The Judgement of God (Part 3)

"Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, and the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” says the Lord."

-This formula introduces God’s announcement of judgment against each nation. It doesn’t mean that Damacus only committed three sins, and then God thought of a fourth; it simply has the idea of “sin upon sin upon sin.”

-The region of Gilead belonged to Israel, and God will judge Damascus and the Syrians for coming against the land of God’s people, and coming with such complete destruction that it is as if a deep plow had been run through the land.

Threshing sledges with iron prongs or teeth are probably a figure of speech implying extreme cruelty and utter thoroughness in the treatment of those who opposed.

This was fulfilled in 2 Kings 16:9, which describes when the Assyrians attacked Syria because King Ahaz of Judah paid them.

"So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin."