1:4 So I will set Hazael’s house 1 on fire;
fire 2 will consume Ben Hadad’s 3 fortresses.
1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall 4 on fire;
fire 5 will consume her fortresses.
1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; 6
fire 7 will consume her fortresses.”
1:12 So I will set Teman 8 on fire;
fire 9 will consume Bozrah’s 10 fortresses.”
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 tn “Hazael’s house” (“the house of Hazael”) refers to the dynasty of Hazael.
sn Hazael took the throne of Aram in 843
2 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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.
4 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
5 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
7 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn Teman was an important region (or perhaps city) in Edom.
9 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 sn Bozrah was a city located in northern Edom.
11 sn Rabbah was the Ammonite capital.
12 sn The city wall symbolizes the city’s defenses and security.
13 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “with a war cry in the day of battle.”
15 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.