Writer: Amos

1. Who was Amos?

NOT a prophet nor the son of a prophet but a raiser of sheep and a nipper of figs of sycamore trees​—this was Amos when Jehovah called him and sent him to prophesy not only to his own nation of Judah but particularly to the northern kingdom of Israel. He was one of the prophets referred to at 2 Kings 17:13, 22, 23. He came from Tekoa in Judah, about ten miles [16 km] south of Jerusalem and about a day’s journey from the southern border of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel.​—Amos 1:1; 7:14, 15.

3. (a) Why was Amos’ message of woe timely? (b) How did he magnify Jehovah’s sovereignty?

³ The name Amos means “Being a Load” or “Carrying a Load.” While he carried messages burdened with woe to Israel and Judah (and also to numerous heathen nations), he also bore a message of comfort concerning the restoration of Jehovah’s people. There was every reason for pronouncing a burden of woe in Israel. Prosperity, luxurious living, and licentiousness were the order of the day. The people had forgotten the Law of Jehovah. Their apparent prosperity blinded them to the fact that like overripe fruit, they were already in the process of decay leading to destruction. Amos prophesied that in just a few short years, the ten-tribe kingdom would go into exile beyond Damascus. In this he magnified the righteousness and sovereignty of Jehovah, whom he refers to 21 times as the “Sovereign Lord.”​—Amos 1:8.