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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:1 Superscription. The first verse identifies the book's speaker, audience, and time frame. Amos addresses Israel during the time covered in 2 Kings 14:23-15:7, which is the period between the accession of Jeroboam II () and the death of Uzziah (); more specifically, it is two years before the earthquake. Zechariah, like Amos, mentions an earthquake "in the days of Uzziah king of Judah" (Zech. 14:5). At the site of Hazor in the , archaeologists uncovered walls that were tilted (Stratum VI), perhaps pointing to this very earthquake. However, even if it is uncertain when this particular event took place, this statement is significant because it makes unmistakable the genuine historicity of the book and its message. Shepherds were at or near the bottom of the social order, which underscores the irony of God's choice of Amos to prophesy against Israel's wealthy, apostate leaders. (If, on the other hand, the ESV footnote ["sheep breeders"] is followed, then Amos may have been a prosperous businessman.) Tekoa was a small village southeast of Bethlehem in Judah.
