Amos

the shepherd of Tekoa

Who was Amos?

A shepherd from Tekoa, in Judah, who also tended sycamore trees. Amos 1:1; Amos 7:14
The Lord took him from following the flock and sent him to prophesy to the kingdom of Israel. Amos 7:15
He denounced those who oppressed the weak and asked that justice flow like water. Amos 5:11-12, 24

From: From Tekoa, in Judah Amos 1:1
Occupation: Shepherd and dresser of sycamores Amos 7:14
Feast day: June 15: Saint Amos, prophet

What the Bible says

Amos 1:1; Amos 7:14

The words of Amos, who was among herdsmen of Thecua: which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Ozias king of Juda, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joas king of Israel two years before the earthquake.

Amos 7:15

And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

Amos 5:11-12, 24

¹¹Therefore because you robbed the poor, and took the choice prey from him: you shall build houses with square stone, and shall not dwell in them: you shall plant most delightful vineyards, and shall not drink the wine of them. ¹²Because I know your manifold crimes, and your grievous sins: enemies of the just, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the gate. ²⁴But judgment shall be revealed as water, and justice as a mighty torrent.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Amos

Before Jesus. Amos was a shepherd in Tekoa and tended sycamore trees. He was not a prophet by profession. Amos 1:1; Amos 7:14
Before Jesus. The Lord took him from following the flock and sent him to prophesy to Israel. Amos 7:15
With Jesus. He prophesied in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel. Amos 1:1
With Jesus. Amos began with warnings to neighboring peoples, like Damascus. Then he spoke against Judah and against Israel. Amos 1:3; Amos 2:4-6
With Jesus. He denounced those who trampled the weak, took bribes and turned away the poor. Amos 5:11-12
With Jesus. He said the Lord did not accept feasts or offerings without justice. Amos 5:21-24
With Jesus. In two visions of punishment, Amos pleaded for his people, and the Lord relented. Amos 7:1-6
With Jesus. In another vision, the Lord stood beside a wall with a plumb line in his hand. This time he said he would no longer forgive Israel. Amos 7:7-8
Afterward. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, accused him before the king and ordered him to go away to Judah. Amos 7:10-13
Afterward. Amos did not keep quiet before Amaziah. He answered him with a message from the Lord: Israel would be taken far from its land. Amos 7:16-17
Afterward. He also announced a different kind of famine: not of bread or water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. Amos 8:11
Afterward. His book ends with a promise: God would raise up the fallen hut of David. Amos 9:11

Words of Amos

“Seek ye good, and not evil, that you may live: and the Lord the God of hosts will be with you, as you have said.” Amos 5:14

To the people of Israel.

“O Lord God, be merciful, I beseech thee: who shall raise up Jacob, for he is very little?” Amos 7:2

When he saw a plague of locusts in a vision.

“I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs. And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” Amos 7:14-15

To Amaziah the priest, who was driving him out of Bethel.

What they were like

Simple: he was a shepherd, not a prophet by profession. Amos 7:14
An intercessor: twice he pleaded for his people. Amos 7:2, 5
Brave before power: he did not keep quiet in the king’s sanctuary. Amos 7:13-16

The greatest thing they did

Because of his prayer, the Lord relented twice. Amos 7:3, 6

Not to be confused with

Isaiah: Isaiah’s father was named Amoz. He is not the prophet Amos, the shepherd from Tekoa. Isaiah 1:1; Amos 1:1

In the Church today

Feast day: June 15, Saint Amos, prophet (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

What people ask

Was Amos a prophet by profession?

No. He himself said he was not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but a shepherd. The Lord called him while he was tending the flock. Amos 7:14-15; NAB note on Am 7, 14-15

What is a sycamore?

A tree like a fig tree, with low branches. Amos tended them. NABRE note on Lc 19, 4; Amos 7:14

Why was he driven out of Bethel?

Amaziah the priest told the king that Amos was conspiring and that the country could not bear his words. Then he ordered him to go away to Judah. Amos 7:10-13

Does Amos speak about Jesus?

In Jerusalem, Saint James quoted his promise about the hut of David. He did so when he saw that the Gentiles were believing in Jesus. Acts 15:7-11, 15-17

What is a plumb line?

A weight hanging from a cord, used to see whether a wall is straight. In Amos’s vision, God measures his people. (Amos 7:7-8; NAB note on Amos 7:7)

Is Amos read at Mass?

Yes. On the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), the reading tells how Amaziah drove him out of Bethel. In Year C, Amos is read on the 25th and 26th Sundays. Amos 7:12-15; Amos 8:4-7; Amos 6:1, 4-7

Little known He began to prophesy two years before an earthquake. Amos 1:1 He recalled that God had also guided other peoples, not only Israel. Amos 9:7 What the Church…

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Who Amos is connected to

Jesus · the hut of David

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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