Amos 1:4

But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,.... For so doing; into his family, his sons' sons, one of whom perhaps was Rezin, that Tiglathpileser king of Assyria slew, as Aben Ezra observes.

But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-ha'dad. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

I the Lord, avenger of mine oppressed Israel, Jehovah, as . A fire; either literally understood, or figuratively, famine, pestilence, wars foreign or intestine, effects of God’ s great but just displeasure, which destroys all like fire. The house of Hazael; the family, or the material house in which he dwelt, or both; Hazael’ s stately dwelling-place should be consumed by fire, and his whole family be cut off. Devour; eat up, so as to leave nothing remaining of either. The palaces; the royal palaces, or those that descended from Hazael, and dwelt in them. Ben-hadad: whether this were some one of the Syrian kings before Hazael, or the Ben-hadad slain by Hazael, or son and successor to Hazael, is uncertain; nor can we know particularly who this was by this name Ben-hadad, which to the Syrian kings was a common name, as Pharaoh to the ancient Egyptian kings, Caesar to the Roman emperors, and Czar to the Muscovite at this day: three Ben-hadads are mentioned in the books of the Kings, as 13:3.

Amos 1:4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.Ver. 4. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael] Sin doth as naturally draw judgments to it as the lodestone doth iron or turpentine fire; and heinous sins, heaviest judgments, devouring plagues. Such as are the fire of war, Psalms 78:62; pestilence, Leviticus 26:25; foreign enemies, Numbers 21:28 Jeremiah 48:45; homebred conspiracies, Judges 9:15; Judges 9:20; besides the fire of hell, whereof all miseries here are but typical. Let men kiss the Son therefore, lest God’ s anger be kindled; and get the spirit of judgment, and of burning, that they may dwell with everlasting burnings. For even "our God is a consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29.

(4) I will send a fire . . .—Compare Jeremiah 49:27, where this language is repeated at a time when punishment had fallen for a while on Damascus, and she had become, as Isaiah predicted, “a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1).

Verse 4. Ben-hadad.] He was son and successor of Hazael. See the cruelties which they exercised upon the Israelites, 2Kg 10:32; 2Kg 13:7, c., and see especially 2Kg 8:12, where these cruelties are predicted. The fire threatened here is the war so successfully carried on against the Syrians by Jeroboam II., in which he took Damascus and Hamath, and reconquered all the ancient possessions of Israel. See 2Kg 14:25-26; 2Kg 14:28.

Amos 1:3 to Amos 2:5. The sins of Israel’s neighbours 3–5. Damascus. The first denunciation lights upon the Syrian kingdom of Damascus, the best-organized and most formidable of Israel’s neighbours, with whom, shortly before, during the 80 years of the ‘Syrian wars’ (c. 880–800 b.c.), the dynasties of Omri and Jehu had had many a severe struggle. The specific sin with which the Syrians are taxed is the cruelty practised by them in their wars with the trans-Jordanic Israelites. Damascus is situated in the midst of a broad and fertile plain, which stretches from the foot of Hermon far off towards Palmyra: it lies picturesquely embosomed in the deep green of encircling orchards and cornfields, fertilized by the cool waters of the Barada (the Pharpar of 2 Kings 5:12), which descend in a copious volume from Hermon, and flow straight along the North of the city, till they lose themselves in an inland lake about 15 miles to the West. It owed its importance to the natural advantages of its site. Its soil was fertilized by the Barada; the surrounding orchards formed a defence difficult for an invader to penetrate: it lay on the best route from the interior of Asia to Palestine and the Mediterranean Sea. The Syrians of Damascus are first mentioned as an important military power in the time of David (2 Samuel 8:5-6), who made them tributary, and planted Israelite officers in their territory. Under Solomon, Rĕ ?zôn, who had been a subject of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, established himself in Damascus, and used his position for the purpose of harassing Israel (1 Kings 11:23-25). Ben-hadad I., king of Damascus, was in alliance first with Baasha, king of Israel, then with Asa, king of Judah (1 Kings 15:18-20): his successes against Israel, under Omri (b.c. 887–877), are alluded to in 1 Kings 20:34. The more varied fortunes of his son Ben-hadad II., in his conflicts with Ahab (876–854), and Jehoram (853–842) are recounted in 1 Kings 20, 22; 2 Kings 5:1-2; 2 Kings 6:8 to 2 Kings 7:20. Benhadad II. was assassinated by his general Hazael, who after he had established himself upon the throne, gained numerous victories over Israel, during the reigns of Jehu (842–815), and Jehoahaz (815–802), ravaged the whole Israelite territory East of Jordan, besieged and took Gath, and was only induced to abstain from attacking Jerusalem by the payment of a heavy ransom (2 Kings 8:7-15; 2 Kings 8:28-29; 2 Kings 10:32-33; 2 Kings 12:17-18; 2 Kings 13:3; 2 Kings 13:22; 2 Kings 13:25). At this time, Israel was reduced to the lowest extremities (2 Kings 13:4; 2 Kings 13:7; cf. 2 Kings 14:26-27), and continued in the same condition to the end of Hazael’s reign, as well as through the early years of his son and successor Ben-hadad III. (2 Kings 13:3). In the course of Ben-hadad III.’s reign, Jehoash (802–790) recovered from Syria the cities which his father had lost (2 Kings 13:14-19; 2 Kings 13:25; cf. 2 Kings 13:5; cf. 2 Kings 13:23); and Jeroboam II.

And I will send a fire on the house of Hazael - The fire is probably at once material fire, whereby cities are burned in war, since he adds, “it shall devour the palaces of Benhadad,” and also stands

3-5. The sin and punishment of Damascus. Thus saith Jehovah — A solemn formula repeated before each denunciation (Amos 1:6; Amos 1:9; Amos 1:11; Amos 1:13; Amos 2:1; Amos 2:4; Amos 2:6).