Amos and the Job of the Navi by Aaron Koller

Looking at Amos chapters 7-8 you have 4 visions.

‫פרק ז‬
Vision 1

‫ּכֹה ִה ְרַאנִ י אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹה וִ ה וְ ִהּנֵה יוֹצֵ ר ּגֹבַ י ִּב ְת ִחּלַת עֲלוֹת הַ ּל ֶָקׁש וְ ִהּנֵה־ל ֶֶקׁש ַאחַ ר‬ ‫א‬
:‫ּגִ ּזֵ י הַ ֽ ֶּמלְֶך‬
Time of late crops and Amos sees locusts and this is after the king has already taken his
cut of the crops. Amos is in mid 8th century (starts 2 years after the earthquake of 762). He
begins in the north in the time of Jerobam II who was a very successful king with his conquests
and building projects. You have cities like Hatzor which was a large city dominated by large
houses, 2 or 3 times the size of the houses next store with finely finished masonry. Clearly these
types of houses did not exist previously. Jerobam II is successful economically, has a long reign,
and his son peacefully takes over. But the Tanach don’t like him because he still worships in Beit
El and Dan and he is named after the original wicked Jerobam.

‫ָארץ וָ אֹמַ ר אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה ְֽסלַח־נָא ִמי יָקּום‬

ֶ ָ‫ וְ הָ יָה ִאם־ּכִ ּלָה ֽ ֶלאֱ כוֹל אֶ ת־עֵ ֶׂשב ה‬ ‫ב‬
:‫ֽ ַי ֲעקֹב ּכִ י ָקטֹן ֽהּוא‬
Amos sees the locusts finish devouring the vegetation of the land and Amos says God forgive
them. How can Jacob survive?

:‫ נִחַ ם יְ הֹוָ ה עַ ל־זֹאת ֹלא ִֽת ְהיֶה ָאמַ ר יְ ה ֽ ָֹוה‬ ‫ג‬

God “changes his mind” and does not do this.

Vision 2

‫ת־ּתהוֹם‬
ְ ֶ‫ּכֹה ִה ְרַאנִ י אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה וְ ִהּנֵה ק ֵֹרא ל ִָרב ּבָ אֵ ׁש אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה וַ ּתֹאכַ ל א‬ ‫ד‬
:‫ַרּבָ ה וְ ֽ ָאכְ לָה ֶאת־הַ ֽ ֵחלֶק‬
Amos sees another vision with fields being eaten up by fire.

‫נִ חַ ם יְ הֹוָ ה‬ ‫ ו‬:‫ ֽ ָואֹמַ ר אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה חֲ ַדל־נָא ִמי יָקּום ֽ ַי ֲעקֹב ּכִ י ָקטֹן ֽהּוא‬ ‫ה‬
:‫ַם־היא ֹלא ִֽת ְהיֶה ָאמַ ר אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹה ִֽוה‬
ִ ‫עַ ל־זֹאת ּג‬
Amos once again says, God how can Jacob survive this? God “changes his mind” and God does
not do this punishment. We see Amos here in the little appreciated job of Navi as defender of
Benay Yisrael. The most noteworthy example is Moshe Rabbenu. Amos says ‫ ְֽסלַח־נָא‬and
Amos and the Job of the Navi by Aaron Koller

instead of Hashem saying ‫ סלחתי‬he says ‫נִחַ ם‬. He does not really forgive and wipe away the
sin. ‫ סליחה‬is unique to God because it means that not only is the sin forgiven but it is erased
and cleaned away and only God can do this. In the second vision Amos no longer asks for
forgiveness (because God won’t do this) but rather he says ‫חֲ ַדל־נָא‬.

Vision 3

:‫ ּכֹה ִה ְרַאנִ י וְ ִהּנֵה אֲ ֹדנָי נִ ּצָ ב עַ ל־חוֹמַ ת אֲ נְָך ּובְ יָד ֹו אֲ ֽ ָנְך‬ ‫ז‬
God showed him standing on a wall of “Anach” and in his hand was “Anach”.

‫ וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר יְ הֹוָ ה אֵ לַי ֽ ָמה־אַ ָּתה רֹאֶ ה עָ מוֹס ֽ ָואֹמַ ר אֲ נְָך וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר אֲ ֹדנָי ִֽה ְנ ִני ָׂשם‬ ‫ח‬
:ֹ‫אֲ נְָך ְּב ֶק ֶרב עַ ִּמי יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל ֹלֽ א־או ִֹסיף עוֹד עֲבוֹר לֽ ו‬
God says that I am going to put “Anach” in the midst of my people. The problem is that we
don’t know what is “Anach”. The first Anach is a common noun. Anach in other semitic
languages is tin. It is important because it is used with copper to make tin but a wall of tin is
rather feeble. Here there might not be symbolism in the wall of tin but it was a way to get Amos
to say the word Anach. This second Anach might be a short form of the word ‫אנכי‬. God is
then saying, I am putting myself in the midst of the people. This would be a rather scary thing.

:‫ּומ ְק ְּד ֵׁשי יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל יֶחֱ ָרבּו וְ ַק ְמ ִּתי עַ ל־ּבֵ ית ֽ ָי ָרבְ עָ ם ּבֶ ֽ ָח ֶרב‬
ִ ‫ וְ נ ַָׁשּמּו ּבָ מוֹת יִ ְׂשחָ ק‬ ‫ט‬
The Bamot of ‫ׂשחָ ק‬
ְ ִ‫( י‬Amos’ name for the northern kingdom) will be laid waste and the
temples of Israel will be destroyed and I will arise against the dynasty of Jerobam with the
sword. This is the first time that Amos mentions that anything against the dynasty of Jerobam.

Immediately after this, Amos is attacked.

‫ וַ ּיִ ְׁשלַח אֲ מַ ְציָה ּכֹהֵ ן ֽ ֵּבית־אֵ ל אֶ ל־ ֽ ָי ָרבְ עָ ם ֽ ֶמלְֶך־יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל לֵאמֹר ָק ַׁשר עָ לֶיָך‬ ‫י‬
‫ ִּֽכי־כֹה‬ ‫ יא‬:‫ת־ּכָל־ּדבָ ֽ ָריו‬
ְ ֶ‫ָארץ לְ הָ כִ יל א‬
ֶ ָ‫עָ מוֹס ְּב ֶק ֶרב ּבֵ ית יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל לֹֽ א־תּוכַ ל ה‬
:ֹ‫ַאדמָ ֽתו‬ְ ‫ָאמַ ר עָ מוֹס ּבַ חֶ ֶרב יָמּות ֽ ָי ָרבְ עָ ם וְ יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל ּגָֹלה יִ גְ לֶה מֵ עַ ל‬
Amatziah the priest of Beit El sends to Jerobam that Amos is conspiring against you because he
has said that Jerobam will be assassinated and Israel will be exiled. Amos did not quite say that
Jerobam would be killed although he certainly said that the dynasty would die out and Amos
has said many times that Israel will be exiled. We never hear of answer from Jerobam to this
message. Gemara Pesachim 87 says that Jerobam gave Amos the benefit of the doubt that
either he did not these things of even if Amos said them it comes from God and not Amos so
Amos cannot be blamed.
Amos and the Job of the Navi by Aaron Koller

