And I will send a fire into the house of Azael, and it shall devour the houses of Benadad.
וְשִׁלַּ֥חְתִּי אֵ֖שׁ בְּבֵ֣ית חֲזָאֵ֑ל וְאָכְלָ֖ה אַרְמְנ֥וֹת בֶּן־הֲדָֽד׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Because Damascus acted in this manner not just towards Gilead but also against the entire region of Judah, a threat was made to incinerate the stronghold of Azael and Adair, and to demolish the fortifications of Damascus. This was realized through Hosea and Jeroboam over time and in stages, as they also seized Syria and achieved a great triumph. Shortly thereafter, this was further executed by the king of Assyria.
I will bring fire upon the house of Azael. During the era of Azael, Syria experienced numerous blessings from God, yet she remained oblivious to His presence. Consequently, the Lord resolved to revert her to her past bondage, proclaiming: I will send fire upon the house of Azael, and I will demolish the stronghold of the son of Adair. This means that I will unleash Sargon, the king of Assyria, upon the offspring of Azael, who will bring ruin to the kingdom.
I shall unleash fire upon the house of Azael, and it will consume the dwellings of Benadad. I will break through the gates of Damascus and obliterate the inhabitants from the region of the idol. The Greek version states: I will send fire upon Azael’s household, and it will destroy the foundations of the son of Ader. I will shatter the gates of Damascus, and I will annihilate those residing in the territory of ῎Ων. This indicates that during the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam, Azael had already passed away in Syria, and his son, Benadad, assumed the throne; thus, all kings of Aram, namely Syria and Damascus, were subsequently known by the name Benadad.
Consequently, it is correctly articulated: “I will send fire” not directly upon Azael, but rather “upon the house of Azael,” signifying the royal lineage led by his son Benadad at that time. Furthermore, He declares, “And I will crush the gates of Damascus, and I will destroy the inhabitants from the field of the idol,” indicating a total defeat of the Syrians, who fortified themselves with various structures to fend off enemy attacks. The area referred to as the ‘idol’ in Hebrew, ‘aven,’ is translated by the Greek version as ῎Ων, by Simmachus and the fifth edition as ἀνακφελοῦς, and by Aquila also as ἀνακφελοῦς, meaning ‘useless,’ which underscores the ineffectiveness of idol worship, as the Assyrians would soon capture the people of Damascus. It is recorded that Theglaffelassar, king of Assyria, killed Racinus, the king of Damascus, as noted by Isain, and all the inhabitants of Syria, known as Aram, migrated to Cyrene. This context clarifies the preceding statements.
I will bring fire upon the house of Azael, who was the ruler of Damascus. The foundation of the son of Adair is mentioned here, with some interpreting Ader as Azael's father, separating those terms for clarity. However, it is a singular name. In the Hebrew and Syrian languages, Ader is referred to as Baradad, indicating that he is not Azael’s father but his son, as detailed in the fourth book of Kings (2 Kings 13:24, 25). It was during his reign that the city of Damascus faced destruction. This is also why the prophecy declares, “And the foundation of the son of Adair shall be laid,” which signifies the uprooting of the kingdom of Damascus.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS