BIBLE STUDY --- BOOKS OF THE TANAKH {TREISAR}

BOOK OF AMOS --- PART 1

Writings of the prophet Amos, one of the 12 minor prophets of the Hebrew Old Testament. The book of Amos is called minor only because it is relatively short. Its message is as important as that of any of the major prophets. Indeed, Amos has one of the most powerful statements in the Bible of YHVH’s judgment against injustice, oppression, and hypocrisy. The book consists primarily of prophetic sermons preached by Amos at Bethel, royal sanctuary of the northern kingdom of Israel in the eighth century BC.

AUTHOR

The preacher of the sermons {or oracles} in the book was undoubtedly Amos, a herdsman and a dresser {farmer} of fig trees, from the village of Tekoa, south of Jerusalem. He received from YHVH a vision of judgment on Israel and went north to Bethel, just across the border between Judah and Israel, to deliver his sermons. All we know about the prophet is contained in the superscription {1:1-2} and a biographical section {7:10-14} of the book of Amos, plus what can be learned about him from the style and content of the rest of the book. Did Amos write down his prophecies himself? Although scholars have raised many questions about the authorship of Amos, there is no convincing reason to regard the book as the work of anyone else. Some have suggested that the sermons were passed on by word of mouth for a long time before they were written down in final form. The Hebrew text however, is in much better shape than would be expected {had it come through prolonged oral transmission}. The many first-person references and vigour of expression imply strongly that Amos himself put much of his prophecy into writing soon after delivering it at Bethel. Another speculative proposal is that the visions described in the book {7:1-9; 8:1-3; 9:1-4} were compiled by Amos before he began his ministry to the northern kingdom, and the oracles {chapters 1–6} were composed after that time. The two sections could have been joined into one book much later, during or after the Babylonian exile, with some sections inserted at that time. Other prophecies however, such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah, contain both oracle and vision sections that scholars have not attempted to divide, and the internal evidence does not make such a division necessary with Amos. Both sections contain similar concerns; in both the visions {7:1-3} and the oracles {5:1-7}, Amos appears in the role of intercessor on behalf of Israel.

DATE, ORIGIN, AND DESTINATION

According to the superscription, Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel {1:1}, or between 792 and 740 BC. The content of his message fits what is known about the situation in Israel in that period. It is difficult to be more exact about the beginning and ending of Amos’s prophetic ministry within that time span. The vision came to him “two years before the earthquake” {1:1}, but another biblical reference to presumably the same earthquake places it during the days of King Uzziah of Judah {Zechariah 14:5}. Archaeological excavations at Hazor seem to have yielded evidence for an earthquake, which has been dated at approximately 760 BC. Amos also contains a prophetic reference to a solar eclipse {8:9}; such an eclipse has been calculated to have occurred about 763 BC. After King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy, he lived in isolation while Judah was under a co-regency {2 Chronicles 26:21}. Therefore, Amos’s mention of Uzziah as king {1:1} probably sets 760 BC as the latest possible date for Amos’s ministry. The doom that came upon Israel after Amos’s prophecy was the conquest by the Assyrian king Tiglath- pileser III {745–727 BC}. Although Amos referred to impending captivity, he never mentioned Assyria as the captor, although he did say that captivity would take Israel to a land east of Damascus {5:27}. Probably Amos was not thinking specifically of the rising power of Assyria but only of the inevitable consequences of Israel’s idolatry and hypocrisy. When all the evidence is taken into consideration, it seems reasonable to date the beginning of Amos’s prophecies at Bethel to about 760 BC, or approximately the middle of the period during which both Uzziah and Jeroboam II were on their thrones. We do not know how long his ministry lasted; it may have been only a few months. Amos had been caring for his flocks in the Judean hills south of Jerusalem when YHVH told him, “Go and prophesy to My people in Israel” {7:15}. He may have been familiar with the more urban north from earlier trips there to sell wool or fruit, or the pagan worship and social wrongs there may have made a sudden impact on him after his call to prophesy. At any rate, his writings reveal not only his rural Judean background but also a first hand knowledge of conditions in the northern kingdom of Israel. Although his prophecies were directed primarily to Israel, he also denounced the sin of Judah, predicting that its capital, Jerusalem, would be burned {2:4-5}. Several passages are directed at inhabitants of Samaria, capital of Israel {4:1, 11; 6:1}, with which Amos was obviously familiar. He could have travelled on to Samaria from Bethel, or he could have learned of its splendours from the boasts of its citizens. He could have addressed them directly as they came from the capital city to worship at Bethel.

