Amos 1:4-5

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

fire ²  will consume Ben Hadad’s ³  fortresses.

1:5 I will break the bar ⁴  on the gate of Damascus.

I will remove ⁵  the ruler ⁶  from Wicked Valley, ⁷ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. ⁸ 

The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” ⁹ 

The Lord has spoken!

Amos 1:7-8

1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall ¹⁰  on fire;

fire ¹¹  will consume her fortresses.

1:8 I will remove ¹²  the ruler ¹³  from Ashdod, ¹⁴ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. ¹⁵ 

I will strike Ekron ¹⁶  with my hand; ¹⁷ 

the rest of the Philistines will also die.” ¹⁸ 

The sovereign Lord has spoken!

Amos 1:10

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ¹⁹ 

fire ²⁰  will consume her fortresses.”

Amos 1:12

1:12 So I will set Teman ²¹  on fire;

fire ²²  will consume Bozrah’s ²³  fortresses.”

Amos 1:14-15

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ²⁴  city wall; ²⁵ 

fire ²⁶  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ²⁷ 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ²⁸ 

1:15 Ammon’s ²⁹  king will be deported; ³⁰ 

he and his officials ³¹  will be carried off ³²  together.”

The Lord has spoken!

[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.

[1:5]  ⁴ sn The bar on the city gate symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some English versions take the Hebrew term in a collective sense as “inhabitants” (e.g., KJV, NKJV, NASB, NRSV). The context and the parallel in the next clause (“the one who holds the royal scepter”), however, suggest that the royal house is in view. For this term (יוֹשֵׁב, yoshev), see N. K. Gottwald, The Tribes of Yahweh, 512-30.

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “valley of wickedness.” Though many English versions take the Hebrew phrase בִקְעַת־אָוֶן (biq’-at ’aven) as a literal geographical place name (“Valley of Aven,” so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), it appears to be a derogatory epithet for Damascus and the kingdom of Aram.

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Many associate the name “Beth Eden” with Bit Adini, an Aramean state located near the Euphrates River, but it may be a sarcastic epithet meaning “house of pleasure.”

[1:5]  ⁹ sn According to Amos 9:7, the Arameans originally came from Kir. The Lord threatens to reverse their history and send them back there.

[1:7]  ¹⁰ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:8]  ¹² tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “the one who sits.” Some translations take this expression as a collective singular referring to the inhabitants rather than the ruler (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[1:8]  ¹⁴ sn Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ¹⁵ sn Ashkelon was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ¹⁶ sn Ekron was one of the five major Philistine cities (along with Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Gath).

[1:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “I will turn my hand against Ekron.” For other uses of the idiom, “turn the hand against,” see Ps 81:14; Isa 1:25; Jer 6:9; Zech 13:7.

[1:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and the remnant of the Philistines will perish.” The translation above assumes that reference is made to other Philistines beside those living in the cities mentioned. Another option is to translate, “Every last Philistine will die.”

[1:10]  ¹⁹ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ²¹ sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.

[1:12]  ²² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ²³ sn Bozrah was a city located in northern Edom.

[1:14]  ²⁴ sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.

[1:14]  ²⁵ sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.

[1:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”

[1:14]  ²⁸ 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.

[1:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “their”; the referent (Ammon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “will go into exile.”

[1:15]  ³¹ tn Or “princes” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT); TEV “officers”; CEV “leaders.”

[1:15]  ³² tn The words “will be carried off” are supplied in the translation for clarification.