1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s 1 city wall; 2
fire 3 will consume her fortresses.
War cries will be heard on the day of battle; 4
a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. 5
5:19 Disaster will be inescapable, 6
as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,
then escaped 7 into a house,
leaned his hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a poisonous snake.
1 sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.
2 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
3 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”
5 tn Heb “with wind in the day of the windstorm.”
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.
6 tn The words “Disaster will be inescapable” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 tn Heb “went” (so KJV, NRSV).