Amos 7:14

Amos 7:14 in other versions

• King James Version (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:
• New International Version (NIV)Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit.

Context of Amos 7:14

12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “You seer, run away to Judah! Eat there, and prophesy there! 13But don’t ⌞ever⌟ prophesy again in Bethel, because this is the king’s holy place and the king’s palace.” Amos responded, “I’m not a prophet, and I’m not a disciple of the prophets. I am a rancher and a grower of figs. 15But the Lord took me away from herding the flock and said to me, ‘Prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16“Now listen to the Lord’s word: You said, ‘Stop prophesying against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

Amos 7:14 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• Amosעָמוֹס‛âmôs · AmosH5986
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to Amaziahאֲמַצְיָ֫הוּ'ămatsyâh 'ămatsyâhû · AmaziahH558
• no prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• an herdmanבּוֹקֵרbôqêr · herdsmanH951
• and a gathererבָּלַסbâlas · to gather/tend figsH1103
• of sycomore fruitשִׁקְמָהshâqâm shiqmâh · sycamoreH8256

Cross-references for Amos 7:14

• 1 Kings 20:35A disciple of the prophets spoke to a friend as the Lord’s word had told him. ⌞The disciple said,⌟ “Punch me,” but the man refused to punch him.
• 2 Kings 2:3Some of the disciples of the prophets at Bethel came to Elisha. They asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
• 2 Kings 4:38When Elisha went back to Gilgal, there was a famine in the country. ⌞One day,⌟ while the disciples of the prophets were meeting with him, he told his servant, “Put a large pot on the fire, and cook some stew for the disciples of the prophets.”
• 2 Kings 6:1The disciples of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we’re staying is too small for us.
• 2 Chronicles 16:7At that time the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Syria and did not depend on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped your grasp.
• 2 Chronicles 19:2Jehu, son of the seer Hanani, asked King Jehoshaphat, “Why do you help wicked people and love those who hate the Lord? The Lord’s anger is directed toward you because you have done this.
• 2 Chronicles 20:34Everything else about Jehoshaphat from first to last is written in the records of Jehu, son of Hanani, which is included in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
• Amos 1:1These are the words of Amos, one of the sheep farmers from Tekoa. He saw ⌞a vision⌟ about Israel during the reigns of Judah’s King Uzziah and Israel’s King Jeroboam, son of Joash. This happened two years before the earthquake.
• Zechariah 13:5He will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I’m a farmer. I’ve owned this land since I was a child.’
• 1 Corinthians 1:27But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame.

Commentaries on Amos 7:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14I was no prophet - I am an extraordinary messenger of God. I am not called to the prophetic office but for this occasion. I have no message to Judah, and therefore need not go there. I have a message to Israel alone, and I must faithfully deliver it. For the account which Amos gives here of himself, see the introduction.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14I was no prophet - The order of the words is emphatic. “No prophet I, and no prophet‘s son I, for a herdsman I, and dresser of sycamores.” It may be, Amos would meet, for the people‘s sake, Amaziah‘s taunt. He had a living, simple indeed, yet that of the prophets was as simple. But chiefly he tells them of the unusual character of his mission. He did not belong to the order of the prophets, nor had he been educated in the schools of the prophets, nor had…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-17Verses 10-17 It is no new thing for the accusers of the brethren, to misrepresent them as enemies to the king and kingdom, as traitors to their prince, and troublers of the land, when they are the best friends to both. Those who make gain their godliness, and are governed by the hopes of wealth and preferment, are ready to think these the most powerful motives with others also. But those who have a warrant from God, like Amos, ought not to fear the face…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14Amos was not a professional prophet or a disciple in training. He had no financial reason to leave his job to prophesy. herdsman: The Hebrew word here differs from the one in Amos 1:1 and is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament. It relates to a word for cattle, suggesting Amos may have raised cattle as a breeder or herder (see Amos Book Introduction, “The Prophet Amos”). The sycamore-fig was gathered for cattle feed.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. I was no prophet--in answer to Amaziah's insinuation (Am 7:12), that he discharged the prophetical office to earn his "bread" (like Israel's mercenary prophets). So far from being rewarded, Jehovah's prophets had to expect imprisonment and even death as the result of their prophesying in Samaria or Israel: whereas the prophets of Baal were maintained at the king's expense (compare 1Ki 18:19). I was not, says Amos, of the order of prophets, or educated…Read the comment

Topics related to Amos 7:14

• Amaziah
• Amos
• Call
• Minister, Christian
• Prophecy
• Prophets
• Reproof
• Sycamore

In the dictionaries

• Amaziah
• Amos
• Arise
• Contend
• Amos (1)
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Ezekiel
• Fig, Fig-Tree
• Gather
• God

Commentaries on Amos 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings