Amos

Mentor Commentary

by Gary V. Smith

The book of Amos is full of wordplays, double entendres, pictorial visions, and direct statements of fact and judgement. Smith's job is to address the historical, stylistice and interpretative aspects of Amos: not just what is written, but also how and why the prophecies are recorded. Each chapter ends with him drawing together the interpretative threads arising from the passage.

Genres: Theology, Reference, Biblical Studies

416 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1989

About the author

Gary V. Smith is professor of Christian Studies at Union University in
Jackson, Tennessee. Prior to Union, Dr. Smith taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City Missouri from
1998-2004. For two years he served as the Interim Academic Dean at the
Seminary.

Prior to coming to Midwestern, Dr. Smith taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Bethel Theological Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota from 1983-1998. Prior to coming to Bethel Dr. Smith taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Winnipeg Theological Seminary from 1973-1983. For two years he was the Interim Dean of the Seminary.

Dr. Smith did undergraduate work at Wheaton College and received his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 1965, the Master of Arts from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1968, and his Doctor of Philosophy from Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Languages in Philadelphia in 1973. He has completed academic research in Jerusalem, Israel and in Cambridge,
England.

Dr. Smith’s areas of expertise include the Old Testament Prophets, especial Amos and Isaiah,
plus the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological
Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature.

Dr. Smith and his wife Susan live in Jackson, Tennessee. They have two children and five
grandchildren.

Reviews

[Jonah Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book commentary is a fire hose of wonderful textual insights from Amos. Smith does an outstanding job of giving the reader a glimpse of Israel’s historical, political, social, and religious life throughout the book.
It truly would be better suited for a careful study over the course of a year or so.

[Ryan Linkous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Smith pays close attention to the text and offers good theological and ethical insights.

He spends sometime addressing higher critics-the average reader does not need to spend time on these arguments. Someone must address them, but it isn’t that helpful for regular exposition as teaching.

[Loraena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful commentary.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic resource. Smith works hard to help you see and understand the many, many literary devices Amos uses. Helped me appreciate the intricate beauty and sophistication of Amos as a book. Some attention to the way Amos used other parts of the OT. Again (a common weakness in OT commentaries), little work in treating this as having canonical unity with NT as well as Old.

Used in preparing to preach Amos in 2023.