The passage in the Book of Amos 3:3–8 is often understood as Amos’ apology for his own prophetic mission, arguing that Amos (like any other of God’s prophets) had no choice but to proclaim God’s message when the Lord talked to him. After a detailed analysis of the passage, its structure, words and especially its internal logic and also taking in consideration the context of the entire third chapter, the author proposes a somewhat different interpretation. The text from Amos characterizes the nature of God’s word of judgement present in the third chapter and in the Book of Amos as a whole. It explains the Lord’s decision to punish expressed in 3:1–2 and described in the remainder of the chapter. God always issues a warning before doing something and the words of Amos here are such a warning.
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