TEXT [Commentary]

  B.   The Course of Edom’s Defeat (1:2-9)

2 The LORD says to Edom,

“I will cut you down to size among the nations;

you will be greatly despised.

3 You have been deceived by your own pride

because you live in a rock fortress

and make your home high in the mountains.

‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’

you ask boastfully.

4 But even if you soar as high as eagles

and build your nest among the stars,

I will bring you crashing down,”

says the LORD.

5 “If thieves came at night and robbed you

(what a disaster awaits you!),

they would not take everything.

Those who harvest grapes

always leave a few for the poor.

But your enemies will wipe you out completely!

6 Every nook and cranny of Edom[*]

will be searched and looted.

Every treasure will be found and taken.

7 “All your allies will turn against you.

They will help to chase you from your land.

They will promise you peace

while plotting to deceive and destroy you.

Your trusted friends will set traps for you,

and you won’t even know about it.

8 At that time not a single wise person

will be left in the whole land of Edom,”

says the LORD.

“For on the mountains of Edom

I will destroy everyone who has understanding.

9 The mightiest warriors of Teman

will be terrified,

and everyone on the mountains of Edom

will be cut down in the slaughter.

NOTES

1:2 I will cut you down to size. Lit., “I have made you small.” NLT translates according to the sense of the context. Proud, lofty Edom will be brought down from its height and high-mindedness. The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, a prediction being viewed as already accomplished.

1:3 rock fortress. The noun sela‘ [TH5553, ZH6152] carries with it the nuance of a crevice of a rock, though it may also indicate a rock or cliff. It thus differs from such near synonyms as tsur [TH6697, ZH7446] (large rock) and ’eben [TH68, ZH74] (stone). (See my remarks in TWOT 2.627.) Here a play on the name of Edom’s capital city, Sela, is intended.

1:4 eagles. The metaphorical use of the eagle is quite common both in the OT (e.g., Deut 28:49 [NLT, “vulture”]; 2 Sam 1:23; Ezek 17:3, 7; Hos 8:1) and in the ancient Near East. Tiglath-pileser III (1114–1076 BC) reports that his ancestor Ninurta-apil-Ekur spread his wings over the land like an eagle (Grayson 1976:17), much like the Lord is said to have carried Israel (Exod 19:4). Sargon II (722–705 BC) reports that he caused his forces to fly over the mountains like valiant eagles (see The Assyrian Dictionary 325), and Sennacherib (705–681 BC) asserts that on his fifth campaign his enemies’ abodes were located “on the peak of Mount Nippur, a steep mountain, like the nests of the eagle (vulture), king of birds” (Luckenbill 1927:122). (For a fine discussion of these and other parallels, see Niehaus 1993:517-518.) Likewise, the metaphorical use of the eagle is known from ancient Ugaritic literature. Thus, Baal is given two clubs which, in his hands, swirl like an eagle to strike down his enemy. (See Gordon 1965:3.68, lines 13-24. An English translation may be found in Coogan 1978:88-89.) It is not extraordinary, then, that Jer 49:22 predicts an enemy of Edom that “swoops down like an eagle, spreading his wings over Bozrah.”

1:5 thieves . . . Those who harvest grapes. Obadiah continues his use of imagery here, employing irony and repetition. Like 1:4, which contains a double condition, 1:5 similarly has two conditional contexts: When thieves and robbers or grape gatherers do their work, they at least leave something behind. In both cases, the conditional clauses are introduced by the Hebrew particle ’im [TH518, ZH561] (if), while in both, the contrast with Edom is preceded by the rhetorical halo’ [TH1886.2/3808, ZH2022/4202] (Would it not . . . ?) and the exclamatory particle ’ek [TH349, ZH375] (how) to emphasize the thoroughness of Edom’s ransacking.

1:6 Edom. The MT reads Esau here and in verses 8b, 9, 18, 19, and 21. The reference to Edom as Esau is deliberate, emphasizing the heinous nature of Edom’s crime. It violated the very nature of brotherhood (see Introduction, “Major Themes”). The verb that follows (NLT, “searched and looted”; Heb., nekhpesu [TH2664, ZH2924]) is plural, the controlling noun being viewed as a collective subject. Its form anticipates the following plural verb (NLT, “found and taken”; Heb., nib‘u [TH1158, ZH1239]).

treasure. This word for treasure occurs only here in the OT but is related to a well-attested Semitic root meaning “hide,” “store up,” or “treasure” (tsapan [TH6845, ZH7621]). Thus, Moses was hidden three months due to Pharaoh’s decree to put Hebrew male babies to death (Exod 2:2). Job complained that God stores up a man’s punishment for his sins (Job 21:19), while the writer of Proverbs observed that God “grants a treasure of common sense to the honest” (Prov 2:7). The Hebrew root tspn finds its way into the Akkadian of Tell el-Amarna (tsapanu; El-Amarna 147:10). The noun can also refer to “secret (hiding) places” so that Raabe (1996:146) can say, “Neither the descendants of Esau nor their riches will go undetected by the enemies in spite of their hiding-places. Ordinary thieves and plunderers might not have the time necessary to discover such secret places (v. 5), but Edom’s enemies will painstakingly and extensively seek after them and find them.”

