Amos 2:2

2:2 So I will set Moab on fire, ¹ 

and it will consume Kerioth’s ²  fortresses.

Moab will perish ³  in the heat of battle ⁴ 

amid war cries and the blaring ⁵  of the ram’s horn. ⁶ 

¹ sn The destruction of Moab by fire is an example of a judgment in kind – as the Moabites committed the crime of “burning,” so the Lord will punish them by setting them on fire.

² sn Kerioth was an important Moabite city. See Jer 48:24, 41.

³ tn Or “die” (KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV); NAB “shall meet death.”

⁴ tn Or “in the tumult.” This word refers to the harsh confusion of sounds that characterized an ancient battle – a mixture of war cries, shouts, shrieks of pain, clashes of weapons, etc.

⁵ tn Heb “sound” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

⁶ sn The ram’s horn (used as a trumpet) was blown to signal the approaching battle.