Go to Related Reading
About this book

Zechariah

About this book
Chapter 13

1 “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 And also on that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies. 4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet⁠ to deceive the people. 5 Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’⁠ 6 Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’ 7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate, ”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered;⁠ I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones. 8 It will happen in all the land,” says the Lord, “that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it. 9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested.⁠ They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Texts in conversation

Compare Amos 7:14 and Zechariah 13:5

Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

Amos says he is not a hired prophet but a herdsman called by God, setting himself apart from paid prophecy. Zechariah echoes this by imagining a time when false prophets deny the role. Both show distrust of prophecy as an ancient Near Eastern profession.

Passages

Amos 7:14

Hebrew Bible
12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary! Run away to the land of Judah. Earn your living and prophesy there! 13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here.” 14 Amos replied to Amaziah, “I was not a prophet by profession. No, I was a herdsman who also took care of sycamore fig trees. 15 Then the Lord took me from tending flocks and gave me this commission, ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 So now listen to the Lord’s message! You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel! Don’t preach against the family of Isaac!’
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Amos

Zechariah 13:5

Hebrew Bible
3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies. 4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet to deceive the people. 5 Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’ 6 Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’ 7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate, ”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

References

"... Whether the so-called writing prophets before Jeremiah (and the Deuteronomistic reform) understood themselves navi and whether the title means the same thing in reference to each of them is not clear. Other navi'im regarded most of the writing prophets (except for Hosea) almost exclusively as opponents. (a) The priest Amaziah addresses Amos as a “seer” (Amos 7:12), who, in the disputed statement in Amos 7:14, at least guards against being understood as a professionally educated prophet; presumably, however, he also rejects the title itself in this statement - in the sense of a professional designation (compare Zechariah 13:5). In contrast, he adopts the related verb which Amaziah also uses for Amos’s activity (verses 13, 15; compare 3:8) ..."
Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, trans. Mark E. Biddle (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997), 897–898.

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

Your feedback

Amos 7:14 and Zechariah 13:5

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library