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Obadiah 1

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Judgment Declared Against Edom 1–4

1
The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom: We have heard tidings from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. ​
2
Behold, I have made thee small among the nations: thou art greatly despised.
3
The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? ​
4
Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah. ​

Edom's Destruction and Betrayal 5–9

5
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off!), would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? ​
6
How are the things of Esau searched! how are his hidden treasures sought out!
7
All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him. ​
8
Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? ​
9
And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.

The Charge: Violence Against Jacob 10–14

10
For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. ​
11
In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. ​
12
But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. ​
13
Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. ​
14
And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress. ​

The Day of the Lord is Near 15–16

15
For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. ​
16
For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been. ​

Israel's Deliverance and Dominion 17–21

17
But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. ​
18
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for Jehovah hath spoken it. ​
19
And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. ​
20
And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. ​
21
And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah’s. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Obadiah 1

Verse 1

Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom — Edom is Esau, who took the name from the red pottage (Gen 25:30). 'Obadiah' means servant of the LORD. The words 'We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen' are almost word for word in Jer 49:14, where the same judgment on Edom is announced.

Verse 3

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee — Nasha, to deceive; it returns in v.7, where Edom's allies 'have deceived' him, so he is deceived first by himself. His home was Mount Seir (Gen 36:8), 'in the clefts of the rock' (sela); Jer 49:16 repeats the line. 'Bring me down' (v.3) is answered in v.4 by the same verb.

Verse 4

set thy nest among the stars — The eagle (nesher) builds its nest on the heights, and Edom claims the highest place of all. The LORD's answer takes up Edom's own question from v.3: 'thence will I bring thee down.' Jer 49:16 has the same line, 'though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence.'

Verse 5

would they not leave some grapes? — Thieves take 'till they have enough'; grapegatherers leave gleanings, which the law kept for 'the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow' (Deut 24:21). Edom's loss is greater than either would leave. 'Cut off' here is damah, to be silenced or brought to ruin; compare Jer 49:9.

Verse 7

the men of thy confederacy — Literally men of thy covenant (berith) and of thy peace; 'they that eat thy bread' are table companions. Betrayal by such friends is the pattern of Ps 41:9, 'which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me', quoted by Christ in John 13:18. 'None understanding' is answered in v.8.

Verse 8

the wise men out of Edom — Wisdom was Edom's reputation: Teman, named in v.9, was the home of Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11), and Jer 49:7 asks, 'Is wisdom no more in Teman?' The same judgment is spoken on a people's wisdom in Isa 29:14: 'the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.'

Verse 10

thy brother Jacob — Esau and Jacob were born together, Jacob's hand on Esau's heel (Gen 25:26), and Israel is told of Edom, 'he is thy brother' (Deut 23:7). Chamas, 'violence', is bloodshed and wrong. It began with Esau's resolve, 'then will I slay my brother Jacob' (Gen 27:41); Ezek 35:5 calls it 'perpetual hatred'. The sentence matches: cut off 'for ever'.

Verse 11

thou stoodest on the other side — Edom stood aloof while 'strangers' (zur) and 'foreigners' (nokri) took Jerusalem and 'cast lots' for it, as in Joel 3:3. 'Even thou wast as one of them' makes the bystander a party to it. Ps 137:7 recalls what Edom said that day: 'Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.' 'Forces' here is chayil, translated 'substance' in v.13.

Verse 12

neither shouldest thou have rejoiced — Verses 12–14 list what Edom 'shouldest not have' done, and the word 'day' falls on nearly every clause. 'Spoken proudly' is literally to make large the mouth (gadal, peh); Ezek 35:13 says, 'with your mouth ye have boasted against me.' Compare Prov 24:17, 'Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.'

Verse 13

in the day of their calamity — The phrase comes three times in this verse (eyd, disaster). The speaker is the LORD, who says 'my people'. 'Substance' is chayil, the word rendered 'forces' in v.11. Ezek 35:5 says Edom shed Israel's blood 'in the time of their calamity'.

Verse 14

the crossway — Pereq, a fork in the road; this is the only place the KJV renders it 'crossway' (Nah 3:1 has 'robbery'). Edom is faulted for standing there to cut off those who escaped. 'Delivered up' is sagar, to shut up, as in Ps 31:8, 'hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy'. 'Remain' (sarid) returns in v.18.

Verse 15

the day of the LORD — The 'day' of Edom's offences in vv.11–14 is answered by this day, which reaches 'all the heathen'; Ezek 30:3 calls it 'the time of the heathen'. 'As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee' is the principle Christ states: 'with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again' (Matt 7:2). Compare Hab 2:8.

Verse 16

ye have drunk upon my holy mountain — The cup is the cup of the LORD's fury, which the nations drink in Jer 25:15 and which Edom is told of by name in Jer 49:12: 'thou shalt surely drink of it.' Judah drank it first on the holy mountain (some read 'ye' of Edom); now 'all the heathen' drink 'continually', and 'swallow down' (la'a). Isa 51:22 speaks of it as 'the cup of trembling'.

Verse 17

upon mount Zion shall be deliverance — Peleytah, an escape or remnant saved; Joel 2:32 says 'in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance'. 'Holiness' and the verb 'possess' (yarash) mark the turn from Edom to Jacob: 'possess' returns in vv.19 and 20, where the house of Jacob takes the lands about it. Compare 'possess the remnant of Edom' (Amos 9:12).

Verse 18

the house of Jacob shall be a fire — Jacob is a fire, Joseph a flame, and Esau stubble. 'Joseph' is the northern kingdom, 'the stick of Ephraim' (Ezek 37:16), joined to Judah in one hand (Ezek 37:19). Fire consuming stubble is the image of Isa 5:24. 'Remaining' (sarid) takes up v.14: Edom delivered up those of Judah that 'remain', and none will be left of Esau's house.

Verse 19

they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau — The land spreads in every direction: the south (Negev) takes Esau's mount, the plain (shephelah) the Philistines', Israel the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin Gilead. Amos 9:12 has Israel possessing 'the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name'.

Verse 20

Sepharad — This is the only occurrence of the name in the Bible. Zarephath is a city 'which belongeth to Zidon' (1 Kings 17:9), the 'Sarepta, a city of Sidon' of Luke 4:26. The captives of Israel take the Canaanites' land as far as that city, and the captives of Jerusalem 'in Sepharad' take 'the cities of the south' (Negev, as in v.19).

Verse 21

saviours shall come up on mount Zion — Yasha, to save; in the participle it is the word for the deliverers raised up in Judges (Judg 3:9) and for the 'saviours' of Neh 9:27. They come up on Zion to judge the mount of Esau. The book ends with the claim of Ps 22:28, 'the kingdom is the LORD'S', and Rev 11:15 gives the same in the voice of heaven.