdom of Israel at its prosperous height under Jeroboam II, a generation before Assyria destroys it.
Chronological placement: Prophesied during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (c. 760 BC), a generation before Israel's fall.
Key themes
- Social justice
- Judgment on the nations
- Empty ritual versus true worship
- Care for the poor
- The day of the LORD
Key events
- Amos pronounces judgment on the surrounding nations, then on Judah and Israel
- He condemns Israel's rich for trampling the poor and for their empty feasts
- "Let judgment run down as waters" — God rejects worship without justice
- Woe to those at ease in Zion, with visions of locusts, fire, and a plumb line
- Amaziah the priest tells Amos to go home, but Amos insists God called him
- After judgment, God promises to restore the fallen tent of David
Key lessons
- God cares deeply about how the powerful treat the weak; he thunders against those who grow rich by trampling the poor and denying justice. Amos 2:6–7
- God finds worship worthless when it coexists with injustice; he despises the feasts and songs of hands that oppress. Amos 5:21–24
- Privilege increases responsibility rather than granting immunity; being God’s chosen people means greater accountability, not a free pass. Amos 3:2
“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”