Q: In Am, what is the main point of the book?
A: Amos is a book of reasons and consequences of judgment for living a life of pleasure without God. The book of Amos has a lot of "flavor", probably due to Amos himself. God used the background and experience of this godly country-boy to deliver a message all of God’s sheep, in the city and country, needed to hear.
Q: In Am, what is an outline of the book?
A: Amos is a book of judgment. Here is a simple outline.
1-2 Judgment is coming
3-6 Reasons for Judgment
7-9:10 Five Visions of the Results
9:11-15 Restoration after Judgment
Q: In Am 1:1, when was the book of Amos written?
A: Amos 1:1 says it was written two years before the earthquake, which occurred in the year that King Uzziah died. (This is two years before Isaiah 6 was written.) It was written about 762 B.C. According to The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1426, archaeological evidence at Hazor and Samaria shows an earthquake 760 B.C. 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.203 says it was written between 780 and 760 B.C.
Q: In Am 1:1, where was Tekoa?
A: Tekoa was a small village 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Jerusalem.
Q: In Am 1:1 and Am 7:14, was Amos a shepherd?
A: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1425 says the general word for shepherd was not used here. Rather the word was more specialized, meaning sheep breeder. In Amos 7:14, the word is a very general word meaning herdsman.
Q: In Am 1:1, was this earthquake merely a legendary rabbinical tradition, as Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.633 says?
A: No. While we do not have any evidence of this earthquake, Asimov provides no evidence that this was a rabbinical tradition either. There were priests and Levites back then to teach the people, but there were no "rabbis" in the strict sense of the Pharisees of Jesus time, or the Jews of later. One should be more inclined to believe Amos, who lived back then, instead of Asimov.
Earthquakes were common in that region. For example, the archaeology at Qumran shows there was a damaging earthquake in 31 B.C., and yet no ancient writers record this event.
Q: In Am 1:4,7,10,12,14; 2:5, why is fire on the wall of the palace so prominently mentioned?
A: That was how the city was destroyed. They did not use metal or rebar in building city walls. They used straw in the bricks, and parts were reinforced with wood.
Q: In Am 1:5, what is the house of Eden?
A: There are two possibilities.
Name: Beth [house of] Eden was the actual name of a city in Syria, which archaeologists have not located yet. It has no relationship to the Garden of Eden.
Metaphor: The use of "Eden", referring to the Garden of Eden, was a poetic metaphor to Damascus, the "garden spot" of Syria. The NIV Study Bible p.1348 mentions this possibility.
Q: In Am 1:8, why did the Philistines perish as a people?
A: The Babylonians destroyed the Philistine nation when they conquered Palestine. However, Zechariah 9:5-6 mentions a few that still survived.
Q: In Am 1:9, what was the "brotherly covenant" the Edomites broke?
A: Amos 1:11 provides the answer. This was not a formal treaty or legal document. Rather it was the expectation that a very closely related people would not have such animosity and hatred as the Edomites had toward the nearby Israelites.
Q: In Am 2:6; 8:6, why was it wrong to not just sell the poor, but to sell them for a pair of shoes?
A: If slaves were that inexpensive, there must have been an abundant supply. While slavery was permitted in the Old Testament, slaves were supposed to be freed very seven years, as Deuteronomy 15:12-18 commands. The Israelites were not doing that, as Jeremiah 34:8-21 shows.
It is one thing to disobey God’s law, and it is another for society to break it so frequently that they institutionalized it.
Q: In Am 2:6, why would God allow the righteous to be sold as slaves?
A: Probably for a similar reason as God would allow obedient Christians, who were hiding Jews in World War II, to be caught and sent to die in Nazi concentration camps. God often allows even His obedient children to suffer harm and injustice in this life. As a matter of fact, Romans 8:36 mentions that at times God’s people faced death so much they resembled sheep to be slaughtered.
Q: In Am 3:2, does this mean no one else knew of God but the Israelites?
A: No. All have at least a small amount of revelation about God, just from observing creation, as Romans 1:19-20 and Psalm 19:1-6 show. In addition, God revealed Himself to non-Israelites, including Abraham, Keturah, Adam, Noah, and Enoch. Jonah preached to the Ninevites, and Egyptians, Moabites, Edomites, and so forth knew of the God of the Israelites.
However, until the time of Christ, nobody else had the knowledge of God to the extent that God gave the Jews, who received God’s Torah. The Jews had a special place, both as the chosen people, and as those who were given God’s very words, as Romans 3:1-2 shows.
Q: In Am 3:6, does God cause evil?
A: The word "evil" has two meanings:
Calamity / disaster / harmful things: Yes, God does cause these sometimes.