1:7 They will help to chase you from your land. The meaning of the passage depends on the understanding of the root shalakh [TH7971, ZH8938] (send) and the noun gebul [TH1366, ZH1473] (border). If the verb is understood as “send away,” the sense may be that of escorting or sending back to their border the Edomite envoys who have come to Edom’s allies for help. If a wider range of the verb is maintained, it could be understood that the Edomites’ former allies assist Edom’s enemies in driving the Edomites from their land. The NLT (along with the majority of translations) favors the latter understanding; Keil and Niehaus, the former. Still a third solution favors the thought of sending Edomite refugees to their allies’ borders, where they are still vulnerable to their enemies.

They will promise you peace while plotting to deceive and destroy you. This sentence forms the second of three parallel clauses in the Hebrew text. Those at peace with the Edomites are the very ones who will act deceitfully against them in their hour of greatest need. Significantly, each of the major clauses in the Hebrew text ends with a second masculine singular pronoun.

Your trusted friends will set traps for you. This sentence constitutes the third of the parallel clauses in the Hebrew text. Two problems stand out here. (1) Is the precise meaning of the Hebrew lakhmeka [TH3899, ZH4312] “[the men of] your bread,” or by reading a substantive participle (lokhameyka), is it “those who eat your bread” (cf. Symmachus, Vulgate, Targum)? The NLT may be compatible with either solution. In any case, the mention of peace and the sharing of bread are well-known treaty terms. Together, they reinforce the idea that Edom’s trusted allies could not be trusted. As Edom had deceived its kin Israel countless times, so it would be betrayed by its friends. (2) The second difficulty concerns the Hebrew noun mazor [TH4204, ZH4650]. Elsewhere it means “sore” or “wound” (e.g., Jer 30:13; Hos 5:13, NASB). Such a meaning, however, seems difficult in collocation with the following takhteyka [TH8478, ZH9393] (beneath you). Therefore, many have opted for a relation with a verbal root known in postbiblical Hebrew, “twist,” “cover with a web,” and in Syriac, “stretch out”; hence, NLT “set traps for you.” Raabe (1996:154-155) thinks that “after the allies expel Edomites from their dwellings, non-Edomites will settle in their place” (cf. Zech 9:6). If the term refers to strangers, it ironically anticipates the theme of v. 11.

you won’t even know about it. Nearly the same Hebrew construction is found in Deut 32:28, which the NLT translates “without understanding.” Besides the NLT’s rendering (cf. point 2 below), the words have been taken in several other ways: (1) If Edom had any sense, they would “know the awful end to which their covenant-breaking behavior must lead (Deut 32:29-30)” (Niehaus 1993:522); (2) Edom is so undiscerning that they will not be able to anticipate their allies’ treachery (Allen); (3) the Edomites are simply bewildered, not knowing what to do or how to help themselves (Keil); and (4) with non-Edomites occupying the land, Edom’s traditional wisdom will be absent (Raabe).

1:8 At that time. This phrase is often used in the prophets when speaking of the Lord’s intervention, whether in judgment or deliverance (Armerding 1985:346). It appears frequently in an eschatological setting. In the Hebrew text, v. 8 begins with a rhetorical question expecting an affirmative answer: “Will I not . . . destroy the wise men from Edom?” The NLT translates according to the sense, giving the expected answer as a direct divine assertion (cf. NRSV)—the whole matter being emphasized by the following “says the LORD,” a phrase that concluded a unit in v. 4 but introduces one here (Raabe 1996:163).

not a single wise person will be left. The force of the context and the parallel with Jer 49:7 demand not a complete annihilation of the wise men but a total abrogation of their wisdom. Depressed and devoid of wise counsel, Edom’s military situation stood in dire peril. Forms of the traditional terms “wisdom” (khokmah [TH2451, ZH2683]) and “understanding” (tebunah [TH8394, ZH9312]) underscore the seriousness of Edom’s condition. The motif of God abrogating human wisdom is common not only to the wisdom literature but to the prophetic oracles as well.

mountains of Edom. The term (cf. 1:9, 19, 21) reflects Edom’s pride in its mountain location (1:2-4) and forms a distinct thematic contrast with Mount Zion (1:17, 21; see the Introduction’s “Major Themes”).

1:9 mightiest warriors. Although it had sociological implications (see Allen 1976:153), the Hebrew term gibbor often carries with it a nuance of heroism (cf. 2 Sam 23:8-39; 1 Chr 11:15-19), particularly for designating soldiers. At times, such a one could be called a “mighty man of valor” (gibbor khayil [TH1368A/2428, ZH1475/2657]; e.g., 2 Chr 13:3b; 17:16). Thus Kosmala (TDOT 2.374) observes, “By far the most frequent use of the word gibbor occurs in connection with military activities, especially as a designation for a warrior, either a man who is eligible for military service or is able to bear arms, or one who has actually fought in combat, who has already distinguished himself by performing heroic deeds.” Here, however, there is a touch of irony: The warriors are anything but heroic. Rather, being demoralized, they become terrified (cf. Isa 31:9). The verb here (root, khatath) is at times applied to defeated nations (2 Kgs 19:26; Isa 37:27). Edom is about to share the same fate as its neighbor Moab (Jer 48:20, 34).

Teman. This was one of Edom’s chief cities (Amos 1:12), located in the northern part of the country. The term could thus stand for a region in the northern sector or for the entire country (Jer 49:7; Hab 3:3). Job’s counselor Eliphaz came from Teman (Job 2:11).

slaughter. This noun was linked with v. 10 rather than v. 9 in the ancient versions. However, not only is the Masoretic punctuation against doing so, but as Finley (1990:363) points out, “The text of Obadiah in the Hebrew scroll of the Minor Prophets [from Wadi Murabba‘at] supports the lack of a conjunction as in MT.” The cutting down and slaughtering of the enemy is a feature commonly reported in the annals of the ancient Near Eastern kings.

COMMENTARY [Text]

In this opening section, the Lord himself reports that he will deal with Edom’s pride. The word “behold,” with which this judgment oracle begins, puts the Edomite nation on notice that God is active in the affairs of people, particularly proud nations and individuals who flaunt themselves defiantly in the face of God and mistreat his people. Such was Edom.

In the course of announcing Edom’s destruction, Obadiah cites two basic sins that marked its condition: He indirectly notes its pride (1:2-9) and directly marks its overt crimes against God’s people (1:10-14). He begins by condemning Edom’s pride in its geographical location that provided it with a spectacular defensive system. Set on a high plateau, its capital city of Sela was surrounded by steep cliffs. Access could be gained only on its southeast side, which was well defended. So elevated, it could boast, “Who can ever reach us way up here?” Their pride, however, was both presumptuous (Raabe 1996:123) and ill-advised, for it foundered on two points: (1) Judah’s former king Amaziah had already successfully campaigned there (2 Kgs 14:7); and (2) the forces that would attack it were sponsored by none other than the God of the universe. The hyperbolic imagery here is stirring. Was Edom located on the heights? It must reckon with him who rides on the clouds of heaven (cf. Deut 33:26; Ps 68:33; Isa 19:1; see Patterson 1985:37). Stuart (1987:417) observes, “Since Yahweh’s power is unlimited, it does not matter how high set and well defended Edom might be. It will fall.” Though it had the strength to soar like an eagle (cf. Isa 40:31) or put itself above the stars, these would not avail against the God who in his care for his own is likened to a great eagle (Exod 19:4; Deut 32:11) and is the one who created the stars (Gen 1:1, 14; Ps 8:3-4).

The implied condemnation contained in the announcement of Edom’s judgment (given in 1:5-6) centers on Edom’s wealth. Set high and seemingly secure from invasion, Edom had been able to amass considerable wealth, not only from its agriculture and mining, but from its vast trading enterprises and raiding forays. Nevertheless, unlike burglars who take only the most opportune and valuable items and grape gatherers who leave some gleanings behind, Edom’s conquerors will thoroughly ravish its land and carry away every last hidden treasure.

How fleeting material wealth can be! How foolish to build one’s life upon personal treasures (Luke 12:16-21), which can never satisfy (Eccl 4:8). So often it is squandered by those who have made it or by those to whom it is left (Pss 39:6; 49:6, 10). Moreover, for some, wealth can lead to conceit (1 Tim 6:17) and selfishness (Luke 12:17).

The sin that polluted Edom can also infect today’s believers. It is far better to honor God with one’s wealth (Prov 3:9) and seek the spiritual riches that only he can supply (Matt 6:33; Eph 1:7; 3:8; Phil 4:19; Col 2:2-3). Indeed, the believer’s whole life is a treasure that God has freely given (Matt 13:11-16) and hence should be stewarded (1 Pet 4:10) with fruitful productivity (Matt 13:22-23). In so doing, the believer will come to know the glorious riches of Christ in him, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

Israel was God’s own special treasure (Ps 135:4) whom he had chosen and loved. Moreover, because he had solemnly promised its ancestors long ago that he would watch over Abraham’s descendants, Israel on its part was to reflect God’s holy standards in its walk before him (Deut 7:6-11; 14:1-2). God’s people were to remember their covenant with him so as to serve him faithfully (Exod 19:5-6) and thus experience God-given success (Deut 26:16-19).

