Amos 1:7

7 And I shall send fire into the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses thereof. (And I shall send fire onto the city walls of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses there.)

Amos 1:7 Meaning and Commentary

Amos 1:7

But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza
An enemy that shall pull down and destroy the walls of it: this was fulfilled in the times of Uzziah, under whom Amos prophesied; and very likely in a very short time after this prophecy, who went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gaza, ( 2 Chronicles 26:6 ) ; or else in the times of Hezekiah, who smote the Philistines unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, ( 2 Kings 18:8 ) ; or however in the times of Nebuchadnezzar, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah, ( Jeremiah 25:20 ) ; as also in the times of Alexander the great, who, after he had taken Tyre, besieged Gaza, and after two months' siege took it, as Diodorus Siculus relates ^F16; the wall being undermined and thrown down, he entered in at the ruins of it, as Curtius ^F17 says; in the times of the Maccabees the suburbs of it were burnt by Jonathan, and the place taken:

``61 From whence he went to Gaza, but they of Gaza shut him out; wherefore he laid siege unto it, and burned the suburbs thereof with fire, and spoiled them. 62 Afterward, when they of Gaza made supplication unto Jonathan, he made peace with them, and took the sons of their chief men for hostages, and sent them to Jerusalem, and passed through the country unto Damascus.'' (1 Maccabees 11)

which shall devour the palaces thereof;
the palaces of the governor, and of other great men in it; (the governor of it, when Alexander took it, was Batis;) and the stately towers of it, of which there were many. This city was about fifteen miles south of Askelon, and about four or five north of the river Bezor, and at a small distance from the Mediterranean. It was situated on an eminence, surrounded with the most beautiful and fertile valleys, watered by the above mentioned river, and a number of other springs; and at a further distance encompassed on the inland side with hills, all planted with variety of fine fruit trees. The city itself was strong, both by its situation, and by the stout "walls" and stately "bowers" that surrounded it, and built after the Philistine manner ^F18 Arrian also says ^F19, it was a great city built on high ground, and encompassed with a strong wall, and was distant from the sea at least two and a half miles; (See Gill on Acts 8:26).

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Bibliothec. tom. 2. l. 17. p. 526.
F17 Hist. l. 4. c. 5, 6.
F18 Universal History, vol. 2. p. 490.
F19 De Expeditione Alex. l. 2. p. 150.

Amos 1:7 In-Context

5 And I shall all-break the bar(s), [or locks,] of Damascus, and I shall lose a dweller from the field of idol, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of lust and of lechery; and the people of Syria shall be translated to Kir, saith the Lord. (And I shall altogether break the locks of Damascus, and I shall destroy the inhabitants of the field of Aven, and him who holdeth the sceptre of the house of Eden; and the people of Syria, or of Aram, shall be carried away captive to Kir, saith the Lord.)

6 And the Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Gaza, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it translated perfect captivity, to close that together in Idumea. (And the Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Gaza, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they carried away their Israelite captives, and delivered up, or sold, them to Edom.)

7 And I shall send fire into the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses thereof. (And I shall send fire onto the city walls of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses there.)

8 And I shall lose the dwellers of Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre of Ashkelon; and I shall turn mine hand on Ekron, and the remnants of Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God. (And I shall destroy the inhabitants of Ashdod, and him who holdeth the sceptre of Ashkelon; and I shall turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnants of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God.)

9 The Lord God saith these things, On three great trespasses of Tyre, and on four, I shall not convert it, for they closed together perfect captivity in Idumea, and had not mind on the bond of peace of brethren. (The Lord God saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Tyre, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they delivered up, or sold, their Israelite captives to Edom, and did not remember their covenant with their kinsmen.)