1:2. Amos’ theme is that Israel and the other nations were about to be violently judged for their sins. He pictured the LORD as a lion who had roared and begun His attack (cf. 3:4, 8; Jer. 25:30; Hosea 5:14; 11:10; 13:7). A lion’s terrifying roar paralyzes its victim with fear, making it helpless before the lion’s charge. Then the pounce, the tearing, and death are inevitable.
