The Meaning of Amos 1:12 Explained

Amos 1:12

KJV: But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

YLT: And I have sent a fire against Teman, And it hath consumed palaces of Bozrah.

Darby: And I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

ASV: but I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But I will send  a fire  upon Teman,  which shall devour  the palaces  of Bozrah. 

What does Amos 1:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Amos 1:11-15 - Judah Shall Be Judged Also
Edom was Esau; that is, the people were closely akin to Israel; perhaps for that very reason the hatred on either side became more and more inveterate from the days of the Exodus to the siege and fall of Jerusalem, Psalms 137:7-8. Teman and Bozrah were principal cities, the first being named after Esau's grandson, Genesis 36:11. Isaiah, in after years, saw the warrior Angel of Jehovah coming up from Edom to the foothills of Palestine, his garments stained with the blood of the foe whom he had overthrown, Isaiah 63:1. Thus Jesus Christ has overcome our foes, and now stands sentry between us and them.
Rabbah was the capital city of Ammon. The strife between the citizens and the Chosen People smoldered from the days of Saul, flaming out from time to time in terrible intensity. Moab-the terrible act referred to here was probably associated with 2 Kings 3:27. Alas that, in the divine vengeance, Judah should be associated with these heathen peoples! The indictment is not for sins against man, but for those committed against God. We are judged by the greater light and the higher standards that we possess. The fire here threatened was the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldeans, who have their modern counterparts. Man is often used by the Almighty for the chastening and purifying of his fellows. [source]

Chapter Summary: Amos 1

1  The time when Amos prophesied
3  He shows God's judgment upon Syria,
6  upon the Philistines,
9  upon Tyrus,
11  upon Edom,
13  upon Ammon

What do the individual words in Amos 1:12 mean?

But I will send a fire upon Teman and which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah -
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּתֵימָ֑ן וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת בָּצְרָֽה פ

וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי  But  I  will  send 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֵ֖שׁ  a  fire 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
בְּתֵימָ֑ן  upon  Teman 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֵּימָן  
Sense: son of Eliphaz, grandson of Esau, and one of the dukes of Edom.
וְאָכְלָ֖ה  and  which  shall  devour 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
אַרְמְנ֥וֹת  the  palaces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אַרְמֹון  
Sense: citadel, palace, fortress.
בָּצְרָֽה  of  Bozrah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּצְרָה 
Sense: a town in Edom.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation