The Book of Amos

Introduction (Continued)

2. BREAKDOWN OF THE BOOK (Continued)
3. The Divisions of the Book
1. Judgment upon surrounding nations (Amos 1:1The 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.
   See All... – Amos 2:3And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.
   See All...)
2. Judgment upon Judah and Israel (Amos 2:4Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
   See All... – Amos 6:14But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.
   See All...)
3. Revelations of judgment (Amos 7:1Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
   See All... – Amos 9:10All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
   See All...)
4. Restoration of the people of God (Amos 9:11-15 [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: [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. [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. [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. [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.
   See All...)
4. Key Words
1. Shall (104)
2. Will (70)
3. House(s) (27)
4. Turn (13)
5. Palace(s) (13)
6. Against (11)
5. The Story of the Book in Word Occurrences
1. Conflict or peace
1. Conflict
1. Against (11)
2. Captivity (9), captive (4)
3. Fire (9)
4. Hosts (9)
5. Devour (8)
6. Punishment (8)
7. Sword (8)
8. Cut (5)
9. Die (5)
10. End (5)
11. Fall (5)
12. Taken (5)
13. Judgment (4)
2. Peace
1. Peace (1)
2. Sinfulness or righteousness
1. Sinfulness
1. Transgression(s) (11)
2. Evil (7)
3. Iniquities (1)
4. Sin(s) (2)
5. Sinful (1)
6. Sinners (1)
2. Righteousness
1. Righteousness (3)
2. Holy (1)
3. Holiness (1)
4. Righteous (1)
3. Sadness or Joy
1. Sadness
1. Mourn(ing) (6)
2. Lamentation (3)
3. Wailing (3)
4. Bitter (1)
5. Cry (1)
6. Howlings (1)
2. Joy
1. Joy (0)
6. Key Phrases
1. Thus saith the Lord (13) (Amos 1:3Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
   See All..., 6, 9, 11, 13; Amos 2:1Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
   See All..., 4, 6; Amos 3:11Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
   See All..., 12; Amos 5:3For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
   See All..., 4; Amos 7:17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
   See All...)
2. For three transgressions…and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof (8) (Amos 1:3Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
   See All..., 6, 9, 11, 13; Amos 2:1Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
   See All..., 4, 6)
3. But I will send (kindle) a fire (7) (Amos 1:4But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
   See All..., 7, 10, 12, 14; Amos 2:2But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:
   See All..., 5)
4. In that day (5) (Amos 2:16And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.
   See All...; Amos 8:3And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
   See All..., 9, 13; Amos 9:11In 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:
   See All...)
5. Hear (ye) this word (3) (Amos 3:1Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
   See All...; Amos 4:1Hear 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.
   See All...; Amos 5:1Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
   See All...)
6. Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me (3) (Amos 7:1Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
   See All..., 4; Amos 8:1Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
   See All...)
7. A Book of Questions
1. The Book of Amos has 31 questions.  This is more than any other of the Minor Prophets.
2. And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. (Amos 2:11And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
   See All...)
3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
   See All...)
4. Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? (Amos 3:4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
   See All...)
5. Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? Shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? (Amos 3:5Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
   See All...)
6. Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
   See All...)
7. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
   See All...)
8. Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? (Amos 5:18Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
   See All...)
9. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light?  Even very dark, and no brightness in it? (Amos 5:20Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
   See All...)
10. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? (Amos 5:25Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
    See All...)
11. Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? Or their border greater than your border? (Amos 6:2Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
    See All...)
12. And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? (Amos 6:10And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.
    See All...)
13. Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? (Amos 6:12Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
    See All...)
14. Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? (Amos 6:13Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
    See All...)
15. And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. (Amos 7:2And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
    See All...)
16. Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. (Amos 7:5Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
    See All...)
17. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? (Amos 7:8And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
    See All...)
18. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? (Amos 8:2And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
    See All...)
19. Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?  (Amos 8:5Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
    See All...)
20. That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (Amos 8:6That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
    See All...)
21. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? (Amos 8:8Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
    See All...)
22. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? (Amos 9:7Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
    See All...)
23. The Lord asks questions of men to get them to either come into agreement with Him or condemn themselves.
24. Much of what men will be judged for will have to do with their own words (Matthew 12:36-37 [36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. [37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
    See All...).
8. The Names of God
1. Lord (4 times)
2. God (3 times)
3. God of hosts (7 times)
4. LORD God of hosts (1 time)
5. Lord GOD (21 times)
6. LORD (59 times)
7. The names LORD and GOD are translated from the name Jehovah.
1. Jehovah is the unique name of God. Other names, like God and Lord, may be used at times of other beings; but Jehovah is the name that refers only to the God of the Bible.
2. Jehovah is primarily the self-sufficient God. He is the source of His own existence. He is independent of all other existence and would be Himself, even if nothing else existed.
3. This makes perfect sense that this name would be magnified during a time when nations are being judged (Isaiah 40:12-26 [12] Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? [13] Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? [14] With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? [15] Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. [16] And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. [17] All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. [18] To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? [19] The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. [20] He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. [21] Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? [22] It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: [23] That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. [24] Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. [25] To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. [26] Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
   See All...).

Chapter 1

The Coming Judgment

1. THE OPENING REMARKS (Amos 1:1-2 [1] 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. [2] And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
   See All...)
1. The Author (Amos 1:1The 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.
   See All...)
1. Amos
2. Among the herdmen of Tekoa
2. The Mode of Revelation (Amos 1:1The 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.
   See All...)
1. “Which he saw”
2. Apparently Amos received the message from the Lord by visions.  This can be further demonstrated by the usage of the words saw and seest (Amos 1:1The 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.
   See All...; Amos 7:8And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
   See All...; Amos 8:2And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
   See All...; Amos 9:1I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
   See All...).
3. The Recipient (Amos 1:1The 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.
   See All...)
1. The people – “concerning Israel”
2. The timeframe
1. During the reign of two kings
1. Uzziah – King of Judah
2. Jeroboam – King of Israel
3. This gives a space of time of approximately 14 to 15 years.
4. This is when the word of the Lord came to Amos, but does not necessarily mean that this was the entirety of Amos’ ministry.
2. Two years before the earthquake (Zechariah 14:5And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
   See All...)
4. The Severity of the Message (Amos 1:2And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
   See All...)
1. The Lord will roar from Zion.
1. Often the word roar and its various forms are connected to a lion.
2. The roaring of a lion is connected to the wrath of a king (Proverbs 19:12The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
   See All...).
3. The roaring of a lion is connected to the fear of a king (Proverbs 20:2The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
   See All...).
4. Isaiah likens the Lord to a lion roaring on his prey, who is not afraid of many shepherds (Isaiah 31:4For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
   See All...).  This same verse makes the connection with the Lord fighting for Zion.
5. Isaiah likens God’s wrath to a roaring of lion (Isaiah 42:13-15 [13] The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. [14] I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. [15] I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
   See All...).
6. This passage is close to a passage found in Joel dealing with the judgment of God upon the heathen and the restoration of Israel (Joel 3:16-20 [16] The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. [17] So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. [18] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. [19] Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. [20] But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
   See All...).
7. It will be the Lion of Juda that will open the book with seven seals in Revelation 5:5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
   See All....
2. The habitations of the shepherds shall mourn.
3. The top of Carmel shall wither.