Psalms 78:70-72

78:70 He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ¹ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ² 

78:72 David ³  cared for them with pure motives; ⁴ 

he led them with skill. ⁵ 

Amos 1:1

Introduction

1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ⁶  He ⁷  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ⁸  during the time of ⁹  King Uzziah of Judah and ¹⁰  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ¹¹ 

Amos 7:14-15

7:14 Amos replied ¹²  to Amaziah, “I was not a prophet by profession. ¹³  No, ¹⁴  I was a herdsman who also took care of ¹⁵  sycamore fig trees. ¹⁶  7:15 Then the Lord took me from tending ¹⁷  flocks and gave me this commission, ¹⁸  ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel!’

Matthew 4:18-19

The Call of the Disciples

4:18 As ¹⁹  he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). ²⁰  4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” ²¹ 

Luke 2:8

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now ²²  there were shepherds ²³  nearby ²⁴  living out in the field, keeping guard ²⁵  over their flock at night.

¹ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

² tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

³ tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”

⁵ tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Heb “who.” Here a new sentence has been started in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn Heb “which he saw concerning Israel.”

⁹ tn Heb “in the days of.”

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text repeats, “and in the days of.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Heb “replied and said.” The phrase “and said” is pleonastic (redundant) and has not been included in the translation.

¹³ tn Heb “I was not a prophet nor was I the son of a prophet.” The phrase “son of a prophet” refers to one who was trained in a prophetic guild. Since there is no equative verb present in the Hebrew text, another option is to translate with the present tense, “I am not a prophet by profession.” In this case Amos, though now carrying out a prophetic ministry (v. 15), denies any official or professional prophetic status. Modern English versions are divided about whether to understand the past (JB, NIV, NKJV) or present tense (NASB, NEB, NRSV, NJPS) here.

¹⁴ tn Heb “for.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “gashed”; or “pierced.”

¹⁶ sn It is possible that herdsmen agreed to care for sycamore fig trees in exchange for grazing rights. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 116-17. Since these trees do not grow around Tekoa but rather in the lowlands, another option is that Amos owned other property outside his hometown. In this case, this verse demonstrates his relative wealth and is his response to Amaziah; he did not depend on prophecy as a profession (v. 13).

¹⁷ tn Heb “from [following] after.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “and the Lord said to me.”

¹⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

²⁰ tn The two phrases in this verse placed in parentheses are explanatory comments by the author, parenthetical in nature.

²¹ tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

²³ sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

²⁴ tn Grk “in that region.”

²⁵ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”