Amos is a shepherd and fig-tree tender from Tekoa who, without being a professional prophet, receives a powerful call from God to denounce social injustice and religious corruption in Israel during a period of apparent prosperity. His message is direct and uncompromising: God does not tolerate the oppression of the poor or the hypocrisy of those who worship with empty rituals while trampling the vulnerable. A book that resonates with startling relevance today.
Amos prophesied around 760-750 BC, during the reign of Jeroboam II in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a time of great economic prosperity but also of profound social inequality. He is considered the first writing prophet of the Hebrew canon, and his book stands out for its poetic language and vivid imagery drawn from rural life. Although he was originally from Judah, his mission unfolded mainly at the sanctuary of Bethel, in the Northern Kingdom. A curious fact: Amos was not a professional prophet; when the priest Amaziah orders him to go back to his own land, he proudly replies that he is simply a shepherd whom God took from behind the flock.