Digital Logos Edition
In this commentary on the book of Amos, Daniel Carroll combines a detailed reading of the Hebrew text with attention to its historical background and current relevance. What makes this volume unique is its special attention to Amos’s literary features and what they reveal about the book’s theology and composition. Instead of reconstructing a hypothetical redactional history, this commentary offers a close reading of the canonical form against the backdrop of the eighth century BCE.
“The afflicted (ʿănāwîm) is the third term used for the poor, suggesting that various groups or levels of the poor are being taken advantage of.” (Page 186)
“Those who are being exploited are peasants and small landowners who had apparently fallen into tragic levels of indebtedness.” (Page 184)
“Third, it is plausible to envision the creation of prophetic literature in Iron Age II” (Page 30)
“This earthquake has been a benchmark for the scholarly consensus concerning the dating of the prophet’s activity.24 In addition, the imagery of 8:9 might have been inspired by an eclipse that, according to the Assyrian Eponym Chronicles, can be dated to June 15, 763.25 These phenomena substantiate that Amos prophesied around approximately 760.” (Page 7)
“First, there is evidence of differences in the lifestyle of certain elites from that of the general population.” (Page 16)
Carroll responsibly interprets Amos’s witness to his original hearers and readers with sensitivity to the social and rhetorical dynamics evident in the text. These same dynamics ensure that the original message will continue to speak as a living word for church and society today. The culmination of decades of deep reflection on this book, this commentary is the new standard for interpreting the book of Amos.
— Mark J. Boda, McMaster Divinity College
Daniel Carroll has been carefully studying the book of Amos his entire academic career. In this thoroughly researched commentary, we find the manifold fruits of his labor. This insightful study will rightfully take a place among the top tier commentaries on Amos’s prophecy.
— Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Dallas Theological Seminary
No one knows more about Amos than Daniel Carroll, and his commentary is a landmark in the study of this fundamentally important prophet. Textually, exegetically, historically, and theologically, it is thorough, nuanced, and finely judged. Carroll takes on all the hard questions and unfailingly satisfies the inquiring reader. This book is bound to become immediately indispensable for all serious students of Amos, the Prophets, and Old Testament theology.
— J. Gordon McConville, University of Gloucestershire
Through a combination of close attention to the its literary form and sensitivity to its message, Daniel Carroll has produced a landmark commentary on the book of Amos. This will be an essential point of reference for years to come.
— David Firth, Trinity College, Bristol
2 ratings
Forrest Cole
11/9/2021
Reuven Milles
3/14/2021