Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1712)

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Amos

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

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AN

EXPOSITION,

W I T H   P R A C T I C A L   O B S E R V A T I O N S,

OF THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

A M O S.

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THOUGH this prophet appeared a little before

Isaiah, yet he was not, as some have mistaken, that Amos who was the

father of Isaiah

(Isa. i. 1),

for in the Hebrew their names are very different; their families too

were of a different character, for Isaiah was a courtier, Amos a

country-farmer. Amos signifies a burden, whence the Jews have a

tradition that he was of a slow tongue and spoke with stammering lips;

we may rather, in allusion to his name, say that his speech was

weighty and his word the burden of the Lord. He was (as

most think) of Judah, yet prophesied chiefly against Israel, and at

Bethel,

ch. vii. 13.

Some think his style savours of his extraction, and is more plain and

rustic than that of some other of the prophets; I do not see it so; but

it is plain that his matter agreed with that of his contemporary Hosea,

that out of the mouth of these two witnesses the word might be

established. It appears by his contest with Amaziah the priest of

Bethel that he met with opposition in his work, but was a man of

undaunted resolution in it, faithful and bold in reproving sin and

denouncing the judgments of God for it, and pressing in his

exhortations to repentance and reformation. He begins with

threatenings against the neighbouring nations that were enemies to

Israel,

ch. i. and ii.

He then calls Israel to account, and judges them for their idolatry,

their unworthy walking under the favours God had bestowed upon them,

and their incorrigibleness under his judgments,

ch. iii. and iv.

He calls them to repentance

(
ch. v.),

rejecting their hypocritical sacrifices unless they did repent. He

foretels the desolations that were coming upon them notwithstanding

their security

(ch. vi.),

some particular judgments

(ch. vii.),

particularly on Amaziah; and, after other reproofs and threatenings

(ch. viii. and ix.),

concludes with a promise of the setting up of the Messiah’s kingdom and

the happiness of God’s spiritual Israel therein, just as the prophecy

of Joel concluded. These prophets, having opened the wound in their

reproofs and threatenings, which show all wrong, in the promises of

gospel-grace open the remedy, which alone will set all to rights.

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1712)

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