New Testament believers are likewise reminded that in God’s great lovingkindness (Eph 2:4-7) they have become God’s special possession (1 Pet 2:9-10) through the redeeming work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, like Israel of old, they are to be a holy people, eager to do what is good (Eph 2:8-10; Titus 2:14). As such, today’s believers are challenged to love each other with genuine affection (Rom 12:10). Rather than devouring one another like modern-day Esaus, Christians should treat each other with genuine brotherly affection, as Christ commanded (John 15:12; cf. 1 John 3:15-16). Not only would churches fare better, but nonbelievers might just be more likely to receive the message of Christ’s sacrificial love for a lost world (John 3:16) if Christians were to follow Christ’s command to love one another and live in harmony with each other.

Verse 7 focuses on treachery, its background coming from the situation between Jacob and Esau (see Introduction). Just as Edom has betrayed his brother Israel, so it will be treated by its allies in its hour of need. Not only will Edom’s friends desert them, but they will turn against them, even laying traps for them, much as Edom had done to Israel (1:11, 14). Brotherhood and treaty obligations were held in high esteem in the ancient Near East, and the violation of either was considered a loathsome deed (cf. Prov 27:10; Isa 33:1; Jer 38:22; Amos 1:9).[46]

The Scriptures remind the believer that “a friend is always loyal” (Prov 17:17; cf. 18:24). The New Testament often speaks of brotherhood and friendship, the most significant comment being Jesus’ own observation that “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). In laying down his life for sinners, Christ makes them his friends who are therefore expected to return his love and to love others as Christ has loved them (John 15:9-17; Jas 2:23-24).

Verses 8 and 9 zero in on Edom’s vaunted reputation for wisdom. Edom was noted as a center of wisdom (1 Kgs 4:30; Job 2:11), doubtless due to its advantageous position in the trading enterprises of the ancient Near East. Yet, even Edom’s wisdom would prove to be of no avail before the omniscient Lord, who would commission Edom’s attackers. Human wisdom scarcely challenges that of the omniscient one, nor is it fully formed apart from him (Prov 1:7; 14:16; 15:33; 22:4).

Not only would Edom’s wisdom fail, but its warriors would prove ineffective (cf. Nah 3:13). Overcome by dismay and totally demoralized, their courage would turn into sheer terror.[47] Inevitable consequences would soon follow, proud Edom facing not only defeat but widespread slaughter.

In summary, this section (1:2-9) concerns Edom’s certain defeat. Neither its natural defensive position (1:2-4), nor its vast wealth (1:5-6), nor its many business associates and supposed allies (1:7), nor its wisdom or warriors (1:8-9) could prevent its demise. While this section repeatedly emphasizes the sovereignty of God and his active intervention in the affairs of earth’s history, the great need for God to do so is likewise made evident. Indeed, all of Edom’s hopes rested on conceit and pride.

Edom was to learn what the prophets uniformly proclaim: No matter how strong or arrogant a nation, it may be assured that “the pride of her power will end” (Ezek 30:6). Pride brought down Sodom (Ezek 16:49-50) and Gomorrah; it caused Tyre to self-destruct (Ezek 28:17) and was the besetting sin for which Moab was to suffer the Lord’s judgment (Jer 48:29-30). Whether in nations (Isa 2:11) or individuals, God is “able to humble the proud” (Dan 4:37). For “pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Prov 16:18).

The Scriptures reveal that nothing so deceives the heart like pride (Jer 49:16) so that people are all too easily subject to the pride of life (1 John 2:16). God hates pride and arrogance (Prov 8:13; 16:5), so much so that he punishes the proud (Ps 31:23). Indeed, there is a day coming when the Lord “will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted” (Isa 2:12).

Although believers may take comfort in knowing that those who so arrogantly oppose God (cf. Rev 13:6) will ultimately fail and fall (cf. 2 Thess 2:4-10), they must realize that God is no less displeased with pride in those who claim his name (2 Chr 26:16; Jer 13:8-11; Zeph 3:11-12). Accordingly, they should remind themselves that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Prov 3:34; Jas 4:6). They must renounce pride and seek the humility that was demonstrated so clearly in Christ, their great example (Matt 11:29; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:5-8). May God help us to forsake pride and selfish ambition and be clothed with genuine humility (Col 3:2; 1 Pet 5:5) so that individually and collectively we may be people dependent on God. May we be like Paul, who exclaimed, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14, NKJV).