1 Kings 4:24

4:24 His royal court was so large because ¹  he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah ²  to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors. ³ 

Jeremiah 25:20

25:20 the foreigners living in Egypt; ⁴  all the kings of the land of Uz; ⁵  all the kings of the land of the Philistines, ⁶  the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; ⁷ 

Zephaniah 2:4

Judgment on Surrounding Nations

2:4 Indeed, ⁸  Gaza will be deserted ⁹ 

and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. ¹⁰ 

Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, ¹¹ 

and Ekron will be overthrown. ¹² 

Zechariah 9:5

9:5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. ¹³  Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited.

[4:24]  ¹ tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.

[4:24]  ² sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.

[4:24]  ³ tn Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”

[25:20]  ⁴ tn The meaning of this term and its connection with the preceding is somewhat uncertain. This word is used of the mixture of foreign people who accompanied Israel out of Egypt (Exod 12:38) and of the foreigners that the Israelites were to separate out of their midst in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:3). Most commentators interpret it here of the foreign people who were living in Egypt. (See BDB 786 s.v. I עֶרֶב and KBL 733 s.v. II עֶרֶב.)

[25:20]  ⁵ sn The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job 1:1). The exact location is unknown but its position here between Egypt and the Philistine cities suggests it is south of Judah, probably in the Arabian peninsula. Lam 4:21 suggests that it was near Edom.

[25:20]  ⁶ sn See further Jer 47:1-7 for the judgment against the Philistines. The Philistine cities were west of Judah.

[25:20]  ⁷ sn The Greek historian Herodotus reports that Ashdod had been destroyed under the Pharaoh who preceded Necho, Psammetichus.

[2:4]  ⁸ tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:4]  ⁹ tn There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name Gaza (עַזָּה, ’azzah) sounds like the word translated “deserted” (עֲזוּבָה, ’azuvah).

[2:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a desolate place.”

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[As for] Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away.”

[2:4]  ¹² tn Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer).

[9:5]  ¹³ tn The present translation presupposes a Hiphil perfect of יָבֵשׁ (yavesh, “be dry”; cf. NRSV “are withered”) rather than the usually accepted Hiphil of בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “be ashamed”; cf. KJV, ASV), a sense that is less suitable with the removal of hope.