Amos Confronts Amaziah; Judgment on the King's House
Amos 7:10-17
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Amo.7.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אמציה: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- כהן: NOUN,m,sg,const
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אל: NEG
- ירבעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- קשר: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- עמוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בקרב: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תוכל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- להכיל: VERB,qal,infc
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- דבריו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3m
Parallels
- 1 Kings 13:1-3 (structural): A prophet from Judah confronts the altar at Bethel and denounces Jeroboam; a direct confrontation between prophetic critic and the royal/Bethel sanctuary setting echoes Amos’s clash with the priest at Bethel and the king.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (thematic): Jeroboam’s establishment of the Bethel sanctuary and lay priests provides background for the priestly support of the king and the setting in which Amos prophesies and is opposed.
- 1 Kings 18:17-18 (verbal): Ahab accuses Elijah of being the one who 'troubles' Israel—language and the posture of charging a prophet with disturbing the nation parallel Amatsiah’s complaint that Amos has 'conspired' or troubled Israel.
- Jeremiah 26:8-11 (thematic): Priests, prophets, and officials press the authorities to punish Jeremiah for his words—similar dynamics of religious leaders and rulers moving to suppress a prophet’s message as in Amos 7:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, 'Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land cannot bear all his words.'
- And Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you within the house of Israel; the land cannot bear all his words."
Amo.7.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- ירבעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יגלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מעל: PREP
- אדמתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 14:10-16 (verbal): Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam announces judgment on Jeroboam's house and the uprooting of Israel from the land—language and outcome closely mirror Amos' pronouncement of Jeroboam's death by the sword and Israel's exile.
- 2 Kings 17:6,23 (thematic): Narrative fulfillment describing the northern kingdom's deportation to Assyria and the end of Israel in its land, directly corresponding to Amos' prediction of Israel's exile.
- Deuteronomy 28:64-68 (thematic): Deuteronomy's curses promise scattering, exile, and being handed over to foreign masters as consequences for covenant unfaithfulness—background covenant theology for Amos' threat of death and exile.
- Amos 7:17 (verbal): Within the same speech-cycle Amos issues related threats against the house of Jeroboam (palaces burned, sons dying by the sword) and repeats the exile motif, echoing the content of 7:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus Amos has said, 'By the sword shall Jeroboam die, and Israel shall surely be carried away from his land.'
- For thus Amos has said: 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be exiled from his land.'
Amo.7.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אמציה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- עמוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ברח: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תנבא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 13:1-3 (structural): A 'man of God' from Judah comes to Bethel and proclaims judgment against the altar—parallels Amos' prophetic confrontation at Bethel and the official reaction to an outsider-prophet.
- 1 Kings 13:8 (verbal): An older prophet invites the man of God to 'come home and eat bread'—echoes Amaziah's formula telling Amos to 'go to the land of Judah and eat bread there' (same motif of food/support as reason to leave).
- 1 Kings 13:18-24 (thematic): The older prophet deceives the younger man of God into eating and returning, leading to the man's death—reflects the perilous dynamics when local cultic authorities oppose or manipulate itinerant prophets.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Critique of prophets who give comforting, establishment-friendly messages for gain; like Amaziah's defense of Bethel and rejection of Amos, Micah condemns collusion between priests/prophets and political cultic interests.
- 1 Kings 17:9-10 (thematic): God directs Elijah to go to Zarephath to be sustained there—parallels the motif of a prophet being sent or told to go elsewhere to find bread/support (compare Amaziah's instruction to Amos).
Alternative generated candidates
- And Amaziah said to Amos, 'Seer, go, flee to the land of Judah; eat your bread there, and prophesy there.'
- And Amaziah said to Amos, "Seer, go, flee to the land of Judah; there eat bread, and there prophesy."
Amo.7.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- אל: NEG
- לא: PART_NEG
- תוסיף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- להנבא: VERB,qal,inf
- כי: CONJ
- מקדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- ממלכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 12:28-33 (thematic): Narrative of Jeroboam installing golden calves and establishing worship at Bethel (and Dan) as a royal cult—background for Amaziah’s calling Bethel the ‘king’s sanctuary.’
- 1 Kings 13:1-2 (allusion): A ‘man of God’ from Judah denounces the altar at Bethel—parallels the prophetic conflict over Bethel’s illegitimate royal-sanctuary status addressed in Amos 7:13.
- 2 Chronicles 11:13-14 (thematic): Describes Jeroboam’s appointment of priests and high-place worship outside the Levitical system—supports the idea of Bethel functioning as a royal/official shrine ('king’s chapel').
- Amos 7:10-12 (structural): Immediate literary context: Amaziah the priest of Bethel objects to Amos prophesying there and tells him to flee to Judah, directly echoing the prohibition in v.13.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not prophesy again at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house.'
- Do not prophesy any more at Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house."
Amo.7.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אמציה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- בוקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- ובולס: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שקמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:6 (thematic): Like Amos’s protest of ‘I am not a prophet,’ Jeremiah also objects to his call—‘I cannot speak, for I am a youth’—expressing reluctance and a sense of inadequacy at prophetic commissioning.
- Isaiah 6:5 (thematic): Isaiah’s confession ‘Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips’ parallels Amos’s claim of non‑prophetic status as a way of underscoring unworthiness when summoned to speak for God.
- 1 Samuel 17:34–36 (thematic): David’s background as a shepherd who defended his flock echoes Amos’s self‑identification as a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees, highlighting the motif of rural occupations preceding divine selection.
- Amos 7:15 (structural): The very next verse supplies the counterpoint to 7:14—‘But the LORD took me from following the flock…’—making a direct structural parallel that explains Amos’s prophetic appointment despite his lay background.
- Exodus 3:11 (thematic): Moses’s question ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ likewise expresses reluctance and perceived unfitness when God calls someone from an ordinary life into a prophetic/leadership role, echoing Amos’s protest.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, 'I am no prophet, nor a son of a prophet; for I was a shepherd, and I tended sycamore trees.'
- And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamores.
Amo.7.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקחני: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מאחרי: PREP
- הצאן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- הנבא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4-7 (verbal): Divine call and commissioning of a prophet — God tells Jeremiah to go and speak (’go, and say’), paralleling Amos’ commission ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
- Exodus 3:1-4 (structural): Moses is tending the flock when God calls him (burning bush). The motif of being taken from behind the flock to receive a divine mission parallels Amos’ removal from shepherding to prophecy.
- 1 Samuel 16:11-13 (allusion): God’s choice of David from the sheepfold (a shepherd summoned to a new office) echoes the motif of being taken from tending flocks and raised to a divinely appointed role.
- 1 Kings 19:19-21 (thematic): Elisha is called away from his daily work (ploughing/serving his family) to follow Elijah as prophet — similar theme of a layman summoned from ordinary labor to prophetic vocation.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
- The LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'"
Amo.7.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תנבא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- תטיף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישחק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Amos 7:14-15 (structural): Immediate context and Amos's call narrative: Amos insists he was commanded by the LORD to prophesy to Israel, directly answering Amaziah's demand that he cease prophesying.
- Amos 3:7-8 (thematic): Theme of divine commissioning of prophets — God reveals his purposes to prophets and sends them to proclaim judgment, underpinning Amos's claim that his message is from the LORD.
- 1 Kings 13:1-2 (thematic): A prophet pronounces judgment at Bethel (a royal sanctuary); parallels the conflict over prophecy at Bethel and the royal interest in silencing prophetic denunciation.
- Jeremiah 26:11-13 (thematic): Priests and officials oppose Jeremiah and call for his execution for prophesying; Jeremiah defends that the LORD sent him — a similar pattern of official resistance to a prophetic commission.
- Ezekiel 2:3-7 (thematic): God commissions Ezekiel to speak to the rebellious house of Israel and warns him to persist despite hostility — echoes Amos's assertion that he must prophesy because the LORD commanded him.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, "Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.'"
- Now therefore hear the word of the LORD: you say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.'"
Amo.7.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תזנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ובניך: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,suff:2,ms
- ובנתיך: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs,suff:2,ms
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ואדמתך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- בחבל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחלק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- אדמה: NOUN,prop,f,sg
- טמאה: ADJ,f,sg
- תמות: VERB,qal,yiqtol,2,m,sg
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יגלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מעל: PREP
- אדמתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Amos 5:27 (thematic): Same book and theme: a pronouncement that Israel will be carried into exile ("I will send you away beyond Damascus"), echoing Amos 7:17's prediction of Israel's removal from its land.
- Deuteronomy 28:30-33 (verbal): Part of the covenant curse catalogue: imagery of a wife violated or given to another and children taken or given to another nation—language and consequences closely parallel Amos' prediction of family disgrace and loss.
- Leviticus 26:33-35 (allusion): Covenantal warning that God will scatter Israel among the nations and make the land a desolation—echoes Amos' threats of land division, exile, and dying in an unclean land.
- Micah 3:12 (thematic): Prophetic judgment imagery: Jerusalem/Zion laid waste ("plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become a heap"), paralleling Amos' theme of territorial devastation and removal from the land.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (structural): Narrative fulfillment: the historical deportation of the northern kingdom to Assyria—this episode serves as the realized outcome of threats like Amos 7:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall play the harlot in the city; your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword; your land shall be divided by lot; you yourself shall die on unclean ground—and Israel shall surely be carried away from his land.'
- Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city; your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword; your land shall be divided by a measuring line; and you shall die on unclean ground; and Israel shall surely be driven out from his land.'
And Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land cannot bear all his words."
For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be carried away from his land.' And Amaziah said to Amos, "Seer, go, flee to the land of Judah; there eat bread and there prophesy. But do not prophesy any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house." And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a son of a prophet; I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.'"
Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city; your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword; your land shall be measured off by line; you shall die on unclean ground, and Israel shall surely be carried away from his land.'