And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB and Yahweh took me from following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
- BSB But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
- NKJV Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
- NASB But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
- NLT But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Amos explains that Yahweh took him from his flock and commanded him to prophesy to Israel. His ministry rests entirely on God's sovereign call.
Overview
It was God's direct commission, not human appointment, that made Amos a prophet, so he cannot simply stop at a priest's order. The call came while he was at ordinary work, showing God's initiative in raising up his messengers. This pattern of divine calling reaches its fullness in Christ, who sends his servants to proclaim his word to the nations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 2 Sam 7:8Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
- Ezek 2:3–4And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
- Matt 9:9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
- Ps 78:70–72He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
- Matt 4:18–19And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
- Jer 1:7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
- Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- Acts 5:20Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
- Luke 24:46–48And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
- Acts 4:20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
- Acts 5:29–32Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid judgment on injustice, Amos promises the raising up of David's fallen tent — read by James in Acts 15 as the ingathering of the nations into the kingdom of the risen Christ.
How Amos 7:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.