Amos, Book of, is a book of the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, named for an Israelite prophet. Amos was the first prophet to have his sayings collected into a single work. He expressed for the first time in the prophetic literature the idea that there is one God for all humanity, for both Israel and the other nations.
Amos was a native of the southern kingdom of Judah and was active at the shrine of Bethel in the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos prophesied from about 750 to 740 B.C. Most of his statements are announcements of judgment or prophecies of punishment. He stated that God was about to intervene in history to punish Israel for its sins. Amos criticized the excesses in the outward expression of religion. He declared that the Israelites’ religion had no worth without demonstrating righteousness and social justice. He pointed out that Israel should suffer more for its sins than the surrounding nations because the Hebrews knew the true God.