Moral evil: No, God does not directly cause moral evil. However, God does allow it to occur, and God even "channels" to His ends, and He uses it, weaving it in as a part of His plan.
Muslims should not be surprised that the term "evil" can mean harm, and not just moral evil. The term is used in this way in their own writings, in the Bukhari Hadith volume 3 no.56.
See Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.219-220 for a more extensive answer.
Q: Does Am 3:7 show there must always be a prophet on the earth, as Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie claimed in Doctrinal New Testament Commentary vol.2 p.606?
A: No. There was no one with the office of prophet between the four hundred years of the close of the Old Testament and John the Baptist, so even Mormons cannot say this and be consistent. See When Cultists Ask p.87 for more info.
Q: In Am 4:4, why is God saying to go up to Bethel or Gilgal and sin?
A: Amos was sarcastically ridiculing their worship. Sadly, Israelites used to go to Bethel and Gilgal to worship and honor God from the time of Joshua to the time of the building of Solomon’s Temple. Now, Israelites were still going to Bethel and Gilgal, but it was to make offerings to false gods, or else offer to both false gods and the Lord together, which was just as bad. Bethel and Dan were the two places Jeroboam set up for the worship of golden calves.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1434-1435 and 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.203-204 for more info.
Q: In Am 4:7, why does God sometimes cause injustice?
A: While some might think of "justice" from man, God, and nature, as an alienable right, in this fallen world, both the Bible and empirical evidence show this is not the case. God will provide complete justice, from the young babies who are slaughtered, to the evil oppressors who prosper their entire long lives. However, justice for all will not happen until judgment day.
On the other hand, the state of things in this fallen world should not be used as an excuse for us not to be just and fair to everyone.
Q: In Am 4:9 (KJV), what is "blasting" and "palmer worm"?
A: Blasting is an old-fashioned word for a plant disease called blight. The NIV, NKJV, and NRSV translate the second term as "locust".
Q: In Am 5:4,6, why does God command people to seek Him?
A: This is either a very easy or a very difficult question, depending on if you have the correct theological grounding.
Many Calvinists have a problem with this verse. Other Calvinists solve their problem by saying God commanded things He never gave some the means to obey, intended them to obey, nor in His secret will even desired them to obey.
Most Christians see that obviously God is commanding something to people that He has given them at least some means to obey. God commands some things of people, gives them the means, but also gives them freedom to obey or to disobey.
Q: In Am 5:18, are people not supposed to desire the day of the Lord, or desire it as 2 Pet 3:14 shows?
A: God’s children should desire it, and those who refuse to follow God should not desire it. Amos here was speaking to the those that were religious but not right with God. They claimed to desire the day of the Lord, but in reality they should fear it, since they were not following God except in pretense.
Q: In Am 5:21, why did God despise their religious feasts?
A: While God instituted the feasts and rituals in the Old Testament, he despised them keeping these feasts hypocritically. They emphasized keeping the feasts, and they neglected other parts of God’s Law, such as helping the poor and living pure.
See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.204 for more info.
Q: In Am 5:23 (KJV), what is a "viol"?
A: This is a musical instrument, most likely a type of harp. Jay P. Green translates this as "stringed instruments".
Q: In Am 5:23, does God’s dislike of instruments here show we should not use instruments in the church?
A: No, rather it shows that stringed instruments were a part of Old Testament worship. God dislikes insincere worship. Amos 5:22-23 could not justify not having instruments in Old Testament times any more than it could justify not having sacrifices in Old Testament times.
Q: Does Am 5:25 say the Israelite sacrifices in the wilderness for 40 years were not to God, since Ex 24:4 and other texts say they were to God?
A: Certainly Moses and many Israelites did make proper sacrifices to the true God. However, many Israelites during the Exodus were not intent on serving the true God. Moreover, almost all the Israelites made idolatrous sacrifices to the golden calf at Mt. Sinai. See Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.47-48 for more info.
Q: In Am 5:26, who are Moloch and Chiun?
A: There is some uncertainty about these names here, as the Massoretic text and Septuagint differ. Regardless, these were idols the Israelites worshipped in the wilderness. Archaeological excavations in Palestine have shown a flourishing cult of idol worship, more or less throughout most of the time of the Israelites up to the Exile. Some liberals have pointed out that this polytheistic religion was very different from what is handed down to us in the Bible. Rather than detract from the Bible, this evidence further confirms its authenticity. The Bible itself records almost constant idolatry of some Israelites in the land. The Bible would have left this all out, if it was trying to present a "sanitized" whitewash instead of actual history.
Q: In Am 6:1, what was wrong with trusting in the mountain of Samaria?
