Amos 1, Accusations Against the Countries Around Israel

A prophet speaks in the northern kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II.

Amos 1:1-2, Amos of Tekoa

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. He said: 

"The LORD roars from Zion 

and thunders from Jerusalem; 

the pastures of the shepherds dry up, 

and the top of Carmel withers."  

Amos of Tekoa is introduced. The date is probably just before 760 BC. (A great earth quake may have occurred about 760 BC. It was quite memorable, eg. Zechariah 14:5.) Both Israelite kingdoms are still in existence but the northern kingdom, Israel/Samaria will be destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC.

Tekoa was ten miles south of Jerusalem and six miles south of Bethlehem, says Niehaus. 

Amos begins his prophesy with a brief statement about the awesome power of YHWH, the power behind the accusations Amos will bring to six enemy nations and the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Amos 1:3-5, Accusations against Syria

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Damascus, even for four,

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, 

I will send fire upon the house of Hazael 

that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. 

I will break down the gate of Damascus; 

I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven

 and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. 

The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir," 

says the LORD.  

Syria, a longterm enemy of Israel, will face judgment. Here Damascus/Syria is accused of "threshing" Gilead. 

Niehaus argues that these verses follow an ANE "covenant-lawsuit" pattern, in which the plaintiff (YHWH) is introduced, identifies the defendant (here Damascus) and then gives an indictment and judgment. The plaintiff is introduced in third person before bringing their charge in first person. This pattern will appear throughout the book.

Damascus/Aram had overpowered Israel for about four decades during the ninth century BC reigns of Jehu and Jehoahaz, see 2 Kings 10:32-33, 13:1-3,7.  If the "threshing" is literal here, the soldiers of Syria rode over fallen Israelite soldiers with threshing boards (Niehaus, p. 341.)

Amos 1:6-8, Accusations against Gaza and the Philistines

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Gaza, even for four,

 I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she took captive whole communities 

and sold them to Edom, 

I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza 

that will consume her fortresses. 

I will destroy the king of Ashdod 

and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. 

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

 till the last of the Philistines is dead," 

says the Sovereign LORD.  

Gaza, land of the Philistines, will also face judgment. The conflicts with the Philistines and their cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon run throughout Old Testament history. The Philistines appear as enemies in Judges 3:31 and are then the primary oppressors of Israel during the life of Samson, Judges 13-16.

Amos 1:9-10, Accusations against Tyre

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Tyre, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, 

disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, 

I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre 

that will consume her fortresses."  

Tyre and Sidon were (and still are) part of Lebanon. These two coastal cities were closely linked, both significant commercial hubs in the ancient Near East. Here Tyre is accused of selling (Hebrew) slaves to Edom, breaking a treaty with Israel. Amos will then turn to focus on Edom, below.

Amos 1:11-12, Accusations against Edom

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Edom, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because he pursued his brother with a sword, 

stifling all compassion, 

because his anger raged continually 

and his fury flamed unchecked, 

I will send fire upon Teman 

that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah."  

Amos passes on YHWH's judgment on Edom. The people of Edom are descendants of Jacob's brother Esau (Genesis 25:21-26,) and Teman was a son of Esau (Genesis 36:10-14.)

Amos 1:13-15, Accusations against Ammon

This is what the LORD says: 

"For three sins of Ammon, even for four, 

I will not turn back [my wrath]. 

Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead 

in order to extend his borders,

I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah 

that will consume her fortresses 

amid war cries on the day of battle,

 amid violent winds on a stormy day.

Her king will go into exile, 

he and his officials together," 

says the LORD.

Ammon also is identified as an enemy of Israel and deserving judgment. Ammon was northeast of the Dead Sea in what is now the country of Jordan.

In Ezekiel's prophecies, 170 years later, accusations against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia are given in Ezekiel 25 and then prophecies against Tyre, Sidon and Egypt continue in the next seven chapters of that book. We will see an accusation against Moab in the next chapter before the shepherd, Amos, turns his attention to Judah and Israel.

First published June 26, 2025; updated June 26, 2025