Aug 2, 2021
Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah. His hometown, Tekoa, was about five miles from Bethlehem. He was a sheep herder and a “dresser of sycamore figs (7:14). These trees are also called "fig-mulberry." The fruit is like a fig. Each fruit had to be pierced individually in order to ripen properly. This was a very important crop to the Near Eastern people. King David even appointed a special supervisor to oversee these crops (cf. I Chr. 27:28). Amos' agricultural knowledge is evident in his message.