Amos 1:4

וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּבֵ֣ית חֲזָאֵ֑ל וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנֹ֥ות בֶּן־הֲדָֽד׃

And I will send fire into the house of Ḥazaʾel, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.

 

Morphology

  1. וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי (ve-shillaḥti) – Root: שלח (shalaḥ); Form: Conjunction + Piel perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “And I will send”; Notes: Expresses divine agency—YHWH Himself sends the consuming fire as judgment.
  2. אֵ֖שׁ (ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ (ʾesh); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Symbol of divine wrath and destruction; often a metaphor for war or invasion.
  3. בְּבֵ֣ית (be-beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Preposition בְּ + construct noun masculine singular; Translation: “into the house of”; Notes: Indicates the target of judgment—here, the royal dynasty or household.
  4. חֲזָאֵ֑ל (Ḥazaʾel) – Root: חזאל (Ḥazaʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ḥazaʾel”; Notes: King of Aram-Dammesek, known from biblical and Assyrian records; symbolizes Aram’s ruling power.
  5. וְאָכְלָ֖ה (ve-ʾokhlah) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Conjunction + Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it shall devour”; Notes: Fire personified as an agent of destruction consuming the palaces.
  6. אַרְמְנֹ֥ות (armnot) – Root: ארמון (armon); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “palaces”; Notes: Refers to royal or fortified residences—symbols of political and military power.
  7. בֶּן־הֲדָֽד׃ (Ben-Hadad) – Root: בן (ben) + הדד (Hadad); Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “Ben-Hadad”; Notes: A dynastic title meaning “son of Hadad,” referring to Aramean kings succeeding Ḥazaʾel. Represents the continuity of the same arrogant power facing YHWH’s judgment.

 

This entry was posted in Amos. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.