Amos 1:1 (KJV)

Passage

The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Nearby Context

Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Amos 1:2 And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

Amos 1:3 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "amos", "herdmen", "tekoa", "concerning", "israel", "days", and "uzziah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "amos", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And he said The LORD will roar...", so "words" and "amos" should be read forward into that movement. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "words" and "amos" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.