The literary form of the 'oracle against Israel' in Amos 2:6-16

Authors

  • Reinaldo W. Siqueira

Keywords:

Amos, oracles against the nations, oracle against Israel, literary form, covenant lawsuit, Rîb, speech, judge.

Abstract

The form of the "oracle against Israel", that appears at the end of the series of the eight oracles against the nations in Amos 1-2, has been the subject of much debate among Old Testament exegetes and scholars. Why do the first seven oracles of that series follow the same basic form and the form of the "oracle against Israel" diverge so significantly from them? Different answers have been given to this question. The present article suggests that the "covenant lawsuit" or Rîb form, more specifically the form based on a speech of a judge, seems to solve satisfactorily this question. This specific form gives the key to the understanding of the oracles own characteristics and to its function inside the series of oracles that initiate the book of the prophet Amos.

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Published

2005-04-13

How to Cite

SIQUEIRA, R. W. The literary form of the ’oracle against Israel’ in Amos 2:6-16. Kerygma, Engenheiro Coelho, SP, v. 1, n. 1, p. 31–38, 2005. Disponível em: https://unasp.emnuvens.com.br/kerygma/article/view/350. Acesso em: 1 feb. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2005)

Section

Artigos

License

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