AmosChapter 7

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This is what the Lord GOD showed me: he was forming a swarm of locusts just as the late crop was beginning to come up—the late crop that follows the king's mowings.

And when they had finished devouring the vegetation of the land, I said, "Lord GOD, forgive, I pray! How can Jacob stand? He is so small."

The LORD relented concerning this. "It shall not be," said the LORD.

This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and began to devour the farmland.

Then I said, "Lord GOD, stop, I pray! How can Jacob stand? He is so small."

The LORD relented concerning this. "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD.

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing by a wall built with a plumb line, and in his hand was a plumb line.

And the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Amos?" I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

The high places of Isaac shall be laid waste and the sanctuaries of Israel shall lie in ruins, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel: "Amos is plotting against you in the very midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words.

For this is what Amos has said: 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away into exile from its own land.'"

And Amaziah said to Amos, "Go away, seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Eat your bread there, and prophesy there.

But never prophesy again at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."

Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet. I am a herdsman and a tender of sycamore figs.

But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

Now then, hear the word of the LORD. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac.'

Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword. Your land shall be divided up with a measuring line, and you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely be led away into exile from its own land.'"

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Summary2

Chapter 7

Main Theme: God shows Amos three visions of judgment against Israel, and the prophet is confronted by the priest Amaziah in Bethel.

Content: God shows Amos three visions: locusts, fire, and a plumb line. After the first two visions, Amos pleads for mercy, and God relents and spares the people. In the third vision, God declares that He will no longer spare Israel. The priest Amaziah orders Amos out of Bethel, but Amos defends his divine calling and pronounces judgment against Amaziah and his family.

Key Words/Images:

Plumb line (אֲנָךְ): A symbol of God's standard of justice, showing that Israel falls short.
God's relenting (נִחַם): God changes His mind after Amos' intercession in the first two visions.
"Not a prophet, but a shepherd": Amos' defense of his calling—he was not a professional prophet but was called directly by God.
Bethel: The royal sanctuary where the conflict between the prophet and the religious establishment takes place.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Amos 7

People

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (vv. 10–17), was the high priest at the royal sanctuary in Bethel. His title "priest of Bethel" (כֹּהֵן בֵּית־אֵל) indicates that he was the leading religious official at the Northern Kingdom’s most important shrine. Amaziah represented institutionalized religion closely tied to royal power. His actions show that he prioritized political loyalty: he reported Amos’ message to the king as a "conspiracy" (קָשַׁר, v. 10) rather than receiving it as divine revelation.

Jeroboam II (vv. 9–11) is mentioned in the judgment God pronounces through Amos. The prophecy that God would "rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword" (v. 9) was distorted by Amaziah to mean that Amos claimed the king himself would die by the sword (v. 11)—a crucial misrepresentation of the message that Amaziah used to portray Amos as a political threat.

Places

Bethel (vv. 10, 13) was one of two royal sanctuaries established by Jeroboam I after the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 12:28–29). The name means "house of God," and the site had deep roots in Israel’s history—it was here that Jacob had his famous vision (Genesis 28:10–22). Amaziah’s description of Bethel as "the king’s sanctuary" (מִקְדַּשׁ־מֶלֶךְ) and "the temple of the kingdom" (בֵית מַמְלָכָה) in verse 13 reveals the tension in the confrontation: Amaziah asserts the site’s royal authority, while Amos asserts the Lord’s authority.

Events and Customs

The king’s first crop of grass (v. 1) refers to a practice whereby the king had the right to the first growth of grass for his horses and cattle. The phrase "after the king’s first crop" (אַחַר גִּזֵּי הַמֶּלֶךְ) points to the late harvest (לֶקֶשׁ) that came in March–April and produced a second yield. If locusts destroyed this, the people would have nothing left for their own use after the king had already taken his share.

Prophetic groups and professional prophets (v. 14) were an established institution in Israel. The term "son of a prophet" (בֶן־נָבִיא) referred to members of prophetic communities who lived together, often in connection with sanctuaries, and received payment for their services. Amos’ denial of belonging to this group underscores that his calling came directly from God, independent of religious institutions.

Key Terms

Anakh (אֲנָךְ, vv. 7–8) is a Hebrew word traditionally translated as "plumb line" or "plumb bob." The word occurs only here in the Old Testament, and its meaning is debated. Recent scholarship has suggested it may mean "tin"—that is, that חוֹמַת אֲנָךְ describes a solid tin wall. Regardless of interpretation, the vision symbolizes God’s testing and measuring of the people’s righteousness—and the conclusion is that He will no longer "pass over" them (לֹֽא־אוֹסִיף עוֹד עֲבוֹר לוֹ, v. 8).

Boles shikmin (בּוֹלֵס שִׁקְמִים, v. 14), translated "tender of sycamore figs," refers to a special practice in which one would scratch or pierce the fruit of the sycamore fig tree to hasten its ripening. This was low-status work, showing that Amos came from humble circumstances and was not a professional prophet who earned his living through his prophetic activity.

People6

Amaziah (Father of Josha, mentioned in the genealogy of Simeon (1 Chron. 4:34))3 Amos4 Judah1 Jeroboam I3 Isaac1 Jacob2

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Key words10

Amos — A prophet in the Old Testament who delivered God's message to the people of Israel.
Book 7 — The seventh chapter in the book of Amos, containing visions and prophecies about judgment on Israel.
Vision — A spiritual experience where a person receives divine revelation or insight.
Locust swarm — A large gathering of locusts that destroys crops and vegetation.
Lord — A title used to refer to God, the almighty Creator.
Plumb line — A tool used to measure distances; here it symbolizes God's righteous judgment.
Temple — A holy place for worship and prayer, often associated with God's presence.
Jeroboam — King Jeroboam II of Israel, who reigned in the 700s BC.
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