Topical Bible: Vision of Amos of Summer Fruit

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The Vision of Amos of Summer Fruit is a significant prophetic revelation found in the Book of Amos, specifically in Amos 8:1-3. This vision is part of a series of divine messages delivered by the prophet Amos, who was called by God to prophesy to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity and moral decay.

Context and Background

Amos, a shepherd and fig tree farmer from Tekoa, was called by God to deliver a message of impending judgment to Israel. His ministry occurred during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel, a period marked by economic prosperity but also by social injustice, idolatry, and spiritual complacency. The vision of the summer fruit is the fourth in a series of five visions that Amos receives, each illustrating the imminent judgment of God upon Israel.

The Vision Explained

In Amos 8:1-2, the prophet describes the vision: "This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit. 'What do you see, Amos?' He asked. 'A basket of summer fruit,' I replied. So the LORD said to me, 'The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.'"

The imagery of the summer fruit is rich in symbolism. In Hebrew, the word for "summer fruit" (קַיִץ, qayits) sounds similar to the word for "end" (קֵץ, qets). This play on words underscores the message that Israel's time of grace is over, and the end is near. The summer fruit, ripe and ready to spoil, symbolizes the nation of Israel, which has reached the fullness of its iniquity and is ripe for judgment.

Implications of the Vision

The vision conveys the certainty and imminence of God's judgment. In Amos 8:3, the consequences of this judgment are further elaborated: "In that day, declares the Lord GOD, the songs of the temple will turn to wailing. Many will be the corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!" This stark imagery highlights the severity of the coming disaster, where joyous celebrations will be replaced by mourning and death.

The vision serves as a divine indictment against Israel's social and religious corruption. Despite their outward prosperity, the people of Israel have neglected justice and righteousness, exploiting the poor and engaging in idolatrous practices. The vision of the summer fruit is a call to repentance, urging the nation to return to God before it is too late.

Theological Significance

The Vision of Amos of Summer Fruit emphasizes God's justice and the inevitability of divine retribution for sin. It serves as a reminder that God is not indifferent to the moral and spiritual state of His people. The vision also reflects the prophetic theme of accountability, where privilege and blessing come with the responsibility to uphold God's standards of justice and righteousness.

Furthermore, the vision underscores the prophetic role of Amos as a voice of warning and a call to repentance. It illustrates the tension between God's patience and His holiness, where continued rebellion ultimately leads to judgment. The vision of the summer fruit is a poignant reminder of the need for genuine repentance and the pursuit of righteousness in the life of God's people.

Nave's Topical Index

Amos 8:1,2
Thus has the Lord GOD showed to me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Amos
... vii.7-9, the vision of the summer fruit, which, by ... end, viii.1-3, and the vision
of the ... supercilious courtier-priest of Bethel, and Amos's fearless reiteration ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/amos.htm

Ripe for Gathering
... The stream of Amos's prophecy flows on, uninterrupted by the ... The point of the vision
is rather obscured by the rendering 'summer fruit.' 'Ripe fruit ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/ripe for gathering.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... of a seething pot with the face towards the north (Jer.1:13); Ezekiel's vision of
the cherubim (chap.1); and Amos' vision of a basket of summer fruit (chap.8:2 ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

Of the Three Woe Trumpets.
... to be done four times, at least, in this vision; as when ... Schaked, an almond; Schoked,
I watch; Amos, c. viii ... v.2. Kajits, a basket of summer fruits, because it ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/of the three woe trumpets.htm

Treatise v. An Address to Demetrianus.
... such an abundance of showers for nourishing the seeds; in the summer the sun ... fire
shall not be quenched; and they shall be for a vision to all ... [3414] Amos 4:7. ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise v an address to.htm

Heralds of the Morning
... And Habakkuk, rapt in holy vision, beheld His appearing ... forth, ye see and know of
your own selves that summer is now ... in it." Hosea 8:2, 1; Psalm 16;4; Amos 5:20 ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 17 heralds of the.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... wind and blazing sun of a summer which made ... Peter (15) there is a Dantesque vision
of the ... conciliatory, full of mercy and wholesome fruit, unambiguous, straight ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (then) I will punish the fruit of the ...
Thus the prophet Amos says, in the name of Jehovah, "You only have I known ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... secret of earthly life, than to any vision of the ... The early prophets"such as Micah,
Hosea, Amos"speak with ... first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month ... The Vision
of the Holy City in General ... 7; 32:44; Ezekiel 36:33-37; 37:11-15; Amos 9:11 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm