Introduction: The Prophecies of Doom Concerning the Neighbors of the Land of Israel
After Scripture describes Amos, his origins, and his appointment as a prophet, the prophet begins his prophecies. Yet even before prophesying about Judah and the Ten Tribes, he opens with prophecies of doom against the nations neighboring the Land of Israel - those peoples surrounding us who harmed us, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to punish and avenge. As Radak writes: these were his first prophecies, and only afterward does he prophesy about Israel, who corrupted and ruined their deeds, and would therefore be exiled from their land.
The Malbim enumerates the neighbors according to the four directions of the compass: Aram was a neighbor of the Land of Israel from the east, the Philistines from the west, Tyre in the north (the area of modern-day Tyre and Lebanon), and Edom, Ammon, and Moab in the south. A separate prophecy and a separate punishment will come upon each and every one.
Why Are the Nations Punished if Israel Suffered for Their Own Sins?
On the surface, there is a major question here: Israel suffered because of their own sins, and had we not acted corruptly, we would not have been stricken. If so, why punish those who strike us? After all, Assyria is "the rod of My anger" - an emissary of the Holy One, blessed be He - and seemingly deserves a reward for carrying out Hashem's will! The Malbim explains: even though Israel suffered because of their sins, nevertheless, anyone who harms them will not go unpunished, as it says, "And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge" - even though a decree of four hundred years had been issued, I will still judge them as well.
There are several explanations for this. First: who told you to afflict them? Hashem decreed "and they shall serve them" - but did He say that you specifically, Egypt, must do it? You volunteered to do so; therefore, receive what is coming to you. Second: "I was slightly angry, and they helped for evil" - Hashem was angry, but where was it said that they should enslave and torture, that they should place their children as bricks in the walls, that they should slaughter the children and bathe in their blood? Pharaoh was very stringent in applying the decree, and for his stringencies he pays the full price. And so it is with all the other nations: for all the cunning methods of torture they devised beyond what was decreed, for that they pay.
"For Three... and for Four" - The Attribute of Forgiveness and the Attribute of Justice
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי דַמֶּשֶׂק וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל דּוּשָׁם בַּחֲרֻצוֹת הַבַּרְזֶל אֶת הַגִּלְעָד׃ - Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke it; because they have threshed Gilead with iron-spiked threshing sledges.
Radak says: know that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not collect retribution from a person for a first, second, or third iniquity, and only afterward does He punish - "Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man." For two and three times the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exact retribution, but for the fourth time - "and for four, I will not revoke it."
Radak adds another fundamental principle: the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exercise individual providence over the nations, neither for good nor for bad, but has placed them in the hands of celestial princes. The only ones who merit individual Divine providence from Him, may He be blessed, are the people of Israel and the Holy Land; whereas the lands of the nations - the eyes of Hashem your God are not upon them, but rather the eyes of the celestial princes. And when there is providence over the nations, it is not out of an intrinsic concern with what happens to them, but for the sake of Israel: whatever providence the Holy One, blessed be He, exercises over the nations occurs when the matter affects us.
There is one exception: when the nations commit an exceedingly grave offense, widespread violence and injustice, like the Generation of the Flood and the people of Sodom - where there is a great loss to civilization, as Radak expresses it. The Holy One, blessed be He, did not create the world to be a wasteland; He formed it to be inhabited, and He cares about the preservation of the world. And note the precision: this does not refer to sins between man and God, but rather to sins that corrupt civilized society. "I will go down to Sodom and Gomorrah," "nor did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy," the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners - in such a situation, the Holy One, blessed be He, intervenes even though it has nothing to do with the people of Israel. But that is not the standard situation.
Three Times Damascus Caused Us Distress
Radak enumerates the three times Damascus oppressed us: the first in the days of Baasha king of Israel, the second in the days of Ahab, and the third in the days of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, of which it is written, "for the king of Aram destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing" - inflicting severe torment upon them. In a parenthetical note, Radak remarks that there was also an occasion during the days of Jehoram son of Ahab, but that one is not counted, since Aram was struck down when they came into the land, and an instance for which they already received their punishment is not counted against them. Thus, we count three times in which they oppressed us without being smitten.
