Amos 1:1

TITLE. The words of Amos. But the words of Jehovah by Amos. See Amos 1:3.

Amos. Burden.

herdmen. shepherds. Hebrew. nokdim. so called from. peculiar breed of stunted sheep (with fine wool). Mesha was called. noked, rendered "sheepmaster"(2 Kings 3:4). See App-54. Occurs only in these two places. But Amos was also. herdman, as is clear from Amos 7:14. where boker is from bakar, an ox, and hence is connected with ploughing (1 Kings 19:19; 1 Kings 19:21, &c.) See note on Amos 7:14.

Tekoa. Now Khan Telkua, five miles south of Bethlehem, and ten from Jerusalem. Compare 2 Samuel 14:2; 2 Chronicles 20:20.

which. which [words].

saw. saw [in. vision]. Compare Numbers 24:4; Numbers 24:16; Isaiah 30:10; Ezekiel 12:27.

Israel. This gives us the subject of the book. in the days. Compare Hosea 1:1.

Jeroboam. See Amos 7:10.

two years before the earthquake: i.e. before the one well known and remembered. Compare Zechariah 14:5.

the earthquake. Figure of speech Hyster. App-6.