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 1:10

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ⁴ 

fire ⁵  will consume her fortresses.”

Amos 1:12

1:12 So I will set Teman ⁶  on fire;

fire ⁷  will consume Bozrah’s ⁸  fortresses.”

Amos 1:14

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ⁹  city wall; ¹⁰ 

fire ¹¹  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ¹² 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ¹³ 

Amos 2:5

2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,

and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” ¹⁴ 

[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.

[1:10]  ⁴ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ⁶ sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.

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

[1:14]  ⁹ sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.

[1:14]  ¹⁰ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ¹² tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”

[1:14]  ¹³ 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.

[2:5]  ¹⁴ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.