The fourth time, when they were punished for everything, was their attack on Judah in the days of Ahaz. Then the king of Assyria marched up, captured Damascus, exiled Aram to Kir, and put Rezin king of Aram to death. Amos prophesies about all of this: You, Damascus, oppressed us three times and got away with it, but on the fourth time the Holy One, Blessed be He, will strike you with the blow you deserve.
This prophecy was delivered about twenty-five years before these events unfolded. If one wonders about a prophecy given so far in advance, Malbim explains: Do not wonder, for with Yeshayahu it is written, "Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken from being a people." If a prophecy there is for sixty-five years, twenty-five years is relatively near. A prophecy does not have to be about what will happen in two days; it can concern something that will occur many years down the road.
What Is "Lo Ashivenu"?
One explanation: Until now, as it were, I forgave them, but at the fourth sin I no longer restore them to a state of forgiveness and pardon. After each sin I would restore them to pardon, but once they corrupted their ways yet again, I will now punish them for everything.
Malbim first explains it as a rhetorical question: They have already transgressed three times; do you imagine that for the fourth transgression I will not repay them their retribution? They must certainly receive their punishment. However, in analyzing the words, he notes that grammatically it is difficult to interpret it this way, since repaying retribution is always phrased with the preposition le- - "and I will repay his deeds to him [ashiv lo]"; whereas ashiv et means to restore a thing to its place, as in "When Hashem restores [shuv Hashem et] the captivity of His people," or to return an answer. Here the word is ashivenu - equivalent to ashiv et. Therefore, Malbim presents two explanations: Either "I will not restore him" means I will no longer restore him to his former standing - Rezin king of Aram will be exiled and Aram will be exiled and never return to their place; or ashivenu is in the sense of an answer and response: Will I not give him a fitting response for his transgressions? And what will My response be? The calamity I will bring upon them, through which they will recognize their sin.
"Because They Have Threshed Gilead with Sledges of Iron"
Here the prophet mentions the greatest sin of all. It is written, "And Hazael struck them in all the borders of Israel, from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead," and there he threshed them with iron threshing sledges. Radak explains: Iron threshing sledges are implements used to thresh grain, and just as David did to the Ammonites - "and he put them under saws and iron threshing boards" - inflicting torment upon them, so the people of Damascus tormented us, running iron threshing sledges over their bodies. And "Gilead" refers to the inhabitants of Gilead - not the soil itself, but the people who dwelled there. This was their grave sin, and for this the Holy One, Blessed be He, will exact retribution from them.
Malbim cites another explanation in the name of Abarbanel: The three transgressions of Aram are the three cardinal sins - idolatry, illicit relations, and bloodshed. Concerning this, Hashem says: Even though I did not repay them in kind for those sins, now that they have added a fourth transgression - "because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges" - will I still not repay them their just deserts?
The Fire that Spreads from the Inside Out
וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּבֵית חֲזָאֵל וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת בֶּן הֲדָד׃ - And I will send fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.
וְשָׁבַרְתִּי בְּרִיחַ דַּמֶּשֶׂק וְהִכְרַתִּי יוֹשֵׁב מִבִּקְעַת אָוֶן וְתוֹמֵךְ שֵׁבֶט מִבֵּית עֶדֶן וְגָלוּ עַם אֲרָם קִירָה אָמַר יְהֹוָה׃ - And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and the holder of the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir, said Hashem.
Their retribution will not follow the natural order of events. In the natural course of war, an enemy first conquers the surrounding open towns, then breaches the city gate, and finally destroys the king's palace - from the outside inward. Here, the opposite occurs: it begins from within and spreads outward. "And I will send fire into the house of Hazael" - Hazael is the king, representing the royal house; "and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad" - Ben-hadad was Hazael's son and succeeded him, building palaces surrounding his father's house, and the fire spreads outward to those palaces.
From there, the fire advances further: "And I will break the bar of Damascus" - this refers to the bolt of the city's fortresses, which is further out than the palaces. "And cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven" - this is already the region surrounding Damascus. "And the one who holds the scepter from Beth-eden" - Beth-eden was a territory belonging to the kingdom of Aram, a realm of its own, and "scepter" refers to the ruler's scepter. When Aram is exiled, the ruling dynasty of Beth-eden will also be exiled. "And the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir" - all of them will be exiled and perish in the place called Kir; "Kirah" is like "Yerushalayimah" or "Mitzraymah," meaning "to Kir."
Thus, the Malbim explains, it is comparable to a critically ill person whose illness begins in the heart - internally - and spreads from there to affect the rest of the limbs, until the entire body is afflicted and bedridden. The arm was originally healthy, but the illness originated in the heart and spread outward. So too here: it begins with a fire in the house of Hazael, and spreads progressively outward. Radak compares this to the verse, "For a fire has gone out from Heshbon" - the fire originates with the kings of Aram and spreads outward from there.
Each Prophet and the Retribution of His Era
Rashi explains: regarding all the retributions prophesied by the prophets of Israel about a sword coming upon the nations - the prophets who lived before Sancheriv, such as Yeshayahu and Amos, prophesied about the sword of Sancheriv; while those who lived before Nevuchadnezzar, such as Yirmeyahu and Yechezkel, prophesied about the sword of Nevuchadnezzar. Each prophesied about the sword that was to come following his era, each according to his context and generation.
One who wishes to reflect may also see the fulfillment of this prophecy in our own times, for a prophecy needed for future generations was recorded. "And I will break the bar of Damascus," "and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven," "and the one who holds the scepter from Beth-eden" - previously these verses may have seemed obscure, but today we witness how Damascus and all of Syria have been crumbling and disintegrating.
The Chafetz Chaim, as is well known, would say when observing world events: Do not think otherwise - the Holy One, Blessed is He, keeps accounts across long spans of time. During the Spanish Civil War, he remarked: Do you think the Holy One, Blessed is He, forgot what happened four hundred years ago? The Expulsion from Spain, what they did to us - do you think Hashem forgot? Now the Holy One, Blessed is He, is exacting retribution from them. And indeed, over a million people were killed in that civil war.
And why look so far? "O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, happy is he who repays you... Happy is he who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock" - is this not what happens there today? People are walking through a marketplace when suddenly a suicide bomber detonates and kills fifty; a car bomb explodes, leaving eighty dead. An observer wonders why this is happening, but one whose perspective is not limited to the moment, who holds a historical memory spanning one, two, or three thousand years, understands that a debt is being paid here, and the time for reckoning inevitably arrives. Everything seen today is that same fire decreed long ago, and prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes.
Prophecy Concerning the Philistines
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי עַזָּה וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל הַגְלוֹתָם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה לְהַסְגִּיר לֶאֱדוֹם׃ - Thus said the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke it: because they exiled an entire population to hand them over to Edom.
Amos now prophesies about the Philistines, the neighbors of the Land of Israel to the west. The three transgressions, in keeping with the Malbim's approach, are idolatry, forbidden relations, and bloodshed; and the fourth transgression is "because they exiled an entire population to hand them over to Edom." At the time of the destruction, Edom stood "at the crossroad," at the route where refugees fled, to cut them off and kill them, as described in Ovadiah. Many fled westward, toward the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines delivered them into the hands of the Edomites and surrendered them to the enemy, ensuring that the exile would be complete.
Radak notes: Since Edom is mentioned here along with "an entire exile," this refers to the Second Temple era. For during the Second Temple era came the camp of Edom - Titus and the Roman legions, who were descendants of Edom - and it was an "entire exile" because during the Second Temple period no remnant remained in the Land, unlike in the First Temple era. Radak further notes that most of the Philistines ultimately embraced the faith of Israel, converting to Judaism, and concerning those who did not convert, the verse states: "And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish."
וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת עַזָּה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנֹתֶיהָ׃ - And I will send fire against the wall of Gaza, and it shall consume its palaces.
Gaza had fortified walls, and Hashem says: The wall will be breached and the city will be given over to the flames. This is part of the punishment.
וְהִכְרַתִּי יוֹשֵׁב מֵאַשְׁדּוֹד וְתוֹמֵךְ שֵׁבֶט מֵאַשְׁקְלוֹן וַהֲשִׁיבוֹתִי יָדִי עַל עֶקְרוֹן וְאָבְדוּ שְׁאֵרִית פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and the holder of the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord Hashem.
All these names are familiar to us from Sefer Shoftim and from the wars of Israel against the Philistines - these are the lords of the Philistines. Throughout history we suffered from them while they were in our land, and some say that their descendants, if not biological then spiritual, are the Palestinians, continuing the legacy of those who were thorns in our eyes and thistles in our sides.
Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron are Philistine cities, and therefore they are listed here. Gath, the Radak explains, is not mentioned because Gath belonged to the kings of Yehudah who had conquered it; thus, only the remaining four lords of the Philistines are mentioned. "The holder of the scepter" - the scepter represents the king, and the holder of the scepter refers to the king's aides; and the Malbim explained above that a holder of the scepter is someone who is not strictly a full king, but rather one rank below royalty. "And I will turn My hand against Ekron" - after Gaza, Ashdod, and Ashkelon are destroyed, I will turn My hand yet again against Ekron to destroy it, and thereby "the remnant of the Philistines shall perish." The Malbim explains: from Ashdod the inhabitants were cut off, from Ashkelon the government was cut off, and Ekron was completely devastated - which is why it says regarding it, "and I will turn My hand."
Prophecy Concerning Tyre: "And Did Not Remember the Covenant of Brothers"
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי צֹר וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל הַסְגִּירָם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה לֶאֱדוֹם וְלֹא זָכְרוּ בְּרִית אַחִים׃ - Thus says Hashem: For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke it, because they handed over an entire exile to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brothers.
Tyre was also adjacent to Eretz Yisrael, and it too handed over an entire exile to Edom during the Second Temple era; when Titus and his cohorts came here, Tyre helped deliver Israel into their hands.
"And did not remember the covenant of brothers" - there are two explanations for this. One explanation: it refers to the covenant between Shlomo and Hiram, king of Tyre, as it says, "What are these cities that you have given me, my brother?" - showing that they addressed each other as "my brother." The claim is then against Tyre: How could you hand over an entire exile to Edom and not remember the covenant that your king Hiram made with Shlomo? A second explanation: the words refer to Edom, for Esav was brother to Yaakov and the people of Edom are Esav's descendants, and likewise Moshe sent to the king of Edom, "Thus says your brother Israel." According to this, the end of the verse refers back to Edom: Edom did not remember that we are brothers from the womb. And even though these are brothers we would not have chosen - what can one do, the famous saying goes that you do not choose your brothers - nevertheless, they did not treat us like brothers and did not remember the covenant that ought to exist between brothers.
וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת צֹר וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ׃ - And I will send fire against the wall of Tyre, and it shall consume its palaces.
And ultimately Tyre was destroyed by Nevuchadnetzar, and once again by Alexander the Great, as explained in Yechezkel.
Prophecy Concerning Edom: Wrath Kept Forever
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי אֱדוֹם וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל רׇדְפוֹ בַחֶרֶב אָחִיו וְשִׁחֵת רַחֲמָיו וַיִּטְרֹף לָעַד אַפּוֹ וְעֶבְרָתוֹ שְׁמָרָה נֶצַח׃ - Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four I will not revoke it, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled his compassion, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.
The three transgressions of Edom, following the Malbim's consistent approach, are idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, and bloodshed. And the fourth sin - "because he pursued his brother with the sword", which refers to the time of the destruction of the First Temple. And "his anger tore perpetually", says the Malbim, refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem in the Second Temple era; and the Romans are the descendants of Edom, as the Abarbanel demonstrated with clear proofs.
The Malbim further explains: the descendants of Edom harbor fury (evrah) against the entire Jewish people because of their faith, for it is well known that they believe and are certain that we, the Jews, killed that man, and consequently they harbor an eternal wrath toward us. This is "and he kept his wrath forever" - the wrath is preserved in their hearts forever, and directed against the entire collective. A person who is angry at someone who he feels acted improperly will take vengeance on him; but they take vengeance across all generations: persecutions, murders, pogroms, riots, autos-da-fé, Spain and the tortures of the Inquisition, the massacres of Tach veTat (1648-1649), Chmielnicki and his cohorts, and the terrible and horrific Holocaust in Europe - all of this is Edom. The fury over what supposedly took place back then crosses all boundaries to punish even those who had no part in the matter. That is why it is called evrah (wrath/overstepping), as they decreed slaughter, forced conversion, and destruction in every single generation.
