The Meaning of Amos 1:1 Explained

Amos 1:1

KJV: The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

YLT: Words of Amos -- who hath been among herdsmen of Tekoa -- that he hath seen concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking;

Darby: The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

ASV: The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The words  of Amos,  who was among the herdmen  of Tekoa,  which he saw  concerning Israel  in the days  of Uzziah  king  of Judah,  and in the days  of Jeroboam  the son  of Joash  king  of Israel,  two years  before  the earthquake. 

What does Amos 1:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

What follows are the words (i.e, collected messages, cf. Proverbs 30:1; Proverbs 31:1; Ecclesiastes 1:1; Jeremiah 1:1) of Amos (lit. burden-bearer), who was one of the sheepherders who lived in the Judean town of Tekoa, 10 miles south of Jerusalem. This town stood on a comparatively high elevation from which its residents could see the Mount of Olives to the north as well as the surrounding countryside in every direction. Amos" words expressed what he saw in visions that came to him from the Lord. These visions concerned Israel, the Northern Kingdom at the time when he wrote, namely, during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II (the son of Joash), king of Israel. Here "Israel" must mean the Northern Kingdom rather than the combined people of Israel and Judah, as it often means in the prophets, because of the many references to people and places in the Northern Kingdom that follow. Specifically, Amos wrote two years before "the earthquake," perhaps about762 B.C. [1]
"In this [2] culture an earthquake would not have been viewed as a mere natural occurrence, but as an omen of judgment. Amos had warned that the Lord would shake the earth (see Amos 8:8; Amos 9:1; Amos 9:5, as well as Amos 4:12-13). When the earthquake occurred just two years after he delivered his message, it signaled that the Lord was ready to make the words of Amos a reality." [3]
This introductory verse has been called "the most complete superscription to be found in all of prophetic literature." [2]
"The opening words make it clear that what follows is a covenant lawsuit commanded by Israel"s suzerain, the Lord himself." [5]

Context Summary

Amos 1:1-10 - Outside Nations Shall Suffer Judgment
Amos opens his prophecies with predictions against neighboring peoples, that Israel may be led to appreciate her guilt and to bear the approach of God's righteous judgment, Luke 12:47. The formula of three transgressions and for four, Amos 1:3, etc., means several or many. Compare Job 5:19.
The order followed is Syria, Amos 1:3; Philistia, Amos 1:6; Tyre, Amos 1:9; Edom, Amos 1:11; Ammon, Amos 1:13; Moab, Amos 1:1. Each of these neighboring kingdoms was successively overwhelmed by the invasion of the great countries that lay in the valley of the Euphrates. Tiglath-pileser began and ultimately Nebuchadnezzar finished the work of desolation. But in turn the conquerors, becoming enervated by uninterrupted success and prosperity, were also swept away. We may be sure that there is One who judges in the earth and that, although might may assert its claims to be right, it is but for a moment. The constitution of the universe is in harmony with Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Calvary: and only a Christian civilization can be permanent. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 1

1  The time when Amos prophesied
3  He shows God's judgment upon Syria,
6  upon the Philistines,
9  upon Tyrus,
11  upon Edom,
13  upon Ammon

What do the individual words in Amos 1:1 mean?

The words of Amos who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel two years before the earthquake
דִּבְרֵ֣י עָמ֔וֹס אֲשֶׁר־ הָיָ֥ה בַנֹּקְדִ֖ים מִתְּק֑וֹעַ אֲשֶׁר֩ חָזָ֨ה עַל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בִּימֵ֣י ׀ עֻזִיָּ֣ה‪‬‪‬ מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָ֗ה וּבִימֵ֞י יָרָבְעָ֤ם בֶּן־ יוֹאָשׁ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שְׁנָתַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י הָרָֽעַשׁ

דִּבְרֵ֣י  The  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
עָמ֔וֹס  of  Amos 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָמֹוס  
Sense: a prophet of the Lord who prophesied in the northern kingdom; native of Tekoa in Judah near Bethlehem and a shepherd by trade; author of the prophetic book by his name.
בַנֹּקְדִ֖ים  among  the  sheepherders 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נׄקֵד  
Sense: sheep-raiser, sheep-dealer, sheep-tender.
מִתְּק֑וֹעַ  of  Tekoa 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּקֹועַ  
Sense: a Judaite, son of Ashur and grandson of Hezron.
חָזָ֨ה  he  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
עַל־  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
בִּימֵ֣י ׀  in  the  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
עֻזִיָּ֣ה‪‬‪‬  of  Uzziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֻזִּיָּה 
Sense: son of king Amaziah of Judah and king of Judah himself for 52 years; also ‘Azariah’.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֗ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וּבִימֵ֞י  and  in  the  days 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יָרָבְעָ֤ם  of  Jeroboam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרָבְעָם  
Sense: the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel when the kingdom split at the death of Solomon and the 0 tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin and the kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam; idolatry was introduced at the beginning of his reign.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יוֹאָשׁ֙  of  Joash 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָשׁ  
Sense: son of king Ahaziah and the 8th king of Judah.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שְׁנָתַ֖יִם  two  years 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
לִפְנֵ֥י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָרָֽעַשׁ  the  earthquake 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַעַשׁ  
Sense: quaking, rattling, shaking.