דִּבְרֵ֣י עָמֹ֔וס אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֥ה בַנֹּקְדִ֖ים מִתְּקֹ֑ועַ אֲשֶׁר֩ חָזָ֨ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בִּימֵ֣י עֻזִּיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה וּבִימֵ֞י יָרָבְעָ֤ם בֶּן־יֹואָשׁ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שְׁנָתַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י הָרָֽעַשׁ׃
The words of ʿAmos, who was among the herdsmen from Teqoʿa, which he saw concerning Yisraʾel in the days of ʿUziyya, king of Yehuda, and in the days of Yarovʿam son of Yoʾash, king of Yisraʾel, two years before the earthquake.
Morphology
- דִּבְרֵ֣י (divrei) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “The words of”; Notes: Introduces the prophetic collection or utterances belonging to ʿAmos.
- עָמֹ֔וס (ʿAmos) – Root: עמס (ʿamas); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “ʿAmos”; Notes: The prophet from Teqoʿa whose name may mean “burden-bearer.”
- אֲשֶׁר־ (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause identifying ʿAmos’s occupation.
- הָיָ֥ה (hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was”; Notes: Describes Amos’s status or identity prior to his prophetic call.
- בַנֹּקְדִ֖ים (ba-noqedim) – Root: נקד (naqad); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “among the herdsmen”; Notes: Refers to breeders or shepherds of sheep or goats, indicating Amos’s rural background.
- מִתְּקֹ֑ועַ (mi-Teqoʿa) – Root: תקע (taqaʿ); Form: Preposition מִן + proper noun; Translation: “from Teqoʿa”; Notes: Identifies Amos’s hometown, a village in the hill country of Yehudah.
- אֲשֶׁר֩ (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects the vision with its recipient.
- חָזָ֨ה (ḥazah) – Root: חזה (ḥazah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he saw”; Notes: Prophetic seeing—visions or revelations received by Amos.
- עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל (ʿal-Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Preposition עַל + proper noun; Translation: “concerning Yisraʾel”; Notes: The prophetic message is directed against or about the northern kingdom.
- בִּימֵ֣י (bi-yemei) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Preposition בְּ + construct plural of noun masculine; Translation: “in the days of”; Notes: Marks the time frame of the prophecy.
- עֻזִּיָּ֣ה (ʿUziyyah) – Root: עוז (ʿuz); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “ʿUziyyah”; Notes: King of Yehudah during the 8th century BCE.
- מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה (melekh-Yehudah) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Construct noun masculine singular + proper noun; Translation: “king of Yehudah”; Notes: Denotes ʿUziyyah’s reign over the southern kingdom.
- וּבִימֵ֞י (u-vi-yemei) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Conjunction + preposition בְּ + construct plural of noun masculine; Translation: “and in the days of”; Notes: Introduces a parallel time frame.
- יָרָבְעָ֤ם (Yarovʿam) – Root: ירבעם (Yarovʿam); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yarovʿam”; Notes: Refers to Yarovʿam II, king of the northern kingdom of Yisraʾel.
- בֶּן־יֹואָשׁ֙ (ben-Yoʾash) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Noun masculine singular in construct + proper noun; Translation: “son of Yoʾash”; Notes: Identifies Yarovʿam’s lineage.
- מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (melekh-Yisraʾel) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Construct noun masculine singular + proper noun; Translation: “king of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Specifies the ruler of the northern kingdom.
- שְׁנָתַ֖יִם (shenatayim) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Dual noun feminine; Translation: “two years”; Notes: Indicates a specific duration before a major event.
- לִפְנֵ֥י (lifnei) – Root: פנה (panah); Form: Preposition; Translation: “before”; Notes: Temporal marker linking to the coming event.
- הָרָֽעַשׁ׃ (ha-raʿash) – Root: רעשׁ (raʿash); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the earthquake”; Notes: Refers to a significant historical or eschatological earthquake remembered in prophetic tradition.