Amoz

Amoz

Minor Spiritwell-documentedHebrew BibleRabbinic/Jewish interpretive traditionJudahJerusalemAncient Israel (biblical context)
Origin

Amoz appears in the Hebrew Bible only as a patronymic identifier for Isaiah (e.g., 'Isaiah the son of Amoz' in Isaiah 1:1; 2:1; 13:1 and in references in 2 Kings). The name is Hebrew in origin (אָמוֹץ) and lexically signifies 'strong.' Later rabbinic traditions infer additional biographical details from the occurrence of the father's name: some Talmudic interpreters treat the naming of a prophet's father as evidence that the father himself was a prophet; other rabbinic statements identify Amoz as brother to King Amaziah and, in one tradition (Seder Olam Rabbah 20), equate him with the unnamed 'man of God' who counseled Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25:7–9. These are interpretive extensions rather than narrative accounts in the canonical text.

Appearance

No physical description of Amoz is provided in the biblical texts or the cited rabbinic summaries. He is attested only by name as the father of Isaiah; later traditions attribute roles but do not record physical features.

Abilities

The canonical scriptures record no acts or speech by Amoz. Rabbinic interpretive practice sometimes ascribes prophetic status to fathers named in prophetic patronymics; under that interpretive rule Amoz is therefore treated in those sources as a prophet (i.e., someone who could receive and communicate divine revelation). Additional rabbinic traditions place him in royal kinship with Amaziah and identify him with the 'man of God' who admonished the king, implying active religious counsel in those later readings. These attributions are interpretive rather than documented deeds in the biblical narrative.

Community Record

Sources
  1. [1]
    Amoz - Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 'Amoz' articlewiki
  2. [2]
    Amoz - Biblical Cyclopedia. Biblical Cyclopedia entry 'Amoz'other
  3. [3]
    Isaiah 2:1 (Archival excerpts). Archive.org: Isaiah 2:1-5 excerpt (contains formula 'Isaiah the son of Amoz')literary
  4. [4]
    Isaiah 2:1 (Archival excerpts). Archive.org: Isaiah 2:1-5 excerpt (contains formula 'Isaiah the son of Amoz')literary
  5. [5]
    Isaiah 2:1 (Archival excerpts). Archive.org: Isaiah 2:1-5 excerpt (contains formula 'Isaiah the son of Amoz')literary
  6. [6]
    Amoz (Wikidata). Wikidata entry for Amozother
  7. [7]
    Higher Criticism and Isaiah - Willis. Discussion of dating and authorship of Isaiah and the historical context of 'Isaiah ben Amoz'other
well-documented