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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 Joel 3:16 and Amos 1:2

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Amos and Joel similarly describe God roaring like a lion from Zion, a sound so loud it shakes the entire land. In Amos, it signals withering fields and coming judgment, and in Joel it depicts the future when nations will be judged and held accountable.

Passages

Joel 3:16

Hebrew Bible
14 Crowds, great crowds are in the Valley of Decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision! 15 The sun and moon are darkened; the stars withhold their brightness. 16 The Lord roars from Zion; from Jerusalem his voice bellows out. The heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge for his people; he is a stronghold for the citizens of Israel. 17 “You will be convinced that I, the Lord, am your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy— conquering armies will no longer pass through it. 18 On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the dry stream beds of Judah will flow with water. A spring will flow out from the temple of the Lord, watering the Valley of Acacia Trees.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Joel

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. 4 So I will set Hazael’s house on fire; fire will consume Ben Hadad’s fortresses.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Amos

References

"... The second major facet of Joel to be treated is its intertextual relationships, particularly in relation to the other constituent books of the Book of the Twelve. Several intertextual relationships require examination. Apart from those pertaining to the Book of the Twelve, they include first of all the use of the Exodus tradition, particularly the plagues of locusts in Exodus 10:1-20 and darkness in Exodus 10:21-29. The use of the Exodus tradition includes the Sharav or Hamsin, the dry desert wind that brings locusts and perhaps the darkness to depict YHWH's defeat of threats against the people (Exodus 10:13, 19; compare Exodus 14-15; Isaiah 11:11-16). Other traditions employed include the 'Day of YHWH' tradition that depicts punishment against Israel's enemies as well as against Israel itself (Isaiah 2; 13; see also Amos 5:18-20; Obadiah; Zephaniah; Zechariah) and 2 Chronicles 20, which portrays King Jehoshaphat's defeat of the nations, Ammon, Moab, and Edom, that threatened Jerusalem. Intertextual references with the Book of the Twelve include the citation of Amos 1:2 and 9:13 in Joel 4:16, 18; the use of Micah 4:1-5 (compare Isaiah 2:21) in Joel 4:10; and citations from the book of Obadiah that appear throughout Joel 3—4 ..."
Marvin A. Sweeney, Form and Intertextuality in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005), 198–199.

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

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Joel 3:16 and Amos 1:2

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