The Meaning of Amos 7:14 Explained

Amos 7:14

KJV: Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

YLT: And Amos answereth and saith unto Amaziah, 'I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son am I, but a herdsman I am, and a cultivator of sycamores,

Darby: And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit.

ASV: Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees:

Discover Amos 7:14

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Amos 7:14?

MEANING: What does Amos 7:14 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Amos 7:14 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Amos 7:14?

What is the context of Amos 7:14?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I [was] no prophet, neither [was] I a prophet's son; but I [was] an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

What does Amos 7:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Amos replied that he was not a prophet by his own choosing; he did not decide to pursue prophesying as a career. Neither had he become a prophet because his father had been one. In Amos" culture it was common and expected for sons to follow in their father"s line of work, though this was not true of genuine prophets. It is possible that Amos meant that he was not the son of a prophet in the sense that he had not been trained in one of the schools of the prophets under the tutelage of a fatherly mentor (cf. 2 Kings 2:1-15; 2 Kings 4:1; 2 Kings 4:38; 2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 6:1-7; 2 Kings 9:1). ^[1] Rather Amos had previously earned his living in a totally unrelated occupation. He had been a herdsman and a nipper of sycamore figs. The term "herdsman" refers to someone who bred livestock, not just a shepherd who looked after animals. A nipper of sycamore figs was one who pierced sycamore figs so they would be edible.

"The fruit is infested with an insect (the Sycophaga crassipes), and till the "eye" or top has been punctured, so that the insects may escape, it is not eatable." ^[2]

"Or, the term may refer to the practice of slitting the sycamore-fig before it ripens-a process that ensures that it will turn sweet." ^[3]

Thus Amos had a respectable agricultural business background before he moved to Israel to prophesy. He had not been a "professional" prophet like many of the false prophets. He had not always made his living by being a prophet but only functioned as a "called" prophet. Therefore, Amaziah should not think that Amos came to Israel to prophesy because that was the only work that he could do or to make money.

Context Summary

Amos 7:1-17 - The Herdsman's Message

The king's mowings were the earliest yield of the grasslands, which were exacted by him. Our King also has His mowings, when He takes to Himself our dearest and best while the dew of youth is still upon them-but He is only claiming His own.

Three disasters threatened the guilty land-locusts, fire, and plague; but the prophet's intercessions warded off the blow. The Bible often tells a similar story of the power of intercession. If only the Church were united and prayed with one voice, she would be able to secure deliverance for the smitten earth. When God is said to repent, we must not attribute to Him changeableness of purpose, but He seems to repent, because man has changed his attitude. If you walk against the wind, it resists you; but if you turn and walk in the opposite direction, it helps you. The plumbline, Amos 7:7, is used to discover the extent of the mischief, before the order, for destruction is issued.

Amaziah, the chief priest of the national idolatry, found the stalwart witness of the herdsman-prophet extremely inconvenient and wanted to get rid of him. There was great simplicity and dignity in the reply. Like Luther in after years, Amos could "do no other." [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 7

¹ The judgments of the grasshoppers,
⁴ and of the fire are diverted by the prayer of Amos
⁷ By the wall of a plumb line is signified the rejection of Israel
¹⁰ Amaziah complains of Amos
¹⁴ Amos shows his calling
¹⁶ and Amaziah's judgment

What do the individual words in Amos 7:14 mean?

And answered Amos and said to Amaziah no prophet I [was] nor a son of a prophet [was] I but a sheepbreeder I [was] and a tender of sycamore [fruit]

וַיַּ֤עַן עָמוֹס֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־ אֲמַצְיָ֔ה לֹא־ נָבִ֣יא אָנֹ֔כִי וְלֹ֥א בֶן־ נָבִ֖יא אָנֹ֑כִי כִּֽי־ בוֹקֵ֥ר אָנֹ֖כִי וּבוֹלֵ֥ס שִׁקְמִֽים

וַיַּ֤עַן	And answered
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: לְעַנּׄות Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
עָמוֹס֙	Amos
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: עָמֹוס Sense: a prophet of the Lord who prophesied in the northern kingdom; native of Tekoa in Judah near Bethlehem and a shepherd by trade; author of the prophetic book by his name.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר	and said
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲמַצְיָ֔ה	Amaziah
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: אֲמַצְיָה Sense: a king of Judah, son Joash, father of Azariah.
לֹא־	no
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle Root: הֲלֹא Sense: not, no.
נָבִ֣יא	prophet
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: נָבִיא Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
אָנֹ֔כִי	I [was]
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular Root: אָנׄכִי Sense: I (first pers.
וְלֹ֥א	nor
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle Root: הֲלֹא Sense: not, no.
בֶן־	a son
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: בֵּן Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
נָבִ֖יא	of a prophet
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: נָבִיא Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
אָנֹ֑כִי	[was] I
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular Root: אָנׄכִי Sense: I (first pers.
בוֹקֵ֥ר	a sheepbreeder
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: בֹּוקֵר Sense: herdsman.
אָנֹ֖כִי	I [was]
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular Root: אָנׄכִי Sense: I (first pers.
וּבוֹלֵ֥ס	and a tender
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct Root: בָּלַס Sense: (Qal) to gather figs, tend sycamore trees.
שִׁקְמִֽים	of sycamore [fruit]
Parse: Noun, feminine plural Root: שִׁקְמָה Sense: sycamore tree (bearing figs).

What are the major concepts related to Amos 7:14?

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