Amos 1:1 (YLT)

Passage

Words of Amos--who hath been among herdsmen of Tekoa--that he hath seen concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking;

Nearby Context

Amos 1:1 Words of Amos--who hath been among herdsmen of Tekoa--that he hath seen concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking;

Amos 1:2 and he saith: Jehovah from Zion doth roar, And from Jerusalem giveth forth His voice, And mourned have pastures of the shepherds, And withered hath the top of Carmel!

Amos 1:3 And thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their threshing Gilead with sharp-pointed irons,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "amos--who", "hath", "been", "herdsmen", "tekoa--that", and "seen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "amos--who", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "and he saith Jehovah from Zion doth...", so "words" and "amos--who" 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--who" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.