Minor Prophets · Old Testament
Amos
c. 760 BC
- Section
- Minor Prophets · Old Testament
- Events span
- c. 760 BC
- Written
- c. 760 BC critical view: c. 8th century BC, with later editing
- Author
- Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa critical view: Amos, with later editing
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.”
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; five visions of coming judgment
- 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
“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”