# For three sins of ... even for four

This is a poetic device. It does not mean that a specific number of sins had been committed, but it indicates that many sins had led to God's judgment.

# Damascus

Here "Damascus" represents the people of the city of Damascus. AT: "the people of Damascus" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# I will not turn away punishment

Yahweh uses two negatives here to emphasize that he would punish them. AT: "I will certainly punish those people" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-litotes]])

# they threshed Gilead with instruments of iron

Yahweh speaks of how Damascus treated Gilead as if they had threshed grain with iron tools or weapons. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])

# Gilead

Here "Gilead" represents the people of the region of Gilead. AT: "the people of Gilead" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# I will send a fire into the house of Hazael

Here Yahweh speaks of his judgment against the house of Hazael as if it were a consuming fire. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# the house of Hazael

The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case it refers to Hazael's descendants, who were rulers of the country where Damascus was located. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# it will devour the fortresses of Ben Hadad

Here Yahweh's judgment is spoken of as if it were a fire that was consuming the fortresses. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Hazael ... Ben Hadad

These are the names of men. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/damascus]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/punish]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/thresh]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/gilead]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/fire]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/stronghold]]