Amos' Three Visions in the Book of Amos
The prophet Amos, a shepherd and sycamore fig dresser from Tekoa, prophesied during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel [2]. His book is structured into several sections, with the visions of judgment forming a significant part [1]. Chapters 7 through 9 contain five visions, three of which are found in Amos 7 [6]. These visions illustrate the impending divine judgment upon Israel [4].
The first vision in Amos 7 describes a plague of locusts [4]. The Lord God is shown forming locusts at the beginning of the second crop's growth, after the king's mowing [3]. This second crop was crucial for the sustenance of the people [4]. When the locusts had nearly consumed the vegetation of the land, Amos interceded, pleading with the Lord, "Lord God, forgive, I pray! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?" [3]. In response to Amos's plea, "The Lord relented concerning this; 'It shall not happen,' said the Lord" [3].
The second vision reveals a judgment by fire [4]. The Lord God called for fire to contend with Israel, and it consumed the great deep and was about to devour the land [4]. Again, Amos interceded, saying, "O Lord God, cease, I pray! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?" [3]. As with the first vision, "The Lord relented concerning this; 'This also shall not happen,' said the Lord God" [3].
The third vision presents the Lord standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, holding a plumb line in his hand [5]. The Lord declares that he will set a plumb line in the midst of his people Israel and will no longer pass by them [5]. This vision signifies the total and irreversible destruction of Israel, indicating that God would measure their crookedness against His perfect standard and find them wanting [4, 5]. Unlike the first two visions, there is no intercession from Amos and no relenting from God, emphasizing the finality of this judgment [5]. Following these visions, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, accused Amos of conspiring against King Jeroboam II and urged him to return to Judah [7].
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Amos, Book Of — The book of the prophecies of Amos seems to be divided into four principal portions closely connected together. (1) From 1:1 to 2:3 he denounces the sins of the nations bordering on Israel and Judah. (2) From 2:4 to 6:14 he describes the state of those two kingdoms, especially, the former. (3) From 7:1 to 9:10 he relates his visit to Bethel, and sketches the impending punishment of Israel. At last he promises blessings. The chief peculiarity of the style consists in the number of allusions to natural objects and agricultural occupations, as might be ex”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Amos — Borne; a burden, one of the twelve minor prophets. He was a native of Tekota, the modern Tekua, a town about 12 miles south-east of Bethlehem. He was a man of humble birth, neither a "prophet nor a prophet's son," but "an herdman and a dresser of sycomore trees," R.V. He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and was contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea (Amos 1:1; 7:14, 15; Zech. 14:5), who survived him a few years. Under Jeroboam II. the kingdom of Israel rose to the zenith of its prosperity; but that was followed by the prevalence of luxury and vice ”
- Amos (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Amos 7:1: The first two visions. - Amo 7:1-3. The Locusts. - Amo 7:1. "Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me; and, behold, He formed locusts in the beginning of the springing up of the second crop; and, behold, it was a second crop after the king's mowing. Amo 7:2. And it came to pass, when they had finished eating the vegetable of the land, I said, Lord Jehovah, forgive, I pray: how can Jacob stand? for he is small. Amo 7:3. Jehovah repented of this: It shall not take place, saith Jehovah." The formula, "Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me," is common to this and the three following”
- Amos (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Amos 7 (introduction): In this chapter God represents to Amos, by three several visions, the judgments he is about to bring on Israel. The first is a plague of locusts, threatening to cut of the hopes of the harvest by attacking it in the time of the second growth; the first luxuriances of the crop being probably mowed for the king's horses, Amo 7:1-3. The next vision threatens a judgment by fire, which would consume a great part, Amo 7:4-6; and the third a total overthrow of Israel, levelling it as it were by a line, Amo 7:7-9. The rest of the chapter is a denunciation of heavy”
- Amos (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Amos 7 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO AMOS 7 In this and the two following chapters are the visions of Amos, in number five; three of which are contained in this chapter, and with which it begins. The first is of the grasshoppers or locusts eating up the later grass of the land, which are stopped at the intercession of the prophet, Amo 7:1; the second is of fire the Lord called for to contend by, whose devouring flames are made to cease by the same interposition, Amo 7:4; and the other is of the plumbline, signifying the utter destruction of the people of Israel, according to t”
- Amos (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Amos 7 (introduction): III. Sights or Visions The last part of the writings of Amos contains five visions, which confirm the contents of the prophetic addresses in the preceding part. The first four visions, however (ch. 7 and Amo 8:1-14), are distinguished from the fifth and last (Amo 9:1-15) by the fact, that whereas the former all commence with the same formula, "Thus hath the Lord showed me," the latter commences with the words, "I saw the Lord," etc. They also differ in their contents, inasmuch as the former symbolize the judgments which have already fallen in part upo”
- Amos (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Amos 7:10: Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel,.... The Targum calls him the prince or president of Bethel; and the word used signifies both a prince and a priest; and very probably this man had the care of the civil as well as religious matters in Bethel. Aben Ezra styles him the priest of Baal; he was one that succeeded the priests that Jeroboam the son of Nebat placed here, to offer sacrifices to the calf he set up in this place, Kg1 12:32; who hearing the above three visions of Amos delivered, and fearing that he would alienate the people from the idolatrous worship he was at th”