² tn Heb “Because of three violations of Damascus, even because of four.”

¹ tn Or “royal greatness and majestic honor,” if the four terms are understood as a double hendiadys.

² sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the 500 mile journey.

² tn “sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.”

² tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹ tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28).

¹ tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Cf. Lev 11:20-23.

¹ tn Heb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).

¹ sn The four drachma coin was a stater (στατήρ, statēr), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).

² sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

² sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

² sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

² sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

³ sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

² sn An animal’s horn is a common OT metaphor for military power (Pss 18:2; 75:10; Jer 48:25; Mic 4:13). The fact that there are four horns here (as well as four blacksmiths, v. 20) shows a correspondence to the four horses of v. 8 which go to four parts of the world, i.e., the whole world.

¹ tn Or “earth.” Elsewhere the expression “four corners of the earth” figuratively refers to the whole earth (Isa 11:12).

¹ tn Or “a deep gold dish.” The four nouns in this list are items associated with the table and its use.

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “Because of three violations of the Ammonites, even because of four.” On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

¹ tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara etē), the Syriac Peshitta (ʾarbaʿ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”