Boys · Hebrew · Old Testament · rising · Divided monarchy (8th century BC)
Amos
/AY-moss/
עָמוֹס
"Burden-bearer; carried by God"
Amos 1:1
RoleProphet; shepherd; farmer
Etymology
From the Hebrew root 'amas' (עָמַס), meaning 'to carry a load' or 'to bear a burden'. The name suggests one who carries weight — either the weight of responsibility or the weight of prophetic calling.
Who they were
Amos was not a professional prophet. He was a shepherd and a tender of sycamore-fig trees from the small town of Tekoa, about ten miles south of Jerusalem. God took him from following the flock and sent him north to prophesy against Israel during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II — a time when the nation was wealthy, militarily secure, and morally rotten. Amos' message was volcanic. He condemned the rich for trampling the poor, selling the needy for a pair of sandals, and lying on ivory couches while justice collapsed. His most famous words — 'Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream' — were quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. in his 'I Have a Dream' speech. When the priest Amaziah told him to go home and stop prophesying, Amos replied that he was no prophet by profession — God simply took him and said 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' His book is short, fierce, and entirely relevant to any era where prosperity and injustice coexist.
Character qualities
- Courage to speak truth to power
- Humility about his calling
- Passion for justice
- Unwillingness to be silenced
Key verse
Amos 5:24
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Amoss · Amós
Read their story
Amos's story begins in Amos.
The full passage is at Amos 1:1. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
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