A: Some from Judea would say that they should have been trusting in Mt. Zion (Jerusalem), where God’s Temple was, instead of the false religion of Samaria. However, Jeremiah 7 proves that this is the wrong answer.
We should not be trusting in any religious practices, even the religious practices we do because God commanded us. Instead, we should be trusting in God.
Q: In Am 6:10, why would the people not mention God’s name here?
A: People who in the past blasphemed God’s name so lightly are now fearful of even pronouncing it, because of the wrath that has come upon them.
Q: In Am 6:12 and Ezek 5:6, how do some turn judgment to bitter gall, and the fruit of righteousness to hemlock?
A: One would expect justice from a judge of a case. When a person receives what they understand to be injustice, they can become bitter, and give up on the concept of there ever being justice.
Q: In Am 7:3, how did God regret?
A: See the discussion on Genesis 6:6 and Genesis 20:3-6 for the answer.
Q: In Am 8:1-2, what is the significance of the rising of the summer fruit?
A: This shows that, like summer fruit, the Israelites were ready to be judged.
In general, people forget that God has a strong sense of timing.
Specifically, the time of avoiding the judgment was passing away.
Q: In Am 8:5, what was sinful here, since they were obeying the Law?
A: Two points to consider in the answer.
Partial obedience: God wants more than just obeying some of the rituals, and disobeying other laws by cheating and oppressing others, as James 2:10-11 also shows.
Inward obedience: God wants more than just outward actions, but an inward heart of obedience.
Q: In Am 8:9, when will the sun go down at noon?
A: Amos 8:9 says this will happen "in that day". That day is the Day of the Lord, which came the first time the Lord came. The sun went down in the middle of the day when Jesus was crucified on the cross. The Day of the Lord is also when Jesus returns again, the sun will go down.
Q: In Am 8:10, when would they mourn as for an only son?
A: This will happen when the Jews turn en masse to Christ in the end times. Zechariah 12:10 also discusses this.
Q: In Am 8:11, how will there be a famine of hearing God’s word?
A: Four points to consider in the answer.
1. People can reject following God, and God allows them to later repent and follow Him.
2. However, when an individual refuses to listen to the truth God has given them for long enough, there comes a times when they will almost nothing of God’s word. A term some people use for this process is "judicial hardening", and this hardening is something in which both the individual and God have a part.
3. Of course, there comes a final time, at death, where there are no more second chances.
4. For a people, there likewise comes a time when God’s word is scarce among them. There also comes a time when the group is dispersed and their identity as a people is lost.
See When Critics Ask p.303 for more info.
Q: Does Am 8:11-12, refer to Israel, or all nations?
A: These verses directly relate to the Israelites. However, the general principle generally still applies to other nations, too.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1448-1449 and Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.297 for more info.
Q: In Am 9:1 (KJV), what is the lintel of the door?
A: The NRSV says the "capitals", which is not much more descriptive to modern readers. The NIV translates this as "tops of the pillars" The NKJV says "doorposts", with a footnote saying "capitals of the pillars".
Q: In Am 9:3, does God cause physical evil?
A: There are two kinds of things denoted by the Hebrew (as well as English) words for evil.
Moral evil is wickedness, and while God allows that, God does not directly cause that.
Physical evil is harm or death, and sometimes God does directly cause that.
Muslims should not be surprised that the term "evil" can mean harm, and not just moral evil. The term is used in this way in their own writings, in the Bukhari Hadith volume 3 no.56.
Q: In Am 9:7, how were the Jews like Ethiopians?
A: Just as two houses can be the same, except for the paint job, we are all the same to God, as our "paint job" makes no difference to God.
Q: Does Am 9:7 show that the Jewish people were black?
A: No, not unless skin color is the only way God tells people apart. Mideastern people were Caucasian. Egyptians were more black than Israelites, and they were primarily Caucasian, with some black blood. However, in ancient Egypt, Egyptians with red hair were considered ugly, and would shave their heads. How could they have red hair, if they were all black…?
God used the example of a people that looked very different physically, to drive home the point that underneath the skin we are all the same to God. Galatians 3:28 also shows that we are all sons of God, regardless of our race or whether we are male or female. In the early church, people from Ethiopia to Russia to France all worshipped God as one.
Q: In Am 9:7, where were Caphtor and Kir?
A: Caphtor was the ancestral home of the Philistines prior to them coming to southeast Palestine. Kir was the ancestral home of the Arameans prior to them coming to modern-day Syria. We are not sure where these places were. However, the Philistines were an Aegean people, and it is believed that they likely came from the Island of Crete.