And what is "because he pursued his brother with the sword"? The Radak cites: One explanation refers to Eisav himself, that when Yaakov fled from him, Eisav pursued him with four hundred men. A second explanation, also cited by Rashi, refers to what took place when Israel passed through the wilderness by Edom, and Edom warned, "Lest I come out against you with the sword" (Bamidbar 20:18), and "Edom went out against him with a heavy multitude" (ibid. 20:20). But the more accurate interpretation, says the Radak, is as he explained in the previous verses: it refers to the Second Temple period, and Edom is Rome, who ravaged and spilled much blood here in Eretz Yisrael.
"And Stifled His Compassion" - Three Interpretations
The simple meaning: generally, a brother feels mercy toward his brother, but here he corrupted and nullified that compassion, refusing to act with that natural mercy. Ibn Ezra explains "rachamav" as deriving from rechem (womb): both of them shared a single womb, and the very fact that you were in one womb should have created a sense of kinship and connection between you and Yaakov - yet you destroyed that bond.
And Chazal in Midrash Tanchuma expound it similarly, though taking the idea much further: when Eisav emerged from his mother Rivkah's womb, he damaged her womb, thereby preventing her from bearing twelve tribes. Rivkah was meant to give birth to twelve tribes, but out of twelve only two remained - because when Eisav emerged, he damaged her womb so that she could bear no more children. Where is this hinted at? In the verse, "And behold, there were twins (tomim) in her womb" (Bereishit 25:24) - the word tomim (תומִם) is written defective, tav-vav-mem-mem, missing the letters alef and yud, whose gematria is eleven: he deprived her of eleven tribes, for he himself was not counted among them, and of the twelve, only Yaakov remained.
And the Baal HaTurim says that according to this, one can also understand what is written, "And the first came out ruddy (admoni)" (Bereishit 25:25) - "admoni" means bathed in blood, because he damaged and tore her womb and emerged soaked in her blood; aside from the explanation that his blood had not been absorbed within him. And this is "and corrupted his compassion (or womb)" - Hashem calls him to account for having damaged his mother's womb. "And his anger tore perpetually" - that very fury and wrath that lasted for generations and forever, with the fury and anger preserved eternally.
וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּתֵימָן וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת בׇּצְרָה׃ - And I will send a fire upon Teiman, and it shall devour the palaces of Botzrah.
Some explain that "Teiman" refers to the southern land, but the Malbim explains that it was one of the cities of Edom, bringing proofs from Scripture. "The palaces of Botzrah" - Botzrah was the metropolis of Edom, meaning the capital and central city, and Rome stands in its line. Concerning this Yeshayahu prophesied, "Who is this coming from Edom, with dyed garments from Botzrah?" (Yeshayahu 63:1) - indicating that Botzrah is the central city from which he comes; and "dyed garments" means clothing stained with blood.
Rashi notes that the palaces of Botzrah were situated between Moav and Edom; Botzrah originally belonged to the land of Moav and was drawn after Edom, and it provided a king for Edom upon the death of the first king. Where do we see this? In what is written in Bereishit, "And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom" (Bereishit 36:31), where it mentions "Yovav son of Zerach of Botzrah" (ibid. 36:33). From this we see that Botzrah and Edom had a close connection, and they even once appointed a king from Botzrah to rule over Edom.
Prophecy Concerning the Children of Ammon
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי בְנֵי עַמּוֹן וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל בִּקְעָם הָרוֹת הַגִּלְעָד לְמַעַן הַרְחִיב אֶת גְּבוּלָם׃ - Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not revoke it: for their ripping open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to expand their border.
Here too, the three transgressions are idolatry, forbidden relations, and bloodshed; and the fourth sin is "for their ripping open the pregnant women / cleaving the mountains of Gilead." There are two explanations for this. The Abarbanel explains harot as related to har, mountain: the children of Ammon were adjacent to the land of Gilead, dwelling beyond the Golan in the territory of modern-day Jordan. What would they do? They would breach and split the mountains adjacent to them - mountains belonging to us - and shave them down in order to seize sections and annex them to their border. This is the meaning of "in order to expand their border," for they cleaved the mountains of Gilead to plunder parts of the Land of Israel into their own territory.
Rashi, however, explains according to the plain meaning: harot means pregnant women. In their cruelty, they were not satisfied with merely murdering people, but struck pregnant women in the womb and ripped them open - "for their ripping open the pregnant women of Gilead," cleaving open the pregnant women who were in Gilead. As is known, this was also one of the heinous "pastimes" of the Nazis, may their name and memory be blotted out; thus we see that such barbarity has been the practice of hostile nations from time immemorial.