BACKGROUND

The eighth century BC was a critical time in Jewish history. Both kingdoms of the divided nation had risen to heights of economic affluence that had not been experienced since the days of Solomon. Yet internal religious decay was sapping the strength of both kingdoms, and their social fabric was being destroyed. A new wealthy class was benefiting from the affluence of the time, growing ever richer while poor people became poorer than ever. In 803 BC, the conquest of Syrian Damascus by the Assyrian king Adad-Nirari III had silenced one of Israel’s major enemies. With the Syrians out of the picture, the kingdom of Israel was able to expand its borders under King Joash {2 Kings 13:25}, and for a time even the thrust of Assyrian power westward was diminished. Israel and Judah entered a period of rest from constant warfare and turned their attention to internal affairs. Joash’s son, Jeroboam II, became king of Israel in 793 and reigned until 753 BC. Uzziah was on the throne of Judah from 792 to 740 BC. Under these two kings, Judah and Israel controlled a territory that was almost as large as Solomon’s empire had been. Their wealth had grown both from expansion of trade and from the booty of conquered territories. Archaeology has yielded information about industrial activity within the nations, such as an impressive dyeing industry at Debir. Excavations at Samaria have produced large numbers of ivory inlays that confirm Amos’s description of the wealthy in the capital city {6:4}. The city of Samaria was protected by a huge double wall of unusual thickness. A palace, probably Jeroboam’s, dominated the city with a massive tower. The splendour and prosperity of the time however, was masking the spread of internal decay. Oppression of the poor by many in the wealthy classes not only threatened the unity of the nation but also meant that YHVH’s Laws were being violated. In his denunciations of the cruel treatment of the poor {5:11-13; 8:4-10}, Amos warned of the inevitable punishment for disobeying YHVH’s Laws. The nation of Israel was guilty of more than social sins against the Covenant. It was also adopting pagan religious practices. Canaanite religious influence intruded into the fabric of the nation of Israel. Excavation of a palace storehouse in Samaria uncovered many ostraca {pieces of broken pottery used for writing short messages such as letters, receipts, etc.} containing Hebrew names compounded with “Baal,” a chief god of the Canaanite religion. In spite of the gradual deterioration, false optimism seems to have prevailed. Amos found people desiring the Day of Adonai {5:18} and sought to correct their misunderstanding: the Day of Adonai prophesied in the Scriptures would be a time of judgment on all sinners. A more immediate judgment was to come, however. Assyria began to strengthen its position in the world and to resume its expansionist policies. Under the leadership of Tiglath-pileser III {745–727 BC}, Assyria regained a position of world dominance. Eventually, Israel was attacked by Shalmaneser V of Assyria. Soon afterward, in 722 BC, Samaria was occupied. No doubt when the Assyrians were sweeping into Israel, many of the people who had ignored the message of Amos then realized that a prophet of YHVH had been among them.

CONTENT

SUPERSCRIPTION {1:1}

The prophet introduces himself as a shepherd, perhaps implying that it is more than sheep he wants to keep from straying.

PROPHETIC ORACLES {1:2–6:14}

This section begins with a picture of the great power of YHVH, who acts in history to judge the nations {1:2}.

JUDGMENT ON SURROUNDING NATIONS {1:3–2:3}

The prophet first speaks against Damascus, then moves on, pronouncing doom on various peoples in ever closer concentric circles, “homing in” on Israel. One may imagine the citizens of Israel applauding YHVH’s judgment on other nations until, with shocking effect, Amos accuses Israel of similar sins. Damascus was the capital of Syria, northeast of Israel, and the centre of Syrian influence. Syria had mistreated Israel during Hazael’s reign in Damascus {842–806 BC}. Hazael “whittled down” Israel in a number of campaigns {2 Kings 10:32-33; 13:3-5, 22-24}. In their campaign into the territory of Gilead, the Syrians destroyed most of Israel’s army as though they were dust on a threshing floor {2 Kings 13:7}. Hence, Amos denounces Syria for threshing Gilead as grain is threshed with iron rods {Amos 1:3}. He predicts that Syria will be destroyed and its people deported to Kir, which Amos understood to be their place of origin {9:7}. {For the fulfilment of this prophecy, see 2 Kings 16:9.} Amos next turned to Gaza, a Philistine city in southwest Palestine. Gaza probably represents the Philistines as a whole, since three other of their five major cities are also mentioned {1:8}. The fifth, Gath, had already been conquered by Hazael {2 Kings 12:17}. Amos denounced the Philistines for what must have been a border raid on Israel in which many were carried off into slavery {1:6}. The Phoenician city of Tyre is cited next. Tyre was on the Mediterranean, north of Israel and southwest of Damascus. Destruction of Tyre, like that of the Philistine cities, is predicted as punishment for making slaves of conquered Israelites. Edom is next, south of the Dead Sea. Edom had perennially harassed the Israelites and is referred to in a negative light many times in the Old Testament. Edom is said to have been pitiless toward Israel, his brother {1:11}. Ammon, just to the southeast of Israel, is also judged. The particularly violent incident referred to {1:13} evidently occurred in one of their many attempts to push northward into the Israelite territory of Gilead. Moab is the last of the surrounding nations to be denounced, with reference to what may have been a well-known incident of desecration of the dead {2:1-3}.

ORACLES AGAINST ISRAEL AND JUDAH {2:4-16}

Although Judah and Israel were at peace at the time, their enmity had continued after dissolution of the united kingdom. Amos accuses Judah of rejecting “the Law of Adonai” and predicts the burning of Jerusalem. The oracle against Israel is longer than the others. Amos carefully specifies the social nature of Israel’s sin, making the point that Israel is no better than the surrounding nations. Israel deserves the same punishment. Just as some of the nations were guilty of taking people into slavery, Israel is selling her own poor who cannot repay their debts {2:6}. Under Mosaic Law it was illegal to keep overnight a garment pledged as security for a loan, since it might be the only source of warmth the debtor had {Exodus 22:26-27}. Rich people in Israel were attending religious feasts in such clothing “stolen” from the poor {2:8}. Amos reminds Israel of all the good things YHVH has done for them {2:9-11}. But because Israel has chosen to continue in disobedience, the nation will not escape impending judgment {2:12-16}.