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Introduction
to Amos
INTRODUCTION TO AMOS
This
book in the Hebrew Bibles is called "Sepher Amos", the Book of Amos;
and, in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, the Prophecy of Amos. This is
not the same person with the father of Isaiah, as some have ignorantly
confounded them; for their names are wrote with different letters; besides, the
father of Isaiah is thought to have been of the royal family, and a courtier;
whereas this man was a country farmer and herdsman. His name signifies
"burdened": the JewsF1Vajikra Rabba, sect. 10. fol. 153.
3. Abarbinel Praefat. in Ezek. fol. 253. 3. say he was so called, because
burdened in his tongue, or had an impediment in his speech, and stammered; but
rather because his prophecies were burdens to the people, such as they could
not bear, being full of reproofs and threatenings; however, his prophecy in
this respect agrees with his name. What time he lived may be learned from Amos 1:1; by which
it appears that he was, contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea; but whether he
lived and prophesied so long as they did is not certain. The author of Seder
Olam ZutaF2P. 104, 105. Ed. Meyer. makes him to prophesy in the
reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. R. Abraham ZacutF3Juchasin,
fol. 12. 1. , and R. David GanzF4Tzemach David, fol. 13. 1. 2. , place
him later than Hosea, and prior to Isaiah; they say that Amos received the law
from Hosea, and Isaiah from Amos. Mr. WhistonF5Chronological Table,
cent. 8. makes him to begin to prophesy in the year of the world 3231 A.M. or
773 B.C.; and Mr. BedfordF6Scripture Chronology, B. 6. c. 2. p. 647.
earlier, in 802 B.C.; and, from some passages in his prophecy, he appears to be
of the land of Judah; see Amos 1:1; though he
prophesied in the land of Israel, and against the ten tribes chiefly; the
occasion of which was, Jeroboam had been very successful and victorious, and
the people under him enjoyed great plenty and prosperity, and upon this grew
wanton, luxurious, and very sinful; wherefore this prophet was sent to reprove
them for their sins, to exhort them to repentance, and threaten them with
captivity, in case of impenitence; and to comfort the truly godly with promises
of the Messiah's coming and kingdom. The authenticity of this book is not to be
questioned, since many passages out of it were taken by following prophets, as
the words in Amos 1:2, by Joel, Joel 3:16, and by
Jeremiah, Jeremiah 25:30; Amos 4:9, by
Haggai, Haggai 2:17; Amos 9:13, by Joel,
Joel 3:18; and
others are quoted by the writers of the New Testament as divinely inspired, as Amos 5:25, in Acts 7:42; nor is
there any room to doubt of his being the writer of this book, as is manifest of
his speaking of himself as the first person in it; though HobbesF7Leviathan,
c. 33. says it does not appear. Some have thought that his language is rustic,
suitable to his former character and employment; but certain it is there are
masterly strokes and great beauties of eloquence in it; and which shows that it
is more than human. According to some writers, he was often beat and buffeted
by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel; and at last the son of the priest drove a
nail into his temples, upon which he was carried alive into his own country,
and there died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors at TekoaF8Pseudo-Epiphan.
de Prophet. Vit. c. 12. Isidor. de Vit. Sanct. c. 43. Jerom. de locis Hebr. in
voce Elthei, fol. 91. B. .
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a sermon
from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called unto
Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.