Amos Chapter 7

Amos 7:1–3 — Vision of Locusts

“Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.”

Amos describes a vision given to him directly from the Lord. This was not imagination or poetry. It is something God showed him. The LORD formed grasshoppers — locusts — at the beginning of the latter growth, meaning after the king had already taken his portion of the first harvest as taxation. The people were left depending on this second crop for survival. In the vision the locusts devoured what was left, and the land was stripped bare. If the first cutting went to the royal court and the second was consumed by locusts, the nation would be left entirely destitute with no food and no means to recover.

Seeing this, Amos did not stand back in cold observation. His heart was moved with compassion. He interceded on behalf of Israel and cried, “O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee… by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.” The prophet uses the name Jacob deliberately. It recalls Israel’s humble beginnings. Jacob was the younger brother, the weaker one chosen by grace. Amos appeals to God on that basis — Israel is frail, undeserving, unable to survive such judgment without divine mercy.

In response to this intercession, Scripture says, “The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.” This is not repentance from sin, for God has no sin. It means He relented, He turned away the destruction He had shown. This is a clear and powerful example of the effectiveness of prayer. The vision shows judgment prepared, but prayer stopped it. If Amos had not prayed, the vision implies judgment would have fallen. This reveals the mysterious partnership between divine sovereignty and human intercession. God had every right to judge, yet He chose to respond to prayer and withhold His wrath.

Amos 7:4–6 — Vision of Fire

“Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.”

After the first vision of the locusts was withdrawn because of the prophet’s prayer, the Lord showed Amos a second vision. This time, instead of locusts consuming the crops, the Lord GOD called for judgment by fire. This was not an ordinary fire, but a supernatural, divine fire that consumed even “the great deep,” meaning it reached to the subterranean waters or seas and then moved upward to devour the land itself. It was a judgment so intense that nothing could withstand it. The imagery shows a total consuming force, not localized but spreading through the entire territory. This signifies a judgment that would touch the natural world, water sources, and human habitation alike.

Once again, Amos did not remain silent. He interceded with the same heart of compassion seen in the first vision. He cried out, “O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.” Amos does not argue Israel’s innocence. He does not deny their sin. Instead, he pleads on the basis of mercy and human frailty. He calls the nation “Jacob” again, deliberately invoking the image of weakness and God’s covenant grace. He asks God not to utterly consume them, because if this fire were carried out fully, Jacob would never rise again.

God responded to this intercession the same way He did in the first vision. “The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.” God chose to restrain His judgment in response to prayer. This does not mean God changed His nature or His eternal purposes. Instead, it reveals that God in His sovereignty has chosen to work through prayer. He remains consistent with His character, yet He allows the prayers of His people to influence how His judgment is carried out in time. The pattern is clear: judgment is revealed, the prophet intercedes, and the Lord relents. This shows both the seriousness of sin and the incredible power of intercessory prayer.

Amos 7:7–9 — The Vision of the Plumb Line

“Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

In this third vision, the Lord shows Amos something different from destruction. Instead of locusts or fire, God stands beside a wall built with a plumb line, holding the plumb line in His hand. A plumb line is a tool used by builders to determine if a wall is straight and true. It represents a fixed and absolute standard. God is not guessing or judging arbitrarily. He is measuring His people against His unchanging truth. Israel is the wall. The Law and righteousness of God are the plumb line.

The Lord asks Amos, “What seest thou?” This question is not because God needs information, but because He wants Amos to understand and declare the meaning of the vision. Amos replies, “A plumbline.” Then the Lord explains that He is setting this plumb line in the midst of His people Israel. This means God is now openly measuring them against His holy standard. Unlike the first two visions, Amos does not intercede this time. There is no prayer for mercy recorded. The Lord also adds, “I will not again pass by them any more,” meaning He will no longer overlook, delay, or restrain judgment. The patient longsuffering of God had reached its limit. The people had been warned, shown mercy, and yet remained crooked and rebellious.

God declares the result of Israel measured against His plumb line. “The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.” The reference to Isaac is significant. This is one of the rare times in Scripture where Isaac represents the nation rather than the man himself. It suggests that even their covenant identity, their historical roots, will not protect them from judgment. Their high places, which were centers of false worship, would be destroyed. The sanctuaries of Israel — the places they considered holy but God saw as corrupted — would be laid waste.

Finally, the Lord announces, “I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” Jeroboam II was the king of Israel during Amos' ministry. His reign was politically strong and economically successful, yet spiritually bankrupt. Because the nation was morally crooked and refused to align with God’s standard, judgment would come not only upon the land and religious institutions but also upon the leadership itself. The house of Jeroboam — the royal dynasty — would face the sword.

This vision teaches that God judges not randomly or emotionally, but by His righteous standard. Mercy can delay judgment, but when the plumb line is set and the people remain unrepentant, judgment becomes certain and unavoidable.

Amos 7:10–13 — Amaziah’s Words Against Amos

“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.”

After the visions of judgment, the narrative shifts to the opposition Amos faced from religious leadership in Israel. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, appears. Bethel was not the place of true worship as ordained by God in Jerusalem. It was the center of idolatrous worship established by Jeroboam I, where golden calves were set up to keep Israel from returning to Judah. Therefore, Amaziah was not a priest of the Lord in truth but a priest of a false religious system. Though he held religious authority in the northern kingdom, before God he was a corrupt and wicked man upholding idolatry.

Amaziah sent a message to King Jeroboam II accusing Amos of conspiracy. “Amos hath conspired against thee… the land is not able to bear all his words.” Unable to disprove Amos’ message or accuse him of moral wrongdoing, Amaziah attacked his loyalty, claiming he was stirring rebellion and threatening national security. He twisted Amos’ prophetic words, saying Amos declared that Jeroboam would die by the sword and Israel would go into captivity. Amos never said Jeroboam himself would be killed, but that the Lord would rise against the house of Jeroboam. Amaziah misrepresented the message to make Amos appear dangerous and subversive.

Then Amaziah personally confronted Amos. “O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there.” His words are dripping with sarcasm and contempt. He calls Amos a “seer” not in respect but mockery, as if saying, “visionary, fortune-teller, go back home.” He accuses Amos of prophesying for money — “go there and eat bread” — implying Amos only preaches for income. He commands Amos to leave Bethel and never prophesy there again. His justification is revealing: “for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.” He does not say it is the Lord’s house, but the king’s sanctuary. The religious institution had become a political tool. The authority of the king, not the authority of God, ruled the worship of the nation.

This episode shows how religious leaders tied to political power often resist true prophets. When they cannot charge them with false doctrine or sin, they accuse them of conspiracy and inciting rebellion. True preaching of repentance threatens corrupt systems, and so Amaziah tries to silence Amos, send him away, and keep Bethel under the control of the king rather than the authority of God.

Amos 7:14–15 — The Answer from Amos

“Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”

Amos responds to Amaziah by making it clear that he did not come into ministry by personal ambition, professional training, or family tradition. “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son.” In that culture, prophetic ministry could sometimes be a family line or a recognized profession, similar to the schools of the prophets seen under Elijah and Elisha. Amos states plainly that he did not belong to any such institution. He was not raised as a prophet nor did he choose this path for personal gain. He was not a religious hireling. He was a simple man with an ordinary occupation.

He explains his background: “but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.” Amos was a sheepbreeder, tending livestock, and also cared for sycomore fig trees, which were common in the lower regions of Judah. This work required hard labor and humility. He was not a man of influence, wealth, or religious authority. This makes it clear that he was not a conspirator against the king. A shepherd from Tekoa does not start revolutions against palaces. His calling did not come from man — it was from God.

Then Amos explains his calling: “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock.” While doing his ordinary work faithfully, God interrupted his life. Amos did not seek prophetic ministry; God sought Amos. He was taken — pulled from his work — to deliver a message to Israel. This is a common pattern in Scripture. God called Moses while tending sheep in Midian. God called David while watching his father’s flocks. God called Gideon while he was threshing wheat. God called Elisha while plowing a field. God often calls those who are already working diligently in the place they have been given.

The authority of Amos' message rests entirely in this divine calling: “and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.” He emphasizes that this is not his idea. He is obeying a direct command from the Lord. Israel is still called “My people,” showing God’s continuing covenant relationship, even while they are under judgment.

This answer exposes the emptiness of Amaziah’s accusations. Amos is not a false prophet seeking money. He is not a professional prophet seeking fame. He is a farmer called by God to speak truth to a rebellious nation. His courage comes from his calling. His authority comes from the Lord, not from any religious institution or royal approval.

Amos 7:16–17 — The Answer from the LORD

“Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.”

After Amos explained his calling from God, he now delivers the direct answer of the LORD to Amaziah. Amaziah had tried to silence the prophet, saying, “Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not drop thy word against the house of Isaac.” He wanted the word of God shut down, and he treated the nation as if it belonged to the king rather than God. In response, Amos speaks with divine authority: “Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD.” Amaziah rejected the voice of a shepherd-prophet, but now he must hear the voice of the God of Israel.

God’s judgment comes personally and directly upon Amaziah. “Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city.” This means that when judgment falls and the city is conquered, his wife will be forced into public prostitution, either by the invading soldiers or for survival. This is a shameful and tragic fate, especially for a man who claimed to be a priest of God. “Thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword.” His family will not be spared. The judgment he thought to avoid will strike his own household first.

God continues, “Thy land shall be divided by line.” The land Amaziah owns will be taken, measured out, and divided among conquerors. Everything he clung to — position, property, security — will be stripped away. “And thou shalt die in a polluted land.” Amaziah will not even die in Israel. He will be carried away and die in exile, in an unclean foreign land, cut off from the temple and cut off from the inheritance of his fathers.

Finally, God confirms the truth of the prophecy Amaziah tried to suppress: “And Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.” This was the very message Amaziah accused Amos of creating to conspire against the king. God confirms that Amos did not lie. The captivity is certain. The northern kingdom will be taken away by force, just as Amos declared.

This final word shows the seriousness of resisting God’s message and attempting to silence His prophets. Amaziah chose loyalty to the king over loyalty to God, and he suffered for it. The one who said “prophesy not” became the first to hear a prophecy directly against him. Amos, the simple shepherd, stood firm and delivered the hardest truth with faithfulness. God vindicated His servant and confirmed the certainty of coming judgment.