2 Chronicles 11:6

11:6 Bethlehem, ¹  Etam, Tekoa,

2 Chronicles 20:20

20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah ²  and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! ³  Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.”

Nehemiah 3:5

3:5 The men of Tekoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town leaders ⁴  would not assist ⁵  with the work of their master. ⁶ 

Nehemiah 3:27

3:27 After them the men of Tekoa worked on another section, from opposite the great protruding tower to the wall of Ophel.

Jeremiah 6:1

The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted

6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin!

Get out of Jerusalem! ⁷ 

Sound the trumpet ⁸  in Tekoa!

Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem!

For disaster lurks ⁹  out of the north;

it will bring great destruction. ¹⁰ 

Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹¹  He ¹²  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ¹³  during the time of ¹⁴  King Uzziah of Judah and ¹⁵  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ¹⁶ 

¹ map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

² tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.

³ tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).

⁴ tn Heb “their nobles.”

⁵ tn Heb “bring their neck.”

⁶ tn The plural form אֲדֹנֵיהֶם (’adonehem, “lords”) is probably a plural of majesty referring to Nehemiah (e.g., Isa 19:4; see GKC 399 §124.i). However, some English versions take the plural to refer to the “supervisors” (NIV, NCV, TEV) and others to “their Lord” (KJV, NRSV).

⁷ tn Heb “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem.”

⁸ tn Heb “ram’s horn,” but the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.

⁹ tn Heb “leans down” or “looks down.” This verb personifies destruction leaning/looking down from its window in the sky, ready to attack.

¹⁰ tn Heb “[It will be] a severe fracture.” The nation is pictured as a limb being fractured.

¹¹ tn Heb “The words of Amos.” Among the prophetic books this opening phrase finds a parallel only at Jer 1:1 but is not that uncommon in other genres (note, e.g., Prov 30:1; 31:1; Eccl 1:1; Neh 1:1).

¹² tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹³ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “in the days of.”

¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁶ sn This refers to a well-known earthquake that occurred during the first half of the 8th century b.c. According to a generally accepted dating system, Uzziah was a co-regent with his father Amaziah from 792-767 b.c. and ruled independently from 767-740 b.c. Jeroboam II was a co-regent with his father Joash from 793-782 b.c. and ruled independently from 782-753 b.c. Since only Uzziah and Jeroboam are mentioned in the introduction it is likely that Amos’ mission to Israel and the earthquake which followed occurred between 767-753 b.c. The introduction validates the genuine character of Amos’ prophetic ministry in at least two ways: (1) Amos was not a native Israelite or a prophet by trade. Rather he was a herdsman in Tekoa, located in Judah. His mere presence in the northern kingdom as a prophet was evidence that he had been called by God (see 7:14-15). (2) The mighty earthquake shortly after Amos’ ministry would have been interpreted as an omen or signal of approaching judgment. The clearest references to an earthquake are 1:1 and 9:1, 5. It is possible that the verb הָפַךְ (hafakh, “overturn”) at 3:13-15, 4:11, 6:11, and 8:8 also refers to an earthquake, as might the descriptions at 2:13 and 6:9-10. Evidence of a powerful earthquake has been correlated with a destruction layer at Hazor and other sites. Its lasting impact is evident by its mention in Zech 14:5 and 2 Chr 26:16-21. Earthquake imagery appears in later prophets as well (cf. D. N. Freedman and A. Welch, “Amos’s Earthquake and Israelite Prophecy,” Scripture and Other Artifacts, 188-98). On the other hand, some of these verses in Amos could allude to the devastation that would be caused by the imminent military invasion.