5987. Amoq
Lexical Summary
Amoq: Deep

Original Word: עָמוֹק
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: `Amowq
Pronunciation: ah-moke
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-moke')
KJV: Amok
NASB: Amok
Word Origin: [from H6009 (עָמַק - deeply)]

1. deep
2. Amok, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Amok

From amaq; deep; Amok, an Israelite -- Amok.

see HEBREW amaq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from amoq
Definition
"deep," an Isr. priest
NASB Translation
Amok (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עָמוֺק proper name, masculine a priest Nehemiah 12:7,20, Αμουκ.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Identity

Amok is identified in the post-exilic records of Nehemiah as one of the ancestral heads of the priesthood who returned from Babylon and helped re-establish temple worship in Jerusalem. His lineage became one of the twenty-four priestly divisions that served in rotation, perpetuating the pattern instituted by David (1 Chronicles 24).

Biblical References

Nehemiah 12:7 – “Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.”
Nehemiah 12:20 – In the listing of the generations during Joiakim’s high priesthood, the house of Amok is represented by Eber.

Historical Context

The listings in Nehemiah 12 preserve the names of priestly families that returned from exile under Zerubbabel and Jeshua (around 538 B.C.) and later served during the governorship of Nehemiah (mid-fifth century B.C.). These rosters functioned as legal documents validating each family’s right to officiate at the rebuilt temple. The mention of Amok underscores both the continuity of the Aaronic line after the exile and the community’s concern for genealogical purity (Ezra 2:61-63).

Priestly Division and Service

Although not explicitly numbered in Nehemiah, Jewish tradition situates the house of Amok among the twenty-four orders that ministered on a weekly rotation (Josephus, Antiquities 7.14.7). Each division offered daily sacrifices, maintained the sacred fires, pronounced blessings (Numbers 6:22-27), and taught the Law (Malachi 2:7). By preserving the name Amok, Scripture affirms that every priestly clan—whether broadly known like Zadok or scarcely mentioned like Amok—held an indispensable role in the covenant worship of Israel.

Spiritual Significance and Ministry Lessons

1. Faithfulness in obscurity: Amok never appears outside genealogical lists, yet his family’s routine obedience sustained temple worship for generations. God records and rewards steadfast service even when history offers little spotlight (Hebrews 6:10).
2. Intergenerational discipleship: From Amok to Eber (Nehemiah 12:20) the priestly office was transmitted intact. The text models deliberate training of successors so that worship does not lapse between generations (Psalm 78:5-7).
3. Corporate accountability: The meticulous priestly rolls prevented unauthorized ministry (compare Numbers 16). Likewise, the New Testament church is charged to guard qualified leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9).

Theological Reflection

The post-exilic priesthood, including the house of Amok, served as a living anticipation of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, whose once-for-all sacrifice fulfills the entire sacrificial system (Hebrews 7:23-28). The continuity from Amok’s line to the first-century priestly divisions (Luke 1:5, “division of Abijah”) testifies to divine providence orchestrating history until the fullness of time.

Practical Applications for the Church

• Recognize unsung ministries that quietly uphold congregational life—intercessors, stewards, caretakers—mirroring Amok’s hidden yet crucial service.
• Maintain doctrinal and moral qualifications for leadership, drawing on the Old Testament pattern of verified lineage and the New Testament mandate for tested character.
• Invest in mentoring younger believers, ensuring that worship and witness outlive the present generation.

Cross-References for Study

Ezra 2:36-39; Ezra 7:1-5; 1 Chronicles 24:1-19; Malachi 2:1-9; Hebrews 5:1-10; Hebrews 9:11-15

Forms and Transliterations
לְעָמ֥וֹק לעמוק עָמ֔וֹק עמוק ‘ā·mō·wq ‘āmōwq aMok lə‘āmōwq lə·‘ā·mō·wq leaMok
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Nehemiah 12:7
HEB: סַלּ֣וּ עָמ֔וֹק חִלְקִיָּ֖ה יְדַֽעְיָ֑ה
NAS: Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.
KJV: Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.
INT: Sallu Amok Hilkiah and Jedaiah

Nehemiah 12:20
HEB: לְסַלַּ֥י קַלָּ֖י לְעָמ֥וֹק עֵֽבֶר׃
NAS: of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
KJV: Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
INT: of Sallai Kallai of Amok Eber

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5987
2 Occurrences


‘ā·mō·wq — 1 Occ.
lə·‘ā·mō·wq — 1 Occ.

5986
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