Bible Strands
Jeremiah 49:27
“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-hadad.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks this oracle through Jeremiah, placing the judgment of Damascus between the fall of its warriors and the coming destruction of Kedar and Hazor.
The words — The Hebrew אֵשׁ ('esh) and אָכְלָה ('a.khe.Lah) literally denote "fire" and "consume," describing the physical destruction of the walls and fortresses rather than a divine agent.
The thread — This declaration parallels Amos 1:3, where the LORD refuses to revoke judgment against Damascus, and connects to the historical campaigns of Ben-hadad recorded in 1 Kings 20:1 and 1 Kings 15:18.
Why it lands — The text states that fortified defenses and royal strongholds will be physically burned and consumed, demanding acknowledgment of God's direct authority to dismantle human military power.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben–hadad.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 15:18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
- Amos 1:3 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.
- 1 Kings 20:1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.
- 2 Kings 13:3 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.
- 2 Kings 13:5 So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before.
- Jeremiah 43:12 I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed.