(4) I will send fire … fortresses of Kerioth. See 1.10, 14. In one ancient translation Kerioth was not taken as a proper name but as meaning “towns” (compare New English Bible: “fire that shall consume the palaces in their towns”). There is historical evidence for the existence of a town Kerioth, however, and it would be better to translate as such: “the fortresses of the town of Kerioth.”

And Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet/The people of Moab will die in the noise of battle while soldiers are shouting and trumpets are sounding. The Good News Translation has made much of the meaning clear. Moab has been translated as The people of Moab. Uproar is in fact the noise of battle. The shouting involves people, so soldiers are shouting. The sound of the trumpet is translated trumpets are sounding. In some languages someone will have to do the blowing so “soldiers are shouting and blowing trumpets.” All three events happen at the same time, and Good News Translation expresses this relationship with while. The meaning of the shouting and trumpet blowing should not be misleading. As would be true in many cultures, the shouting probably had a magical function and was intended to chase evil spirits.

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .