AUTHOR: Amos was a native of Tekoa, city of Judah, southern kingdom, located about 10 km south of Bethlehem and 20 km southeast of Jerusalem. He was a herdsman, shepherd and sycamore grower [Am 7: 14-15]. He was a contemporary of Hosea, and although he was a native of Judah, God sent him to prophesy at Bethel, the religious center of the northern kingdom.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME: Amos means "he who helps to carry the burden", a name that in Hebrew means "to carry" and which seems to be an abbreviated form of the expression "Amosiá", which means "God took".

THEME: The book of Amos deals with a call to justice, a punishment that will fall on the aristocracy due to the social injustices practiced against the poor and weak. Amos, as Joel had done 60 years before, emphasized the coming day of the Lord, but unlike Joel, he presented it as "a day of darkness, not of light" [Amos 5:18]. Due to the privileges that God had granted them and for not valuing them, the punishment for Israel would be greater than for those who did not enjoy the same benefits [ Am 3:2 ], that is, the punishment is proportional to the privilege. Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah [2Ch 26] and Jeroboam II, king of Israel [2Ch 14:23-29], approximately 60 to 80 years before the Assyrian captivity.

COMPILATION: Approximately 760 BC. It consists of 9 chapters and 146 verses.