Amos.
Amos.
§ 158. Amos (
) means “burden.” He is called this because he is a vehement prophet who foretold to the people a harsh burden, that is, serious punishment, because of their wickedness. In his German preface, Luther renders it “burdened with rebukes.”35 Because of this, he immediately says in the inscription 
, as if he were saying “heavy words,” “which the land does not endure,” as Amaziah would say in false accusation (Amos 7:10). Jerome translates it as 
[“bearing”]. The Latin prologue on this prophet says that he is called “burdened” because he “is filled with spiritual grace.” Yet it is inappropriate to call grace a burden. Rabbi Phinees gives as an explanation for his name that “he had a burdened or hindered tongue.” This comes, however, from an uncertain tradition.
Amos was born in the town of Tekoa in the tribe of Judah, which was six miles south of Bethlehem. Although he was a shepherd, he became a prophet (Amos 1:1; 7:14). He prophesied at the time when Uzziah, otherwise called Azariah, was ruling the kingdom of Judah and when Jeroboam, son of Joash, was controlling the government of the kingdom of Israel. Therefore he was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea but was later than Jonah with regard to time.
** Jeroboam, whom [Amos] had rebuked because of the two golden calves, killed him by piercing his temples with a spike. **
The principal theme of the prophecy is that it foretells the overthrow of the kingdom of Israel, for he specifically prophesied to the kingdom of Israel or the ten tribes, as is apparent from Amos 1:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1. He expresses few words regarding the kingdom of Judah, and these in passing (Amos 2:4; 6:1).
It consists of nine chapters altogether, which can be divided into two parts. The first is the general inscription (Amos 1:1). The second is the prophecy itself, which contains the threats of the Law directed partly against the foes of God’s people (Amos 1:[2]-2:[3]), partly against the people of Judah (Amos 2:4-5), partly against the Israelites (Amos 2:6-9:[10]), and, finally, consolations of the Gospel (Amos 9:11-15).