Amos is identified as one of the shepherds. This does not mean that he was necessarily very poor. The Hebrew term translated as shepherd
occurs only one other time in the Old Testament where it refers to Mesha king of Moab. This king was someone who bred sheep (2 Kings 3:4). The large amount of tribute that he could give (in the context of 2 Kings 3:1–27) as well as his status as king of Moab indicate that he was a largescale livestock breeder and not a poor or common shepherd. The fact that the same Hebrew word is used to describe Amos suggests that he was probably quite affluent himself and that Amos supervised and controlled numerous flocks rather than serving as a shepherd himself.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.