The Hymns of Amos and the Cosmic Temple: Salvation as Creation, Decreation, and Recreation

Abstract

Salvation in Amos is typically viewed through the lens of a Deuteronomistic covenant. This article argues for adopting a broader paradigm, contending that Amos’s vision is fundamentally oriented toward the restoration of Yahweh’s cosmic temple. Analysing Amos’s hymnic passages (4:13; 5:8–9; 9:5–6) through the lens of cosmic temple imagination reveals that the prophet’s message follows a pattern of creation–decreation–recreation. The hymns establish Yahweh’s sovereignty as Creator, framing Israel’s sin as a cosmic rebellion that provokes decreation. Salvation thus emerges not as a nationalistic restoration but as the eschatological recreation of the divine dwelling place, affirming Yahweh’s triumph as the Cosmic King.