7.  Amos prophesied “concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake” (1:1).  The time of this earthquake, which is simply mentioned by Zechariah (14:5) as occurring in Uzziah’s reign, cannot be determined.  We only know that Amos must have prophesied somewhere during the last part of the reign of Jeroboam II., when he was contemporary with Uzziah.  Amos was thus contemporary with Hosea, and was a considerable number of years earlier than Isaiah, who began to prophesy near the close of Uzziah’s long reign of fifty-two years.  The very specific date “two years before the earthquake” indicates that his whole mission to Israel was executed within a single year, perhaps within a few months.  It seems to have been after his return to Judah, when at least two years had elapsed, that he collected his prophecies and put them into their present form.

Amos describes himself as one of “the herdmen of Tekoa,” a small town southeast of Bethlehem on the border of the wilderness of Judah. 2 Chron. 20:20.  It belonged to Judah, whence we infer that Amos was himself a Jew, a supposition which agrees well with the advice of Amaziah:  “O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there” (7:12).  He speaks of himself as “no prophet, neither a prophet’s son” (7:14); which means that he had not been trained up for the prophetical office in any school of the prophets, as were “the sons of the prophets.” 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3, etc.  God took him from following the herd, and gave him a commission to prophesy to His people Israel, an office which he executed at Bethel, where one of the golden calves erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat was worshipped (7:10-17 compared with 1 Kings 12:29).  In entire harmony with this historical notice is the character of his prophecies.  His style has not the flowing fulness of Joel, but charms the reader by its freshness and simplicity.  His writings abound in images taken from rural scenes and employments, some of which are very unique and striking in their character.  See chaps. 2:13; 3:12; 5:19; 6:12; 9:2, 3, 9.  He opens his prophecies by a solemn annunciation of the approaching judgments of heaven upon the nations bordering on Israel, specifying in each case the sin which has provoked God’s wrath.  The storm passes, without pausing in its course, over Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, till at last it reaches Israel.  Here it rests, gathers blackness, and thunders long and loud.  The reign of Jeroboam II was one of much outward prosperity. 2 Kings 14:25-28.  The vices which Amos rebukes are those which belong to such a period—­avarice, violence, oppression of the poor, perversion of justice, luxury, lewdness—­all these joined with the idolatrous worship established by Jeroboam the son of Nebat.  For such multiplied transgressions God will cause the sun to go down at