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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 KTU 1.4 VII:31 and Amos 1:2

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Amos 1 gives Israel's God the storm voice associated with Baal's mountain home in the Baal Cycle, turning a source of rain and fertility into a warning of drought and judgment.

Passages

KTU 1.4 VII:31

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
He opens a window in the house A vent in the midst of the palace. Baal opens a gap in the clouds Baal releases his sacred voice. Baal pronounces the matter of his lips His sacred voice, the earth quakes The high places of the Earth tremble. […] Baal's enemies retreat to the woods The haters of Haddu to the mountain sides. And Mightiest Baal declares: O Foes of Haddu, why do you tremble? Why tremble, O Arms-bearers of the Warrior? Baal surveys the East; Indeed, his hand trembles With a cedar in his right hand. So Baal is seated in his house: Will either king or commoner Establish a dominion land? So I will send an emissary to Divine Mot A messenger to El's Beloved, the Hero That he may summon Mot with his voice Instruct the Beloved with his insides.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

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. 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!
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Amos

References

“... The mountainous temple home from which Baal utters his voice and rains lavishly upon the earth (KTU 1.4 V-VII) appears not only in descriptions of Yahweh roaring from Zion (Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2) or giving forth rains (Isa. 30:19; Jer. 3:3; 5:24; 10:13; 14:4; 51:16; Amos 4:7) but also in postexilic discussions of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The tradition of the temple home that guarantees the life-giving rains underlies the relationship between tithe and temple in Malachi 3:10. This passage reflects the notion that payment of the tithe to the temple would induce Yahweh to open the windows of heaven and pour down crop-producing rains. Similarly, Haggai 1:7-11 attributes drought and scarcity to the failure to rebuild the temple. Yahweh’s role as the divine source of rain appears elsewhere in postexilic prophecy (Zech. 10:1). Joel 4 (E 3) presents various aspects of the mountain tradition. It is the divine home (4:17 [E 3:17]), the location of Yahweh’s roar (4:16 [E 3:16]), the site of divine battle (4:9-15 [E 3:9-15]) with heavenly hosts (4:11-13 [E 3:11-13]; cf. 2:1-11), and the origin of the divine rains issuing in terrestrial fertility (4:18 [E 3:18]). ...”
Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 2nd ed., The Biblical Resource Series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), PDF 105–106.

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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KTU 1.4 VII:31 and Amos 1:2

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