‫ל־ׁשם לֶחֶ ם‬
ָ ָ‫הּודה וֶ אֱ כ‬
ָ ְ‫ וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר אֲ מַ ְציָה אֶ ל־עָ מוֹס חֹזֶ ה לְֵך ּבְ ַרח־לְ ָך אֶ ל־אֶ ֶרץ י‬ ‫יב‬
‫ּובית־אֵ ל ֹלֽ א־תו ִֹסיף עוֹד לְ ִהּנָבֵ א ּכִ י ִמ ְק ַּדׁש־מֶ לְֶך הּוא ּובֵ ית‬
ֵ ֽ  ‫ יג‬:‫וְ ָׁשם ִּתּנ ֽ ֵָבא‬
:‫ַמ ְמלָכָ ה ֽהּוא‬
Amatziah takes the law into his own hands and tells Amos, “Seer, go run away to Judah and eat
read there because you cannot prophesy in Bet Eil in the King’s Temple and Palace.”
‫וַ ּיַעַ ן עָ מוֹס וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר אֶ ל־אֲ מַ ְציָה לֹֽ א־נָבִ יא ָאנֹכִ י וְ ֹלא בֶ ן־נָבִ יא ָאנֹכִ י‬ ‫יד‬
:‫ִּֽכי־בו ֵֹקר ָאנֹכִ י ּוב ֹולֵס ִׁש ְק ִֽמים‬
Amos says to Amatziah that I am not a Navi or son of a Navi. Rather I am a herder of cattle and
a ‫ׁש ְק ִֽמים‬
ִ ‫ ּוב ֹולֵס‬a slasher of sycamore fruits.
:‫ וַ ּיִ ָּקחֵ נִ י יְ הֹוָ ה מֵ ֽ ַאחֲ ֵרי הַ ּצֹאן וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר ֵאלַי יְ הֹוָ ה לְֵך ִהּנָבֵ א אֶ ל־עַ ִּמי יִ ְׂש ָר ֽ ֵאל‬ ‫טו‬
Amos says rather God took me from behind the sheep and said to me to prophecy to my nation
Israel.
‫ וְ עַ ָּתה ְׁשמַ ע ְּדבַ ר־יְ הֹוָ ה אַ ָּתה אֹמֵ ר ֹלא ִתּנָבֵ א עַ ל־יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל וְ ֹלא תַ ִּטיף עַ ל־ּבֵ ית‬ ‫טז‬
‫לָכֵן ֹֹּֽֽכ ה־ָאמַ ר יְ הֹוָ ה ִא ְׁש ְּתָך ּבָ עִ יר ִּתזְ נֶה ּובָ נֶיָך ּובְ נֹתֶ יָך ּבַ חֶ ֶרב יִ ּפֹלּו‬ ‫ יז‬:‫יִ ְׂש ֽ ָחק‬
‫ַאד ֽ ָמ ְתָך ּבַ חֶ בֶ ל ְּתחֻ ּלָק וְ אַ ָּתה עַ ל־אֲ ָדמָ ה ְטמֵ ָאה ָּתמּות וְ יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל ּגָֹלה יִ גְ לֶה‬ ְ ְ‫ו‬
:ֹ‫ַאדמָ ֽתו‬
ְ ‫ֵמעַ ל‬
Amos ends saying to Amatziah that your wife will be a harlot and your children will fall to the
sword. Your land will be divided with a measuring line and Israel will be exiled.

We see here that Amatziah called Amos a Chozeh and Amos responded by saying that I
am not a Navi. Is there a difference between a Navi and a Chozeh? Maybe one would think that
Chozeh is a more derogatory term that distinguishes with a Navi. But it sounds very much like
the words are synonymous from Amos’ response that I am not a Navi. Also the Aramaic for Navi
is Chozeh. Maybe Chozeh is the more cosmopolitan word for Navi. The word Chozeh is used in
8th century by other Aramaic texts to describe a prophet (see handout). The word Navi is only
used in Hebrew (except the word Nabu which appears 1000 years earlier). In Zakkur Inscription
we have the god Baal Shemaim who sends the Chozeh to them. The Chozeh is the word for
prophet. In Deir Allah text (written in ink on plaster in biblical Sukkot from Yaakov’s sukkos) this
was smashed in the earthquake of 762. It was written about Bilaam Bar Beor the Chozeh. It has
lots of parallels with the biblical story of Bilaam. It is written in the 8 th century but inscribed on
the Temple walls so it describes events that clearly happened way earlier. Here we see that
Bilaam is called a Chozeh Elohin. We see that Navi=Chozeh.

Amos responds with normal Hebrew language and says that I am not a Navi nor a Ben Navi. The
‫ בני הנביאים‬come up often and are mentioned a great deal especially during the time of
Eliyahu and Elisha. They seem to have prophetic powers. They are Navis in training centered
around a master prophet like Eliyahu and Elisha (See Kings II 2:1-3 and 4:1). Amos is saying I am
not a Ben Navi. He is saying that I do not make my occupation as a prophet in training. I would
be glad to tend my cattle and slash my sycamore. I am not after the job. I am after my mission.
Amos and the Job of the Navi by Aaron Koller

