He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day — Amaziah's military success against Edom marks a high point of his reign, achieving what even David had accomplished. The Valley of Salt (עֵמֶק הַמְּלַח, *emeq ha-melach*) was a traditional battlefield; ten thousand Edomite deaths signal decisive victory. His renaming of Sela to Joktheel (יָקְתְאֵל, *Yoqth'el*, "God sustains") appears to commemorate the victory with a theophoric name, yet this military confidence will soon breed the fatal pride explored in the next verses.

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