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Amos

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An 8th-century BCE Hebrew prophet whose oracles condemned social corruption and injustice in the northern kingdom of Israel, recorded in the Book of Amos.

Detailed Definition
A shepherd from Tekoa, Amos denounced elite oppression and ritual hypocrisy, emphasizing ethical righteousness over sacrifice. His visions of judgment shocked a complacent nation. In poetry, Amos embodies the prophetic voice for justice, the tension between divine mercy and wrath, and the moral demands of covenant loyalty.
Example
Example in poetry:
In William Blake’s "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," Amos’s visions of judgment challenge institutional religion; In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s "The Seraphim," Amos’s call to justice echoes in angelic cries; In George Herbert’s "The Church Militant," Amos’s plumb line symbolizes divine standards; In John Keble’s "The Christian Year," Amos’s warnings against luxury resonate in Advent reflections; In Christina Rossetti’s "Later Life," Amos’s voice calls for social righteousness; In T.S. Eliot’s "The Waste Land," Amos’s “let justice roll down” contrasts with modern barrenness.
Additional Notes
Amos: Shepherd-prophet from Tekoa who condemned social injustice in Israel (Book of Amos). His rustic origins contrast with his bold, poetic oracles (“Let justice roll down like waters”). In poetry, Amos embodies prophetic courage, the voice of the marginalized, and the fusion of pastoral imagery with divine wrath. His visions (locusts, plumb line) are richly symbolic—ideal for apocalyptic or socially conscious verse.
Also Known As
Amos the Shepherd Amos of Tekoa Amos the Prophet
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