Go to Related Reading
About this book

Amos

About this book
Chapter 1

1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. He was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him during the time of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 Amos said: “The Lord comes roaring out of Zion; from Jerusalem he comes bellowing!⁠ The shepherds’ pastures wilt; the summit of Carmel withers.”⁠ 3 This is what the Lord says: “Because Damascus has committed three crimes—make that four!—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They ripped through Gilead like threshing sledges with iron teeth.⁠ 4 So I will set Hazael’s house on fire; fire will consume Ben Hadad’s fortresses. 5 I will break the bar on the gate of Damascus. I will remove the ruler from Wicked Valley, the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” The Lord has spoken! 6 This is what the Lord says: “Because Gaza has committed three crimes—make that four!—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They deported a whole community and sold them to Edom. 7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall on fire; fire will consume her fortresses. 8 I will remove the ruler from Ashdod, the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. I will strike Ekron with my hand; the rest of the Philistines will also die.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken! 9 This is what the Lord says: “Because Tyre has committed three crimes—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold a whole community to Edom; they failed to observe a treaty of brotherhood.⁠ 10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses.” 11 This is what the Lord says: “Because Edom has committed three crimes—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. He chased his brother with a sword; he wiped out his allies. In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; in his fury he relentlessly attacked them.⁠ 12 So I will set Teman on fire; fire will consume Bozrah’s fortresses.” 13 This is what the Lord says: “Because the Ammonites have committed three crimes—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women so they could expand their territory.⁠ 14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses. War cries will be heard on the day of battle; a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. 15 Ammon’s king will be deported; he and his officials will be carried off together.” The Lord has spoken!

Texts in conversation

Compare 2 Samuel 22:14 and Amos 1:2

Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

2 Samuel describes God speaking through thunder, lightning, and clouds, using imagery of an ancient Near Eastern storm deity. Amos echoes this by describing a thunderous voice from Zion, drawing on the same storm god tradition.

Passages

2 Samuel 22:14

Hebrew Bible
10 He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet. 11 He mounted a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind. 12 He shrouded himself in darkness, in thick rain clouds. 13 From the brightness in front of him came coals of fire. 14 The Lord thundered from the sky; the Most High shouted loudly. 15 He shot arrows and scattered them, lightning and routed them. 16 The depths of the sea were exposed; the inner regions of the world were uncovered by the Lord’s battle cry, by the powerful breath from his nose.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Samuel

Amos 1:2

Hebrew Bible
1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. He was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him during the time of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 Amos said: “The Lord comes roaring out of Zion; from Jerusalem he comes bellowing! The shepherds’ pastures wilt; the summit of Carmel withers.” 3 This is what the Lord says: “Because Damascus has committed three crimes—make that four!—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They ripped through Gilead like threshing sledges with iron teeth.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Amos

References

"... Because of their metaphorical character, several formulations in verse 2 are susceptible to more than one interpretation. In the opening clause, it is declared that “YHWH roars from Zion” (verse 2). The verb (“to roar”) would seem to imply that the deity is depicted as a lion. This hypothesis is strengthened by the observation that the parallel clause, “and from Jerusalem he utters his voice” (verse 2), contains an expression, literally, “give voice”, which may denote the sound made by a lion (Jeremiah 2:15; Amos 3:4). Such a lion metaphor might suggest a range of notions, including majestic power, strength, and frightening rapaciousness. However, the formulations in verse 2 are ambiguous. As indicated by 2 Samuel 22:14, the phrase “he utters his voice/thunders” may also refer to the sound of thunder. Thus, the first half of 1:2 evokes two images, in a kind of double exposure: The image of a roaring lion is merged with the image of a thundering storm-god. The thematic thread of the (roaring) lion reappears later in the book, in 3:3–8 (verses 4 and 8), in a discourse on the role of prophecy in the face of calamities, as well as in 3:12 and 5:19. ..."
Göran Eidevall, Amos: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017), 97.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

2 Samuel 22:14 and Amos 1:2

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library