He says ‫הַ ּצֹאן‬ ‫וַ ּיִ ָּקחֵ נִ י יְ הֹוָ ה מֵ ֽ ַאחֲ ֵרי‬. This phrase should be familiar from David. In
Shemuel Beit it says ‫ּתה ּכֹה תֹאמַ ר לְ עַ בְ ִּדי לְ ָדוִ יד ּכֹה ָאמַ ר יְ הֹוָ ה‬ ָ ַ‫ וְ ע‬ ‫ ז‬:‫פרק יז‬
‫ן־אחֲ ֵרי הַ ּצֹאן ִֽל ְהיוֹת נָגִ יד עַ ל עַ ִּמי יִ ְׂש ָר ֽ ֵאל‬ ַ ֽ ‫ ְצבָ אוֹת אֲ נִ י לְ ַק ְח ִּתיָך ִמן־הַ ּנָוֶ ה ִמ‬:
Also see Tehillim 78.

Amos is a transitional figure. Because prior to him in the past few centuries Navis went
to special schools or apprenticed with prophets to be trained. In Eliyahu and Elisha in 9 th and
10th centuries the Neviim behaved differently than Amos. The earlier prophets Shaul, Elisha
seem to have ecstatic experiences accompanied by music that give them a prophecy. They live
in groups. See Kings II chapter 3 where Elisha says ‫מנגן‬ ‫קחו לי‬. The earlier Neviim
specialized in dynastic politics. This is what Shemuel did, Natan, Eliyahu, Elisha. The classical
prophets don’t meet with the king. Amos talks to the people. Jeremiah is on terrible terms with
the king and goes to the people. You can go to Shemuel and ask a magic question, where is my
lost donkey and you can pay him and you will get an answer. But the later prophets don’t get
paid. The miracles of Eliyahu and Elisha is not performed by Jeremiah. He gets thrown in jail and
he cannot escape. There is not magic. He just sends a message to the people. The earlier Neviim
do not communicate through books of prophecy. The later prophets have books that they
wrote of their own Nevuot. The last point is where they lived. The early Neviim are all in the
north. The later classical Neviim are all in the south. Amos might be the transition because he is
from the south (Tekoa) but working in the north. The earlier Neviim from the north are more
miraculous ecstatic people who travel in groups and have prophetic experiences and can see
things. The later Neviim are more along the lines of the Rambam’s classic model that they are
chosen by God to prophecy.

‫פרק ח‬
Vision 4

‫וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר ֽ ָמה־אַ ָּתה רֹאֶ ה עָ מוֹס‬ ‫ ב‬:‫ּכֹה ִה ְרַאנִ י אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה וְ ִהּנֵה ּכְ לּוב ֽ ָקיִ ץ‬ ‫א‬
‫ֽ ָואֹמַ ר ּכְ לּוב ָקיִ ץ וַ ּיֹאמֶ ר יְ הֹוָ ה אֵ לַי ּבָ א הַ ֵּקץ אֶ ל־עַ ִּמי יִ ְׂש ָראֵ ל לֹֽ א־או ִֹסיף עוֹד‬
‫ וְ הֵ ילִ ילּו ִׁשירוֹת הֵ יכָ ל ּבַ ּיוֹם הַ הּוא נְאֻ ם אֲ ֹדנָי יְ ֶֶֹֹהוִ ה ַרב הַ ּפֶ גֶר‬ ‫ ג‬:ֹ‫עֲבוֹר לֽ ו‬
:‫ְּב ָכל־מָ קוֹם ִה ְׁשלִ יְך ֽ ָהס‬
Amos and the Job of the Navi by Aaron Koller

Amos is shown a vision of a basket of summer fruit. Hashem says ‫ּקץ‬

ֵ ַ‫( ה‬play on ‫) ֽ ָקיִ ץ‬
the end of my nation Israel is coming. I will no longer help them. This might be an even better
pun because this is written in the dialect of the south but the Hebrew Amos was speaking was
in the dialect of the north. In northern Hebrew, the word for wine is spelled ‫ ין‬not ‫ יין‬like we
spell it. Why? It sounds like the word for wine was pronounced Yain in the north not Yayin. So
in the north Amos would not say Keluv Kayitz but Keluv Kaitz so it is an even better pun.