Bible Word Study
אָמוֹץ
ʼÂmôwts · Amots, an Israelite
אָמוֹץ
Amots, an Israelite
Definition
אָמוֹץ (Amots) is a proper name, most famously borne by the father of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 1:1). As a personal name, it signifies 'strong' or 'courageous,' reflecting its etymological root. In the biblical record, Amots is exclusively identified as Isaiah's father and is not a character with an independent narrative. All scriptural references to him serve to establish Isaiah's lineage and prophetic authority, particularly in the books of Isaiah, 2 Kings, and 2 Chronicles. There are no differing meanings or senses for this name across its occurrences; it consistently refers to this single individual.
Biblical Usage
The name Amots is used 13 times in the Old Testament, always in the context of identifying the prophet Isaiah. It appears in superscriptions to Isaiah's prophecies (Isaiah 1:1, 2:1), in historical narratives where Isaiah interacts with kings (2 Kings 19:2, 20:1; 2 Chronicles 26:22, 32:20), and in summaries of Isaiah's ministry (2 Chronicles 32:32). Its usage is formulaic, following the pattern 'Isaiah, son of Amots,' which was a standard way of identifying a prophet by his paternal lineage.
Etymology
The name אָמוֹץ (Amots) is derived from the Hebrew root אָמַץ (H553, 'amats), which means 'to be strong,' 'courageous,' or 'alert.' It is a qal passive participle form, meaning 'strong one' or 'courageous one.' As a personal name, it belongs to a common Semitic tradition of using adjectives or participles that express a desirable characteristic, such as strength or fortitude.
Semantic Range
While the name Amots itself is not theologically loaded, its consistent association with the prophet Isaiah is significant. Understanding that Isaiah is 'the son of Amots' grounds his prophetic ministry in a tangible human lineage, connecting divine revelation to a specific historical person and family. This reinforces the biblical pattern of God calling individuals within their social and familial contexts to deliver His word. The meaning of the name ('strong') may also be seen as providentially fitting for the father of a prophet who would deliver challenging messages to kings and nations. In ancient Israelite culture, a person's identity was deeply tied to their father's name. The recurring phrase 'Isaiah, son of Amots' was not merely informational but established Isaiah's social standing and legitimacy. Personal names often carried meaningful attributes, and naming a child 'Strong One' (Amots) reflected a hope or declaration about the child's character. This differs from modern naming conventions where the meaning is often secondary to sound or family tradition. There are no direct synonyms for this proper name. However, other Hebrew names derived from the same root (H553, אָמַץ) share the core meaning of strength, such as אָמַץ (Amats) and possibly עֻזִּי (Uzzi, H5813) from a related root meaning 'strength.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]