Q: In Am 9:12, when did the Jews possess the remnant of Edom?
A: This not only refers to the land but the people. During the time of Herod of Great, a little before Christ’s birth, Herod forced the Edomites to become assimilated with the Jews.
Q: In Am, what are some of the earliest manuscripts that still exist today?
A: Dead Sea scrolls: (c.1 B.C.) There is one copy of Amos among the Dead Sea scrolls, labeled 4Q78. (The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated p.479)
Nahal Hever is a cave near Engedi, that has a fragment of the minor prophets in Greek (8 Hev XIIgr). According to Manuscripts of the Greek Bible p.34, was written between 50 B.C. and 50 A.D.. It was hidden during the Bar Kokhba revolt against Rome. It is a revision of the Septuagint, made in Judea, and almost identical to the Massoretic text.
Christian Bible manuscripts, from about 350 A.D., contain the Old Testament, including Amos. Two of these are Vaticanus (325-250 A.D.) and Alexandrinus (c450 A.D.), where the books of the twelve minor prophets were placed before Isaiah. Amos is complete in both Vaticanus and Alexandrinus.
Sinaiticus (340-350 A.D.) also has the entire book.
Q: In Am, what are some of the translation differences between the Hebrew and Greek Septuagint?
A: Focusing on chapter 5, the first alternative is the Massoretic text, the second is the Greek Septuagint, unless otherwise noted.
Am 3:9 "Ashdod" vs. "Assyria"
Am 5:1 "word" vs. "word of the Lord"
Am 5:1 "lamentation/dirge, which I take up against you" vs. "which I am lifting up against you, a lamentation/dirge"
Am 5:1-2 "O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel has fallen, and will not rise again; she lies forsaken on her land; there is no one raising her up." vs. "The house of Israel is fallen; it shall no more rise. The virgin of Israel has fallen upon his land; there is none that shall raise her up."
Am 5:4,6 "and live" vs. "and you shall live"
Am 5:5 "Gilgal" vs. "Galgala"
Am 5:5 "Beersheba" vs. "well of the oath" (The name of the town of Beersheba means well of the oath)
Am 5:6 "He shall not break out like a fire [on] the house of Joseph, and consume; and no one is putting it out for Bethel." vs. "lest the house of Joseph blaze as a fire, and it devour him, and there shall be none to quench it for the house of Israel."
Am 5:7 "He abandoned those who turn justice and righteousness into wormwood on the earth" vs. "[It is he] that executes judgment in the heights [above], and he has established justice on the earth"
Am 5:8 "He who made the Pleiades and Orion" (constellations in the sky) vs. "He who made all things, and changes [them]"
Am 5:9 "who causes destruction to flash out against the strong" vs. "who dispenses ruin to strength"
Am 5:9 "destruction comes against the fortress" vs. "and brings distress upon the fortress."
Am 5:10 "despise him who speaks uprightly" vs. "abhorred holy speech."
Am 5:11 "your trampling on the poor: vs. "they have smitten the poor with their fists"
Am 5:15 "Hate evil and love good" vs. "We have hated evil, and loved good"
Am 5:17 "in all vineyards" vs. "in all the ways"
Am 5:18 "those desiring" vs. "you that desire"
Am 5:18 "this" vs. "this day of the Lord"
Am 5:18 "The Day of the Lord is darkness" vs. "whereas it is darkness"
Am 5:20 "brightness in it" vs. "brightness"
Am 5:21 "despise you feast days" vs. "reject your feasts"
Am 5:21 "not delight in your solemn assemblies" vs. "not smell [your] meat-offerings in your general assemblies."
Am 5:22 "I will not be pleased" vs. "I not accept them"
Am 5:23 "stringed instruments" vs. "instruments"
Am 5:24 "waters … ever-flowing stream" vs. "water … impassible torrent"
Am 5:25 "sacrifices and food offerings" vs. "victims and offerings"
Am 5:25 forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?" vs. "O house of Israel, forty years in the wilderness?"
Am 5:26 "Yea, you have carried the booth of your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods…" vs. "Yea, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the start of your god Raephan, the images of them…"
Am 5:27 "Therefore" vs. "And"
Am 8:8 "swell like the light" (Massoretic) vs. "swell like the [Nile] River" (some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Targum, Syriac, Vulgate)
Am 9:12 "Edom" vs. "mankind"
Bibliography for this question: the Hebrew translation is from Jay P. Green’s Literal Translation and the Septuagint rendering is from Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton’s translation of The Septuagint : Greek and English. The Expositor's Bible Commentary and the footnotes in the NASB, NIV, NKJV, and NRSV Bibles also were used.
