Amos (prophet) - Definition and Overview

Amos (עָמוֹס "Burden", Standard Hebrew ʿAmos, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĀmôs) was a person in the Bible, and putative author of the speeches reported in the Book of Amos (for Bible citation Amo).

He is one of the twelve minor prophets. The only direct information about him comes from the biblical book of Amos.

Amos 1:1 says he was "among the shepherds of Tekoa", this is likely to refer to modern Tekua, about 12 miles south-east of Bethlehem. He is often assumed to have been a poor shepherd. He was (according to 7:14) neither a "prophet nor a prophet's son," but "an herdsman and a dresser of sycomore trees," R.V. However, the Hebrew words used in 1:1 and 7:14 suggest the proprietor of flocks rather than a shepherd. He prophesied in the days of Jeroboam II of Israel, while Uzziah was king of Judah. The writer of the book remembers that two years after he spoke an earthquake struck the area (1:1). He was contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea. Under Jeroboam II, the kingdom of Israel rose to the zenith of its prosperity. The gulf between rich and poor widened at this time. Amos was called from his rural home to remind the rich and powerful God's requirement for justice (e.g. 2:6-16). He claimed that religion that is not accompanied by right action is anathema to God (5:21ff.), and that the kingdom of Israel would be destroyed (e.g. 5:1-2; 8:2).

Initial text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897 -- Please update as needed