Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Amos
Amos is the prophet of justice: a shepherd from Tekoa sent by God to confront a prosperous, self-satisfied Israel with its injustice and empty religion. His book insists that God wants righteousness, not ritual, and calls the nation to let justice roll down like water. This commentary walks through it verse by verse.
About This Commentary
The Book of Amos records the ministry of Amos, a shepherd and tender of sycamore fruit from Tekoa in Judah, whom God sent to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel around 760 BC, in a time of prosperity and complacency. Amos confronts the nation's injustice, its oppression of the poor, and its hollow worship, warning that God will judge His own people as surely as He judges the nations. His message is a ringing call for righteousness and justice.
This commentary covers Amos verse by verse, with the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, verified background, and an Apostolic reading. Amos shows that God is the God of all nations who cares deeply about how people are treated, and his cry, 'let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream' (5:24), still calls God's people to a faith that acts justly. References are given at the foot of each chapter.
All 9 chapters of Amos are complete, from the LORD roaring against the nations, through the searching cry for justice, to the raising up of the tabernacle of David and the planting of a people that shall no more be pulled up.
Author
Amos, a shepherd and fruit-tender from Tekoa in Judah.
Setting
The prosperous northern kingdom of Israel, around 760 BC.
Key Themes
Justice, righteousness, and judgment on complacent religion.
Famous Cry
'Let justice run down like water' (5:24).
Translation
King James Version (KJV) throughout.
The Chapters
Amos Commentary
The chapters below are available now. The rest are being written and will open here as they are finished and verified.
Amos 1:1-15
The LORD Roars from Zion
A shepherd called to prophesy hears the LORD roar from Zion, and God's judgment circles the nations for their cruelty: for three transgressions, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment.
Read Chapter 1 →Amos 2:1-16
They Sold the Righteous for Silver
The circle of judgment closes on Moab, Judah, and at last Israel, who 'sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes,' trampled the meek, and sinned by their very altars; God recalls the grace they spurned, the Exodus, prophets, and Nazarites, and the way they answered it, 'commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.'
Read Chapter 2 →Amos 3:1-15
The Lion Hath Roared
Privilege as accountability, 'You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you'; the chain of questions proving every effect has a cause; the great word 'the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets'; and judgment on Samaria's violence and the false altars of Bethel.
Read Chapter 3 →Amos 4:1-13
Prepare to Meet Thy God
The pampered 'kine of Bashan' who crush the needy, the biting sarcasm of 'Come to Bethel, and transgress,' the fivefold refrain over refused mercy, 'yet have ye not returned unto me,' and the great summons, 'prepare to meet thy God, O Israel,' before the majestic Maker whose name is 'The LORD, The God of hosts.'
Read Chapter 4 →Amos 5:1-27
Seek Ye Me, and Ye Shall Live
The lamentation over fallen Israel and the threefold call 'Seek ye me, and ye shall live'; the corruption of justice at the gate; the woe on those who long for a 'day of the LORD' that is 'darkness, and not light'; God's rejection of worship without justice, 'I hate, I despise your feast days'; and the ringing cry, 'let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.'
Read Chapter 5 →Amos 6:1-14
At Ease in Zion
The woe on those 'at ease in Zion' who lounge on 'beds of ivory' and feast, but 'are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph'; God's oath against the pride of Jacob, 'I abhor the excellency of Jacob'; and the folly of a people who boast, 'Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?'
Read Chapter 6 →Amos 7:1-17
Behold, I Will Set a Plumbline
The visions of locusts and fire, Amos interceding 'O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee,' and God relenting; the plumbline set 'in the midst of my people Israel' as God's true measure; and the clash with Amaziah, silenced by a herdman's testimony, 'I was no prophet... but the LORD took me as I followed the flock.'
Read Chapter 7 →Amos 8:1-14
A Famine of Hearing the Words of the LORD
The basket of summer fruit and 'the end is come upon my people'; the greedy merchants who 'swallow up the needy' with 'the ephah small, and the shekel great'; God's oath, 'Surely I will never forget any of their works'; and the most chilling judgment, 'a famine... of hearing the words of the LORD.'
Read Chapter 8 →Amos 9:1-15
I Will Raise Up the Tabernacle of David
The God no sinner can escape, 'though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them'; the sifting of Israel where 'not the least grain' of the faithful is lost; and the book's glorious close, the promise James quotes in Acts 15, 'I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen,' gathering the nations and planting a people that 'shall no more be pulled up.'
Read Chapter 9 →