Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Amos 7:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse records Amos denying prophetic-professional identity and naming work as herdman and sycamore-fruit gatherer.
Read It With
- Amos 7:10-17
Read Amos 7:14 with 7:10-17. This verse records Amos denying prophetic-professional identity and naming work as herdman and sycamore-fruit gatherer. The complete unit establishes this movement: Royal priest Amaziah treats unwelcome prophecy as conspiracy and jurisdictional trespass; Amos denies professional sponsorship, grounds his speech in the LORD's call, and turns the silencing order into a severe household and national judgment.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The only extended narrative dramatizes how royal religion hears accountable warning as a threat to institutional stability. Within that movement, this verse records Amos denying prophetic-professional identity and naming work as herdman and sycamore-fruit gatherer.
Read Amos 7:10–17 together
Why these verses belong together: The Bethel narrative preserves accusation, expulsion order, Amos's call account, and the response to attempted silencing.
Verse 10. 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
Verse 11. 11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
Verse 12. 12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
Verse 13. 13 But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
Verse 14. 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
Verse 15. 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
Verse 16. 16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
Verse 17. 17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Follow the Context
- Amaziah reports a conspiracy and claims the land cannot bear Amos's words.
- His report paraphrases the prophecy about Jeroboam and exile.
- He orders Amos to flee, earn bread, and prophesy in Judah because Bethel belongs to king and kingdom.
- Amos describes his herd and tree work and the LORD's direct call.
- Amaziah's silencing command receives household, land, purity, and exile judgments.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not prove that paid, educated, ordained, or institutional ministers are false, or that outsiders are automatically right.
What Remains True
A call can arise outside professional structures without making lack of training a virtue in itself.
How It Can Shape Life
- Evaluate speech by truth and accountability, not prestige or outsider romanticism.
Teach It Back
Explain Amos 7:14's contribution to Amos 7:10-17: records Amos denying prophetic-professional identity and naming work as herdman and sycamore-fruit gatherer. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Amos 7:10-17 — Amaziah Tries to Expel Amos from the Royal SanctuarySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Amos may deny past guild membership, present profession, or both; his occupations and economic status are debated.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Amos 7:10-17, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Amos
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Amos.xml, 7:10-17
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Amos with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Amos PDF, printed pp. 1718-1719, translation and notes on 7:10-17
Open source ↗