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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 Treaty of Kadesh 2:5 and Amos 1:9

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In the Akkadian text of Ramses II's treaty with the Hittite king, each king calls the other his brother and their alliance is called brotherhood. Amos condemns Tyre for selling a community to Edom and failing to keep its treaty of brotherhood.

Passages

Treaty of Kadesh 2:5

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Egyptian-Hittite Peace Treaty
Riamašeša-mai-Amana, the great king, king of Egypt, has made himself in a treaty upon a silver tablet with Ḫattušili, the great king, king of the land Ḫatti, his brother, from this day to give good peace and good brotherhood between us forever; and he is a brother to me and at peace with me, and I am a brother to him and at peace with him forever. And we have made brotherhood, peace and goodwill more than the brotherhood and peace of former times, which was between [Egypt and] Ḫatti. Behold, Riamašeša-mai-Amana, the great king, king of Egypt, is in good peace and good brotherhood with Ḫattušili, the great king, king of the land Ḫatti. Behold, the sons of Riamašeša-mai-Amana, the king of Egypt, are at peace (and) are bro[thers with] the sons of Ḫattušili, the great king, king of the land Ḫatti, forever; and they are according to our policy of [our] brotherhood [and] our peace. And Egypt with the land Ḫatti—they are at peace, they are brothers like us forever.
1259 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Treaty of Kadesh

Amos 1:9

Hebrew Bible
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.”
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Amos

References

“... The word פשע employed in the Amos oracles seems to allude to the fact that these nations have violated their treaty with Israel and ‘sinned’ against her. [...] Cf. Amos 1: 9: ‘And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood’, which refers to the treaty between Israel and Tyre in Solomonic times or thereafter. The Akkadian term for a parity treaty is aḫūtum (see Munn-Rankin, Iraq 18 (1956), 68 ff.) and cf. Hiram’s designation of his ally Solomon as ‘my brother’ (1 Kgs. 9: 13). ...”
Moshe Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School (London: Oxford University Press, 1972), 138.
“... In the crucial treaty there are two features which are not distinctively Hittite. One is the playing on the 'beautiful brotherhood and beautiful friendship' which the treaty established. This echoes the phrases of the Amarna correspondence and the phrases in the correspondence of the Egyptian queen Nefertari to Puduhepa, her Hittite counterpart. The other distinctive element is the modification of the historical section in the version which came originally from Egypt. The rest of the text - the stipulations and god list - are in terms which are typical for Hittite treaties. The reference to the thousand gods is a characteristic Hittite expression. ...”
Noel Weeks, Admonition and Curse: The Ancient Near Eastern Treaty/Covenant Form as a Problem in Inter-Cultural Relationships (London: T&T Clark International, 2004), 102.

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Treaty of Kadesh 2:5 and Amos 1:9

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