עמוס, פרק ז׳, פסוק ט״ו

Amos responds to the harsh demand of Amaziah the priest, who had ordered him to flee to Judah and earn his living by prophesying there. In his reply, Amos clarifies the true nature of his mission. The primary approach among commentators is that he never intended, aspired, or prepared to become a prophet. Instead, he was taken directly from his daily agricultural work as a shepherd [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Going even further, Amos emphasizes that he was chosen for this role entirely against his will. God placed His spirit upon him, compelling him to abandon his trade and deliver the prophetic message [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. This total lack of previous prophetic background serves as a decisive answer to Amaziah’s accusations. False prophets might deliver messages in exchange for food and money, but Amos is an established professional. He earns an independent living through agriculture, working as a herdsman and tending to sycamore trees, meaning he has absolutely no financial need to prophesy [אבן עזרא].

This reality shapes his absolute commitment to his mission. Because he did not embrace this calling out of personal desire or economic necessity, he cannot simply abandon God's command to obey a human being who forbids him from speaking against the king and the kingdom [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Furthermore, the divine instruction explicitly directed him to address the kingdom of Israel, meaning the Ten Tribes. Consequently, he has no choice but to reject the priest's demand to leave the area and relocate his prophetic work to the territory of Judah [מלבי״ם].