Amos 7

Chapter 7 of Amos contains the first three of the five visions recorded in the closing section of the book (chapters 7–9). Between them is the account of a confrontation at Bethel. Having proclaimed judgment against the complacent leaders of Samaria in Amos 6, the book now conveys judgment through the visions Amos saw.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: The first vision. After the king's mowings, grasshoppers (a swarm of locusts) devour the grass that springs up again. When Amos pleads for forgiveness, saying, "by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small," the LORD relents.
• Verses 4–6: The second vision. Fire devours the great deep and is about to consume the land as well. Amos pleads with God to cease, and again the LORD relents.
• Verses 7–9: The third vision. The Lord stands beside a wall with a plumb line (a weighted cord used to check whether a wall is straight) in His hand. This time He declares that He will not pass by them any more. He announces that the high places of Isaac will be desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste, and that He will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
• Verses 10–13: Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, informs King Jeroboam that Amos has conspired against him. He tells Amos to go back to Judah and prophesy there, because Bethel "is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."
• Verses 14–17: Amos replies that he is neither a prophet nor a prophet's son. He was a herdman and a gatherer of sycomore fruit, and the LORD took him as he followed the flock. He then pronounces judgment on Amaziah's household and on Israel.

Key Verses

• Amos 7:3, "The LORD repented for this": God responds to the prophet's intercession.
• Amos 7:8, "I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel": a symbol of judgment in which God measures His people by His own standard.
• Amos 7:15, "Go, prophesy unto my people Israel": a call narrative in which someone who is not a professional prophet is summoned.

People and Places

• Amos: A prophet from Tekoa in Judah, formerly a herdman, who prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Amaziah: The priest of the sanctuary at Bethel. He denounces Amos's prophecy as treason against the king.
• Jeroboam: King of the northern kingdom of Israel and son of Joash (Amos 1:1). He is usually called Jeroboam II to distinguish him from Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom.
• Bethel: The site of a principal sanctuary of the northern kingdom.
• Isaac and Jacob: In this chapter these names refer to the people of Israel as a whole.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreting God's "relenting": Many interpreters, including those in the Reformed tradition, presuppose the confession that God does not change (Malachi 3:6). They therefore understand this expression as language accommodated to human understanding. Other interpreters place greater emphasis on God's genuine response to prayer. The account of Moses in Exodus 32 and Jonah 3:10 are often read alongside this passage.
• The plumb line: The meaning of the Hebrew word anak is uncertain, and some scholars take it to mean "tin" or "lead."
• The tense of 7:14: The Hebrew has no verb, so the statement can be rendered either "I am not" or "I was not." "A prophet's son" is commonly understood to refer to a member of a prophetic company, that is, a disciple of the prophets.
• Sycomore: The Hebrew term is understood to refer to the sycamore fig (the Korean Bible renders it as "mulberry").
• The prophecy and subsequent history: Verse 9 says that God will rise against "the house of Jeroboam," but Amaziah reports that Amos said, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword." According to 2 Kings, Jeroboam II slept with his fathers (2 Kings 14:29). It was his son Zechariah who died by the sword, slain by Shallum (2 Kings 15:10). The northern kingdom was later destroyed by Assyria (fall of the northern kingdom of Israel).
• Connection to the New Testament: The chapter is not directly quoted in the New Testament. However, the scene in which those in power try to silence prophecy is often read alongside the apostles' reply, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the vision of the plumb line is frequently cited in discussions of faith that stands before God's standard. Amos 7:14–15 is frequently cited in discussions of a calling received in the midst of ordinary work.