Amos 1:4

1:4 So I will set Hazael’s house ¹  on fire;

fire ²  will consume Ben Hadad’s ³  fortresses.

Amos 1:7

1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall ⁴  on fire;

fire ⁵  will consume her fortresses.

Amos 1:10

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ⁶ 

fire ⁷  will consume her fortresses.”

Amos 1:12

1:12 So I will set Teman ⁸  on fire;

fire ⁹  will consume Bozrah’s ¹⁰  fortresses.”

Amos 1:14

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ¹¹  city wall; ¹² 

fire ¹³  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ¹⁴ 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ¹⁵ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn “Hazael’s house” (“the house of Hazael”) refers to the dynasty of Hazael.

[1:4]  sn Hazael took the throne of Aram in 843 b.c. and established a royal dynasty. See 2 Kgs 8:7-15 and W. Pitard, Ancient Damascus, 145-60.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:4]  ³ sn Ben-hadad may refer to Hazael’s son and successor (2 Kgs 13:3, 24) or to an earlier king (see 1 Kgs 20), perhaps the ruler whom Hazael assassinated when he assumed power.

[1:7]  ⁴ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ⁶ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ⁸ sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.

[1:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ¹⁰ sn Bozrah was a city located in northern Edom.

[1:14]  ¹¹ sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.

[1:14]  ¹² sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”

[1:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “with wind in the day of the windstorm.”

[1:14]  sn A windstorm is a metaphor for judgment and destruction in the OT (see Isa 29:6; Jer 23:19) and ancient Near Eastern literature.