Amos
(burden), native of Tekoa in Judah, about six miles south of Bethlehem, originally a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees, who was called by God s Spirit to be a prophet, although not trained in any of the regular prophetic schools. (Amos 1:1; 7:14,15) He travelled from Judah into the northern kingdom of Israel or Ephraim, and there exercised his ministry, apparently not for any long time. (His date cannot be later than B.C.
808 for he lived in the reigns of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel; but his ministry probably took place at an earlier date, perhaps about the middle of Jeroboam’s reign Nothing is known of the time or manner of his death.—ED.)
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Amos
I. The Proiihet. II. TIa* I'roptK'CV. 1. Authontidty. 2. Contents. .**. Theology. 4. Style. TIT. Lltcralnre. I. TlIK Plidl'lIET. — This is the name of the prophet whose book in our Bibles* occupies the third place amongst the Minor I'rophels.t The tir. and Lat. Kalhers, being fi)r the most ])art unacrniaiiited with lleh., fr(M|uently Cdiifoiinded liis name with the ipiite different one of Isaiah's father, Amnz. Our prophet has no namesake in • The s.lrne oivler is observed in our c bable view Is that which traces it to the verb 'aman (=to bear), and look.s on It as meau- \netiunli'n-lifaveryiv hurdfncil. 'I'henttetuptat explanation is carried too fur when it Is siiirirested that the name was tm[>osed by the cliiid's parents because of tho heavy load of poverty which ho was doomed to carry. the OT.* It is almost certain that he was a Judsean by birth : Am li is not absolutely de- cisive, but taken in conjunction with 71- seems to prove that he was a citizen of the southern kingdom. The attempts which have been made to prove his northern origin from the spelling of certain words (4'" o…
Fausset's Bible Dictionary on Amos
("a burden".) Of Tekoah, in Judah, six miles S.E. of Bethlehem. A shepherd (probably owning flocks) and dresser of sycamore fig trees; specially called of the Lord to prophesy, though not educated in the prophets' schools (Amo 1:1; Amo 7:14-15). These personal notices occur only as connected with the discharge of his prophetic function; so entirely is self put in the shade by the inspired men of God, and God is made the one all-absorbing theme. Though of Judah, he exercised his ministry in the northern kingdom, Israel; not later than the 15th year of Uzziah of Judah, when Jeroboam II. (son of Joash) of Israel died (compare 1Ki 14:23 with 1Ki 15:1), in whose reign it is written he prophesied "two years before the earthquake"; compare Zec 14:5. Allusions to the earthquake appear in Amo 5:8; Amo 6:11; Amo 8:8; Amo 9:1; Amo 9:5. The divine sign in his view confirmed his words, which were uttered before, and which now after the earthquake were committed to writing in an orderly summary. The natural world, being from and under the same God, shows a mysterious sympathy with the spiritual wo…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia