2
Amnon Amos the second son of Lot through his inces- tuous relationship with his younger daughter. [Gen. 19:38; Num. 21:2.4; Deut. 2:19, 20, 37; Josh. 13:10; Judg. 3; 13; 1 Sam. 11; 14; 2 Sam. 8; 10; n ; 12; 23; 1 Kgs. n ; 14; 2 Kgs. 23; 24; 1 Chr. n; 18; 19; 20; 2 Chr. 12; 20; 24; 27; Ezra 9:1; Neh. 2; 4; 13; Ps. 83:7; Isa. 11:14; Jer. 9; 27; 40; 41; 49; Ezek. 21; 25; Dan. 11:41; Amos 1:13; Zeph. 2:8, 9] Amnon (Heb. 'trustworthy') 1. c. 10 cen- tury BC . King David's eldest son who seduced his half-sister Tamar and was killed in revenge by her brother Absa- lom. [2 Sam. 3:2; 13:1-39; 1 Chr. 3:1] 2. date unknown. Son of Shimon and a leader of the tribe of Judah. [1 Chr. 4:20] Amok (Heb. 'deep') 6 century BC . Head of a family of priests who returned to Judah with Zerubbabel from exile in Babylon. [Neh. 12:7, 20] Amon (Heb. 'trustworthy') /. date un- known. Amon was the local god for the city of Thebes. When Thebes conquered the city states of Lower Egypt in about 1700 BC , Amon became the national god of the Egyptians. He was regarded as the god of fertility and later the sun- god. [Jer. 46:25] 2. see AMI c. 9 century BC. Governor of Samaria, he arrested and imprisoned the prophet Micaiah after he had foretold the disas- ter that would befall King Ahab of Israel at Ramoth-gilead. [1 Kgs. 22:26; 2 Chr. 18:25] 4. Fifteenth king of Judah after the mon- archy split, he reigned 642-40 BC . Amon was the son of King Manasseh of Judah and of Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. He succeeded his father at the age o f twenty-two, and continued the idolatrous practices that had marked Manasseh's reign. After two years on the throne he was assassinated by some of his officials. The conspirators were in turn put to death by the people, and Amon's eight-year-old son Josiah suc- ceeded to the throne. [2 Kgs. 21:18—26; 1 Chr. 3:14; 2 Chr. 33:20-25; Jer. 1:2; 25:3; Zeph. 1:1] Amorites (Bab. 'westerners') A power- ful people in pre-biblical times, they originated from and ruled in north-west Mesopotamia. Some began infiltrating into Canaan in the early centuries of the 2nd millennium BC , and by the time Joshua appeared they were well en- trenched in the land. There was thus considerable fighting between them and the Israelites. Many of them remained after Joshua's conquest. In the time of King Solomon, they were made 'a forced levy of slaves' (1 Kgs. 9:21). [Gen. 10; 14; 15; 48; Exod. 3; 23; 33; 34; Num. 13; 21; 22; 32; Deut. 1; 2; 3; 4; 7; 20; 31; Josh. 2; 3; 5; 7; 9; 10; n ; 12; 13; 2 4; Judg- 1; 3; 6; 10; 11; 1 Sam. 7:14; 2 Sam. 21:2; 1 Kgs. 459; 21; 1 Chr. 1:14; 2 Chr. 8:7; Ezra 9:1; Neh. 9:8; Ps. 135:11; 136:19; Amos 2:9, 10] Amos (Heb. 'burden') c. 775-50 BC. First of the literary prophets. Amos lived in Tekoa, a village in the Judean hills about six miles south of Bethlehem. Uzziah ruled at the time in the southern kingdom of Judah and Jero- boam 11 in the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was a sheep-farmer, and also gathered the fruit of the sycamore tree (a kind offig).His first appearance as a prophet was at a festival in the town of Bethel, in the kingdom of Israel. His opening words thundered a grim warning to the merrymakers: 'The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shep- herds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.' (Amos 1:2) For the Hebrew kingdoms, this was a period of relative peace and prosperity. What Amos saw were the negative re- sults of this relaxation: luxurious living Amos Amos for the rich, exploitation of the poor, loose moral standards, corruption in public life, and religious observance based on ritual rather than real piety. It was against these abuses that he was called upon to preach. He also sensed that the Hebrews were blind to the Assyrian danger looming up far to the north: 'Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria.' (Amos 6:1) It is hardly surprising that Amos's fierce attack on the establishment was resented. After his first appearance at Bethel, the local priest sent a complaint to King Jeroboam accusing the preacher of sedition. 'Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land."' (Amos 7:10, 11) Apparently the authorities failed to take action, and the priest himself tried to persuade Amos to leave. 'O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.' (Amos 7:12) (These words implied that Amos was one of the wandering soothsayers who supported themselves from the credulous.) Amos replied indignantly that he was not a prophet nor a prophet's son, but had been called by the Lord from his own regular occupa- tions. He repeated his warning in even fiercer terms: 'Therefore thus says the Lord: "Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daugh- ters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parcelled out by line; and you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'" (Amos 7:17) The Book of Amos may be divided into three main parts. The first two chapters deal with the lord's punishment of the nations. He si.uis will) the neighbouring states of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab. Their crimes are those of war and violence. The prophet then moves closer to home. The people of the south, Judah, will be punished 'be- cause they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes' (Amos 2:4). Finally comes the turn of the citizens of Israel to whom he is speaking. Here Amos's wrath rises to a climax and the catalogue of their sins becomes specific and vivid. They are profane, immoral and above all callous and inhuman towards their fellow-men - '... they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes' (Amos 2:6). The next three chapters are warning sermons, each starting with the phrase 'Hear this word ...'. In the remaining chapters, the threats of judgment are built around concrete symbols: the de- vouring grasshoppers, the consuming fire, the builder's plumbline, the basket of summer fruit and the smitten sanctuary. In the last few verses of the Book, Amos holds out the hope of a new begin- ning after the destruction he has proph- esied. '"Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground; except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," says the Lord.' (Amos 9:8) 'In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild i t as i n the days of old.' (Amos 9:11) Amos the sheep farmer is usually pic- tured as a blunt rustic, compared with intellectual urbanites like Isaiah and Jer- emiah. It is true that he is familiar with the sights and sounds of country life. Yet at the same time he reveals a wide knowledge of contemporary events, a grasp of political and social issues, and literary skill of a high order. In the evolving theology of the Old Testament, Amos makes a great leap

1. c. BC - WordPress.com · Amorites (Bab. 'westerners') ... [Ezra 10:34] Amraphel c. 18 century BC. Amraphel was king of Shinar and one of the four Mesopotamian kings who defeated

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A m n o n Amos

the second son of Lot through his inces­tuous relationship w i t h his younger daughter. [Gen. 19:38; N u m . 21:2.4; Deut. 2:19, 20, 37; Josh. 13:10; Judg. 3; 13; 1 Sam. 11; 14; 2 Sam. 8; 10; n ; 12; 23; 1 Kgs. n ; 14; 2 Kgs. 23; 24; 1 Chr. n ; 18; 19; 20; 2 Chr. 12; 20; 24 ; 27; Ezra 9:1 ; Neh . 2; 4 ; 13; Ps. 83:7; Isa. 11:14; Jer. 9 ; 27; 40; 4 1 ; 49; Ezek. 2 1 ; 25; Dan. 11:41; Amos 1:13; Zeph. 2:8, 9]

A m n o n (Heb. ' t rustworthy ' ) 1. c. 10 cen­tury B C . K i n g David's eldest son who seduced his half-sister Tamar and was kil led i n revenge by her brother Absa­lom. [2 Sam. 3:2; 13:1-39; 1 Chr. 3:1] 2. date u n k n o w n . Son of Shimon and a leader o f the tribe of Judah. [1 Chr. 4:20]

A m o k (Heb. 'deep') 6 century B C . Head of a family o f priests who returned to Judah w i t h Zerubbabel f rom exile in Babylon. [Neh. 12:7, 20]

A m o n (Heb. ' t rustworthy ' ) / . date un­known. A m o n was the local god for the city of Thebes. When Thebes conquered the city states o f Lower Egypt i n about 1700 B C , A m o n became the national god of the Egyptians. He was regarded as the god o f ferti l ity and later the sun-god. [Jer. 46:25] 2. see A M I

c. 9 century B C . Governor o f Samaria, he arrested and imprisoned the prophet Micaiah after he had foretold the disas­ter that w o u l d befall K ing Ahab o f Israel at Ramoth-gilead. [1 Kgs. 22:26; 2 Chr. 18:25] 4. Fifteenth k ing o f Judah after the mon­archy split, he reigned 642-40 B C . A m o n was the son o f King Manasseh o f Judah and of Meshullemeth daughter o f Haruz of Jotbah. He succeeded his father at the age o f twenty- two, and continued the idolatrous practices that had marked Manasseh's reign. After t w o years on the throne he was assassinated by some

of his officials. The conspirators were in turn put to death by the people, and Amon's eight-year-old son Josiah suc­ceeded to the throne. [2 Kgs. 21:18—26; 1 Chr. 3:14; 2 Chr. 33:20-25; Jer. 1:2; 25:3; Zeph. 1:1]

Amorites (Bab. 'westerners') A power­ful people i n pre-biblical times, they originated f rom and ruled in north-west Mesopotamia. Some began inf i l trat ing into Canaan in the early centuries o f the 2nd mi l l ennium B C , and by the time Joshua appeared they were well en­trenched i n the land. There was thus considerable fighting between them and the Israelites. M a n y of them remained after Joshua's conquest. In the t ime of King Solomon, they were made 'a forced levy o f slaves' (1 Kgs. 9:21). [Gen. 10; 14; 15; 48 ; Exod. 3; 23; 33; 34; N u m . 13; 2 1 ; 22; 32; Deut. 1 ; 2 ; 3; 4 ; 7 ; 20; 31 ; Josh. 2 ; 3 ; 5; 7; 9 ; 10; n ; 12; 13; 2 4 ; Judg- 1 ; 3; 6 ; 10; 11; 1 Sam. 7:14; 2 Sam. 21:2; 1 Kgs. 459; 2 1 ; 1 Chr . 1:14;

2 Chr. 8:7; Ezra 9:1 ; Neh. 9:8; Ps. 135:11; 136:19; Amos 2:9, 10]

Amos (Heb. 'burden') c. 775-50 B C . First o f the literary prophets.

Amos lived i n Tekoa, a village in the Judean hills about six miles south of Bethlehem. Uzziah ruled at the time in the southern k ingdom of Judah and Jero­boam 11 in the northern k ingdom of Israel. Amos was a sheep-farmer, and also gathered the fruit o f the sycamore tree (a k i n d of fig). His first appearance as a prophet was at a festival in the t o w n of Bethel, in the k ingdom of Israel. His opening words thundered a gr im warning to the merrymakers: 'The Lord roars f rom Z i o n , and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures o f the shep­herds m o u r n , and the top o f Carmel withers. ' (Amos 1:2)

For the Hebrew kingdoms, this was a period o f relative peace and prosperity. What Amos saw were the negative re­sults of this relaxation: luxurious l iving

Amos Amos

for the r ich , exploitation of the poor, loose moral standards, corrupt ion in public life, and religious observance based on r i tua l rather than real piety. I t was against these abuses that he was called upon to preach.

He also sensed that the Hebrews were blind to the Assyrian danger looming up far to the n o r t h : 'Woe to those w h o are at ease in Z i o n , and to those w h o feel secure on the mountain o f Samaria.' (Amos 6:1)

It is hardly surprising that Amos's fierce attack on the establishment was resented. After his first appearance at Bethel, the local priest sent a complaint to King Jeroboam accusing the preacher of sedition. 'Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, " Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his l a n d . " ' (Amos 7:10, 11)

Apparently the authorities failed to take action, and the priest himself tried to persuade Amos to leave. ' O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.' (Amos 7:12) (These words implied that Amos was one of the wandering soothsayers who supported themselves f rom the credulous.) Amos replied indignantly that he was not a prophet nor a prophet's son, but had been called by the Lord f rom his o w n regular occupa­tions. He repeated his warning i n even fiercer terms: 'Therefore thus says the L o r d : " Y o u r wife shall be a har lot in the city, and your sons and your daugh­ters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parcelled out by l ine ; and you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its l a n d . ' " (Amos 7:17)

The Book o f Amos may be divided into three main parts.

The first t w o chapters deal w i t h the l o r d ' s punishment of the nations. He s i .u i s wi l l ) the neighbouring states of

Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, A m m o n and M o a b . Their crimes are those of war and violence. The prophet then moves closer to home. The people of the south, Judah, w i l l be punished 'be­cause they have rejected the law o f the Lord , and have not kept his statutes' (Amos 2:4). Finally comes the turn of the citizens of Israel to w h o m he is speaking. Here Amos's wra th rises to a climax and the catalogue of their sins becomes specific and v iv id . They are profane, immora l and above all callous and inhuman towards their fellow-men - ' . . . they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes' (Amos 2:6).

The next three chapters are warning sermons, each starting w i t h the phrase 'Hear this w o r d . . . ' . In the remaining chapters, the threats of judgment are built around concrete symbols: the de­vouring grasshoppers, the consuming fire, the builder's plumbline, the basket of summer fruit and the smitten sanctuary.

In the last few verses o f the Book, Amos holds out the hope of a new begin­ning after the destruction he has proph­esied. ' " B e h o l d , the eyes o f the L o r d God are upon the sinful k i n g d o m , and I w i l l destroy i t from the surface of the ground ; except that I w i l l not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," says the L o r d . ' (Amos 9:8) ' I n that day I w i l l raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild i t as i n the days of o ld . ' (Amos 9:11)

Amos the sheep farmer is usually pic­tured as a blunt rustic, compared w i t h intellectual urbanites like Isaiah and Jer­emiah. I t is true that he is familiar w i t h the sights and sounds of country life. Yet at the same time he reveals a wide knowledge of contemporary events, a grasp of pol i t ica l and social issues, and literary ski l l of a high order.

In the evolving theology o f the O l d Testament, Amos makes a great leap

Amoz Anak

forward. H e is the first to propound the concept o f a God who is universal and is not just the t r iba l deity o f the He­brews. W h a t God demands o f man is moral purity and social justice, rather than the rituals and sacrifices o f organ­ized re l ig ion: ' I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I w i l l not accept them. ' (Amos 5:21, 22)

According to Amos, God judges al l nations, but has a special covenant w i t h the Hebrews. This makes special de­mands on them. M o r e than other peo­ples, they must observe a stern ethical and social code.

Amos was a pioneer in the unique prophetic strain woven into the history of the Hebrew kingdoms over several centuries. M e n of God like Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah served as the moral con­science of the community , and the fear­less critics o f its rulers. The prophetical books of the O l d Testament are among the most sublime ethics and poetry the w o r l d has k n o w n . [Book of Amos]

Amoz (Heb. 'strong') c. 8 century B C . Father of the prophet Isaiah. [2 Kgs. 19:2; Isa. 1:1]

A m r a m (Heb. 'uncle [God] is exalted') /. c. 13 century B C . Amram was a de­scendant of Levi , the third son of Jacob and Leah. He married Jochebed and had three children — M i r i a m , Aaron and Moses. A m r a m died in Egypt at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven. [Exod. 6:18-20; N u m . 3:19; 26:58—59; 1 Chr. 6:2, 3; 24:20] 2. 5 century B C . A descendant o f Bani who divorced his non-Jewish wife in the time o f Ezra. [Ezra 10:34]

Amraphel c. 18 century B C . Amraphel was king of Shinar and one of the four Mesopotamian kings who defeated an alliance of five local kings from the Dead

Sea area in the time of Abraham. They carried off a number of captives, includ­ing Abraham's nephew Lot and much booty. Abraham pursued them and res­cued the captives and booty.

None o f these nine kings has been identified, nor their countries or cities except Elam. [Gen. 14]

Amzi (Heb. 'strong') /. date u n k n o w n . Son of Bani and descended f rom M e r a r i . [1 Chr. 6:46] 2. date u n k n o w n . Ancestor o f Adaiah, one of the chief priests in Jerusalem after the return f rom exile in Babylon. [Neh. 11:12]

Anah (Heb. ' [God] answered') /. date unknown. A son o f Seir the H o r i t e and a leader o f an Edomite clan. [Gen. 36:20, 29; 1 Chr. 1:38] 2. 18 century B C . Father o f Ohol ibamah who married Esau, he was an Edomite leader w h o discovered hot springs in the desert. [Gen. 36:2, 14, 18, 24, 25; 1 Chr. 1:40, 41]

Anaiah (Heb. ' [God] answered') /. 5 century B C . A leader o f Judah w h o stood at Ezra's side when he read the Law of Moses to the people in the market-place. [Neh. 8:4] 2. 5 century B C . A leader of Judah who signed the solemn covenant in the t ime of Nehemiah. [Neh. 10:22]

Anak (Heb. 'long-necked') date un­k n o w n . Anak was a very tal l man, like his father Arba the legendary founder of Hebron. He founded a race o f giants k n o w n as A n a k i m who frightened the spies of Moses by their size: ' . . . and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them' ( N u m . 13:33). They were driven out by Caleb when he was given Hebron and the area round i t . Later Joshua swept them out o f the hi l l -country o f Canaan and practi­cally exterminated them, though some remnants w e r e found in Ga/.a, Gath and

A n a m i m Araunah

Ashdod, after Joshua's time. [ N u m . 13:12-33; Deut. 9:2; Josh. 15:13-15;

i n ; Judg. 1:20]

Anamim date u n k n o w n . One o f the sous of Egypt and a grandson o f H a m .

< . i n . 10:13> 1 Chr. 1:11]

Anammelech (Heb. 'King [God] an­swers') date u n k n o w n . One of the gods ol the Sepharvaim, a tribe settled by the Assyrians in Samaria after the exile o f the people of Israel. [2 Kgs. 17:31]

Anan (Heb. 'c loud') 5 century B C . A leader of Judah w h o signed the solemn 1 ovenant. [Neh. 10:26]

Anani (Heb. 'my cloud') date u n k n o w n . Son of Elioenai o f the tribe of Judah and .1 descendant o f K i n g David. [1 Chr. 3:24]

\ i i . i l l i (Canaanite goddess) 12 century |C. Father o f Shamgar, a judge over Israel. [Judg. 3:31; 5:6]

Anathoth (Heb. 'answers') /. c. 16 cen­tury B C . Son o f Becher and a grandson of Benjamin, he was a leader o f the tribe and a mighty warr ior . [1 Chr. 7:8] 2. 5 century B C . A leader of Judah w h o ligned the solemn covenant in the t ime ol Nehemiah. [Neh. 10:19]

Ancr c. 18 century B C . One o f Abra­ham's three A m o r i t e friends w h o helped him defeat the five kings who had seized Abraham's nephew L o t . [Gen. 14:13-24]

\111 (Heb. ' I am the God') date un­

known. Son o f Shemida and a leader of the tribe of Manasseh. [1 Chr. 7:19]

Anthothi jah (Canaanite goddess) date unknown. Son o f Shashak, a leader o f 1 In tribe of Benjamin l iving in Jeru­salem. 1 1 Chr. 8:24]

Aiiub date u n k n o w n . Son of Koz, a leader of the tribe of Judah. [ 1 Chr . 4:8]

Aphiah date u n k n o w n . A n ancestor o f King Saul. [1 Sam. 9:1]

Aphses see H A P P I Z Z E Z

Appaim date u n k n o w n . Son o f Nadab, a leader o f the tribe of Judah. [1 Chr. 2:30, 31]

Ara date u n k n o w n . Son o f Jether, a leader of the tr ibe o f Asher and a mighty warr ior . [1 Chr . 7:38]

Arad (Heb. ' w i l d ox') date u n k n o w n . Son of Beriah, a leader of the tr ibe of Benjamin l i v ing in Jerusalem. [1 Chr . 8:15]

Arah (Heb. 'wandering') 1. date un­k n o w n . Son o f Ulla and a leader o f the tribe of Asher, his descendants returned to Judah w i t h Zerubbabel f rom exile in Babylon. [1 Chr. 7:39; Ezra 2:5; Neh . 7:10] 2. 5 century B C . Father of Shecaniah, a leader o f Judah, whose daughter mar­ried T o b i a h , Nehemiah's enemy. [Neh. 6:18]

A r a m (Heb. 'high') 1. date u n k n o w n . Son of Shem and a grandson o f N o a h , he was the tradit ional ancestor o f the Arameans w h o settled in Syria. [Gen. 10:22, 23 ; 1 Chr. 1:17] 2. c. 18 century B C . Son o f Kemuel and a grandson o f Abraham's brother Nahor. [Gen. 22:21] f. date u n k n o w n . Son of Shomer, a leader o f the tr ibe o f Asher and a mighty warr ior . [1 Chr. 7:34]

Aran date u n k n o w n . Son of Dishan and leader of an Edomite clan. [Gen. 36:28; 1 Chr. 1:42]

Araunah c. 10 century B C . Owner o f a threshing floor. Late in his reign K ing David took a census of the fighting men throughout his kingdom. But a census was considered unholy (a superstition