Amos 1:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Amos 1:1-2

Here is, I. The general character of this prophecy. It consists of the words which the prophet saw. Are words to be seen? Yes, God's words are; the apostles speak of the word of life, which they had not only heard, but which they had seen with their eyes, which they had looked upon, and which their hands had handled (1 John 1:1), such a real substantial thing is the word of God. The prophet saw these words, that is, 1. They were revealed to him in a vision, as John is said to see the voice... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 1:1

The words of Amos ,.... Not which he spoke of or for himself, but from the Lord; all the prophecies, visions, and revelations made unto him, are intended: who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa ; which was not in the tribe of Asher, as Kimchi; nor of Zebulun, as Pseudo-Epiphanius F9 De Vita Prophet. c. 12. ; but in the tribe of Judah, 2 Chronicles 11:5 . It lay to the south, and was six miles from Bethlehem. Mr. Maundrell F11 Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 88. says it is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:1

The words of Amos - This person and the father of Isaiah, though named alike in our translation, were as different in their names as in their persons. The father of Isaiah, אמוץ Amots ; the prophet before us, עמוס Amos . The first, aleph , mem , vau , tsaddi ; the second, ain , mem , vau , samech . For some account of this prophet see the introduction. Among the herdmen - He seems to have been among the very lowest orders of life, a herdsman, one who tended the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:1

Verse 1 Amos boasts not here, in speaking of his own words, that he adduced anything as from himself, but avows himself to be only the minister of God; for he immediately adds that he received them by a vision. God himself raised up the Prophets and employed their labor; And, at the same time, guided them by his Spirit, that they might not announce anything but what had been received from him, but faithfully deliver what had proceeded from him alone. These two things then, well agree together,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

Heading. The words. So Jeremiah begins his prophecy ( Jeremiah 1:1 ), and the writer of Ecclesiastes ( Ecclesiastes 1:1 ). That the words am not those of Amos, but of Jehovah, is shown by the succeeding clause, "which he saw." Herdmen . The Hebrew word noked used here is found in 2 Kings 3:4 , applied to Mesha King of Moab, a great "sheepmaster;" hence some have considered that Amos was not a mere mercenary, but a rich possessor of flocks. His own words, however ( Amos 7:14 , ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

A voice from the sheepcotes. The Jewish nation is almost seven centuries old. A wayward nonage had passed into a maturity incorrigibly perverse. Alarmed by prophetic thunders, and riven by the lightning bolts of judgment ( Amos 4:6-11 ), Israel clung to its iniquities in spite of all ( Amos 2:4 ; Amos 5:11 ; Isaiah 1:5 ). Yet God had not cast off his people whom he foreknew. There were other arrows in his quiver still, and he would shoot them against national obduracy with a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

Amos the herdsman. There must be some special reason why this prophet putts upon record the employments in which he spent his earlier years, and from which he was called to assume the office of the Lord's messenger to Israel. On the barren hills to the south of Bethlehem, where there is no tillage, and where the population must always have been scanty, Amos tended flocks of sheep or of goats, and at certain seasons of the year gathered the fruit from the wild sycamore trees. I. RURAL ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

The true teacher. "The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa." In the little village of Tekoa, six miles south of Bethlehem, the young peasant Amos lived. He was a lad of humble birth and lowly occupation. Sometimes be trimmed the sycamore trees, and sometimes drove the cattle to and from their pasture. But he heard the voice of God everywhere, and saw his works in all the scenes around him; for he was devout, and feared the Lord exceedingly. Although he lived in Judah, his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1-2

Heading of the book, with short summary of its contents. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Amos 1:1

The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen - “Amos begins by setting forth his own nothingness, and withal the great grace of his Teacher and Instructor, the Holy Spirit, referring all to His glory.” He, like David, Peter, Paul, Matthew, was one of “the weak things of the world, whom God chose to confound the mighty.” He was himself a herdsman only “among herdsmen;” but the words which he spake were not his own. They were words which he saw, not with eyes of flesh, but “with that vision... read more

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