The Malbim notes that both interpretations are hinted at in Yirmiyahu's prophecy concerning the children of Ammon, where Hashem calls them to account for their evil deeds and says: "Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has their king inherited Gad, and his people dwell in its cities?" (Yirmiyahu 49:1). "Why then has their king inherited Gad" - meaning, why did you go and murder the heirs by ripping open their pregnant women, as Rashi explains, leaving them without heirs? And "and his people dwell in its cities" corresponds to the second sin, that they would shave down the mountains to annex them to their territory, and the king of Ammon went and settled in our mountains and our territorial areas. The prophet rebukes them for both of these sins.
וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת רַבָּה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ בִּתְרוּעָה בְּיוֹם מִלְחָמָה בְּסַעַר בְּיוֹם סוּפָה׃ - And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall consume its palaces, with shouting on the day of battle, with a tempest on the day of the whirlwind.
"And I will kindle a fire" - I will kindle the fire of war against them. And kindling (hatzata), explains the Malbim, refers to a conflagration set all at once, ignited simultaneously on all sides, and this fire will spread throughout the children of Ammon. Likewise, Yirmiyahu said, "and its daughter cities shall be burned with fire." And when will this occur? "With shouting on the day of battle," and as it is likewise stated there in Yirmiyahu, "And I will cause the shout of battle to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon," "with a tempest on the day of the whirlwind."
The reason the retribution comes specifically through fire is that their cult was a cult of fire; they worshiped fire. Therefore Hashem said: Through fire you will be consumed. This serves to demonstrate to them that the very thing you rely upon not only fails to protect you, but actually harms you. As we saw in Egypt: the Nile was their god, and retribution came through it - the Nile caused death, the fish died, and the river putrefied; your god is utterly powerless. Similarly, when the people of Israel took a lamb to sacrifice, and the lamb was the deity of Egypt: see that your god has no power whatsoever. And specifically at the time of its supposed ascendancy - in the month of Nisan, and at the height of its dominion when the moon is full on the fifteenth of the month - Israel departed Egypt, slaughtered the lamb and ate it, while your god was completely helpless and unable to do a thing. So too here: see that the fire you worship will not save you; on the contrary, it will harm you and burn you.
וְהָלַךְ מַלְכָּם בַּגּוֹלָה הוּא וְשָׂרָיו יַחְדָּו אָמַר יְהֹוָה׃ - And their king shall go into exile, he and his princes together, said Hashem.
And likewise in the prophecy of Yirmiyahu: "For their king shall go into exile, his priests and his princes together." In the expression "their king" (malkam), two meanings are contained: both their literal king who will go into exile, and also the cult of Molech, for they worshiped Molech. And the worship of Molech is itself the fire cult: they would make a bonfire on one side and a bonfire on the other, passing the child between them, and to drown out his screams they would beat upon drums. For this reason, that place in the Valley of Ben Hinnom was called "Tofet," after the drums (tupim) that were beaten so that the screams would not be heard.
This is why the verse adds, "he and his princes together." Seemingly, why does it need to say "he" when it already mentioned the king? Because there are two explanations here: according to one explanation, malkam refers to the literal king, and according to the second explanation, malkam refers to the idol Molech; therefore it says "he and his princes" to include both the king and the princes.
Summary:
This chapter opens the prophecies of Amos with retribution upon the neighbors of the Land of Israel - Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon - each for "three transgressions, and for four," where on the fourth occasion the measure of forbearance expired and divine justice was exacted for all of them. We learned that Hashem exercises specific providence over the nations only in matters affecting Israel or when they ruin the civilization of the world; that even when Israel is stricken for their sins, those who harm them will not be held guiltless, for the oppressors added cruelty of their own; that the fire spreads outward from the royal palace, like an illness of the heart spreading throughout the entire body; and that the reckoning of the Holy One, blessed be He, is preserved across years and generations, as the Chafetz Chaim taught. And from Edom we learned the secret of the fury maintained forever, from which all persecutions and pogroms have stemmed down to our own day - and at the same time, the promise that the fire decreed back then is being fulfilled before our very eyes, for a prophecy needed for future generations was written down.