Amos 1:1-2 NIV

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 1:2

And he said ,.... That is, the Prophet Amos, before described; he, being under divine inspiration, said as follows: the Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ; not from Samaria, nor from Dan and Bethel, but from Zion and Jerusalem, where the temple of the Lord stood; and out of the holy of holies in it, where was the seat of the divine Majesty; and his voice being compared to the roaring of a lion, denotes his wrath and vengeance; and is expressive of some terrible... 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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:2

The Lord will roar from Zion - It is a pity that our translators had not followed the hemistich form of the Hebrew: - Jehovah from Zion shall roar, And from Jerusalem shall give forth his voice; And the pleasant dwellings of the shepherds shall mourn, And the top of mount Carmel shall wither. Carmel was a very fruitful mountain in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:56 ; Isaiah 35:2 . This introduction was natural in the mouth of a herdsman who was familiar with the roaring of... 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

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:2

Verse 2 He employs here the same words which we explained yesterday in the Lecture on Joel; but for another purpose. By saying, ‘Jehovah from Zion shall roar,’ Joel intended to set forth the power of God, who had been for a time silent, as though he was not able to repel his enemies. As God was then despised by the ungodly, Joel declares that he had power, by which he could instantly break down and destroy all his enemies and defend his Church and chosen people. But now Amos, as he addresses... 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

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

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Amos 1:2

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:2

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

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Amos 1:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Amos 1:1

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