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
5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!
Otherwise he will break out 6 like fire against Joseph’s 7 family; 8
the fire 9 will consume
and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. 10
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 Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.
7 sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.
8 tn Heb “house.”
9 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”