Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 49:7
Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; [Is] wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
7. If Oba 1:8 is a later insertion there (so Wellhausen), it may have been introduced from this passage. Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11, etc.) has been thought to illustrate a reputation for wisdom on the part of Teman.
Is wisdom no more in Teman?] This and the succeeding questions are a pointed way of calling attention to the stupefying suddenness and completeness of the calamity.
Teman ] a district in the N. of Edom. Cp. Eze 25:13; Amo 1:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 22 (= LXX. Ch. Jer 29:8-23). Prophecy against Edom
The fact that there is a great similarity with Obadiah ( Jer 49:7 ; Jer 49:9-10 a, and 14 16 corresponding respectively with Oba 1:8; Oba 1:5 f., 1 4) raises a difficult question as to the origin of the passages common to the two prophecies. The two main views are as follows: ( a) that both are based on an older prophecy, Ob. preserving a more original form (so Dr., G. A. Smith, and others), and ( b) that Ob.’s original work consisted of his Jer 49:1-5 ; Jer 49:7 ; Jer 49:10-11 ; Jer 49:13-15 b, and was not a prophecy of coming ruin, but a description of it as already existent (so Wellhausen, followed by Gi., Du., Co. and others). Ob., as it stands, is evidently (see Jer 49:10 ff.) subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem (b.c. 586). From what we have said above, it follows that the corresponding parts of this section are later, either as an addition to a genuine Jeremianic utterance of the fourth year of Jehoiakim (see introd. note on chs. 46 51), or as forming a part of the section which is wholly post-exilic; the former of these two hypotheses being on the whole preferable. Co. points out the skill with which (on the former hypothesis) the incorporator of the Ob. passages avoided all references (so Oba 1:10 ff.) to the overthrow of Jerusalem. The expansion in later times of a Jeremianic prophecy against Edom is a priori likely for reasons similar to those mentioned in introd. note to Jer 48:1-10.
The bitterness of the tone in which Edom is addressed finds parallels in Lam 4:21, as also in Psa 137:7; Eze 25:12-14; Eze 35:15; Oba 1:10-16, and is no doubt based upon a sense of the closeness of the tie of kinship between Edom and Israel.
The contents of the section may be summarized as follows.
(i) Jer 49:7-12. Have the prudent of Teman lost their wisdom? Flee into hiding from coming troubles, ye people of Dedan. Ye shall be utterly despoiled. Leave to Jehovah the charge of your widows and orphans. Ye shall yourselves assuredly drink the wine of destruction. (ii) Jer 49:13-22. Bozrah and the other cities shall be laid waste. The nations are summoned to fight against her. She shall be held in contempt, though erst so proud. She shall be brought down from her loftiness and jeered at, overthrown and without inhabitant as were Sodom and Gomorrah. The foe as a lion shall drive her away. Such is Jehovah’s purpose. The far-reaching sound of her fall shall make the earth to tremble. At the swoop of the enemy the anguish of Edom shall be great.
The affinity which existed between the two nations made the unnatural exultation of Edom over the fallen fortunes of the Jews most offensive. See, in addition to the above passages, Amo 1:11, and for an apparent reference to the fulfilment of this prophecy against Edom, Mal 1:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Edom stretched along the south of Judah from the border of Moab on the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean and the Arabian deserts, and held the same relation to Judah which Moab held toward the kingdom of Israel. Although expressly reserved from attack by Moses Deu 2:5, a long feud caused the Edomites to cherish so bitter an enmity against Judah, that they exulted with cruel joy over the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldaeans, and showed great cruelty toward those why fled to them for refuge.
Of the prophecies against Edom the first eight verses of Obadiah are also found in Jeremiah (see the marginal references). As Jeremiah wrote before the capture of Jerusalem, and Obadiah apparently after it (see Jer 49:13-14), it might seem certain that Obadiah copied from Jeremiah. Others held the reverse view; while some consider that the two prophets may both have made common use of some ancient prediction. See the introduction to Obadiah.
The prophecy is divisible into three strophes. In the first Jer 49:7-13, the prophet describes Edom as terror-stricken.
Jer 49:7
Teman – A strip of land on the northeast of Edom, put here for Edom generally. Its inhabitants were among those children of the East famed for wisdom, because of their skill in proverbs and dark sayings.
Jer 49:8
Dwell deep – Jer 49:30. The Dedanites, who were used to travel through the Edomite territory with their caravans, are advised to retire as far as possible into the Arabian deserts to be out of the way of the invaders.
Jer 49:9
Translate it: If vintagers come to thee, they will not leave any gleaning: if thieves by night, they will destroy their fill.
Jer 49:10
But – For. The reason why the invaders destroy Edom so completely. His secret places are the hiding-places in the mountains of Seir.
His seed – Esaus seed, the Edomites; his brethren are the nations joined with him in the possession of the land, Amalek, and perhaps the Simeonites; his neighbors are Dedan, Tema, Buz.
Jer 49:11
As with Moab Jer 48:47, and Ammon Jer 49:6, so there is mercy for Edom. The widows shall be protected, and in the orphans of Edom the nation shall once again revive.
Jer 49:12
Translate it: Behold they whose rule was not to drink of the cup shall surely drink etc. It was not the ordinary manner of Gods people to suffer from His wrath: but now when they are drinking of the wine-cup of fury Jer 25:15, how can those not in covenant with Him hope to escape?
Jer 49:14-18
The second strophe, Edoms chastisement.
Jer 49:14
Rumour – Or, revelation.
Ambassador – Or, messenger, i. e., herald. The business of an ambassador is to negotiate, of a herald to carry a message.
Jer 49:15
Small … – Rather, small among the nations, i. e., of no political importance.
Jer 49:16
Edoms terribleness consisted in her cities being hewn in the sides of inaccessible rocks, from where she could suddenly descend for predatory warfare, and retire to her fastnesses without fear of reprisals.
The clefts of the rock – Or, the fastnesses of Sela, the rock-city, Petra (see Isa 16:1).
The hill – i. e., Bozrah.
Jer 49:17
Better, And Edom shall become a terror: every passer by shalt be terrified, and shudder etc.
Jer 49:18
Neighbour … – Admah and Zeboim.
A son of man – i. e., Any man. From 536 a.d. onward, Petra suddenly vanishes from the pages of history. Only in the present century was its real site discovered.
Jer 49:19-22
Concluding strophe. The fall of Edom is compared to the state of a flock worried by an enemy strong as a lion Jer 4:7, and swift as an eagle.
Jer 49:19
The swelling of Jordan – Or, the pride of Jordan, the thickets on his banks (marginal reference note).
Against the habitation of the strong – Or, to the abiding pasturage. The lion stalks forth from the jungle to attack the fold, sure to find sheep there because of the perennial (evergreen) pasturage: but I will suddenly make him (the flock, Edom) run away from her (or it, the pasturage).
And who is a chosen … – Better, and I will appoint over it, the abandoned land of Edom, him who is chosen, i. e., my chosen ruler Nebuchadnezzar.
Who will appoint me the time? – The plaintiff, in giving notice of a suit, had to mention the time when the defendant must appear (see the margin). Yahweh identifies himself with Nebuchadnezzar Jer 25:9, and shows the hopelessness of Edoms cause. For who is like Yahweh, His equal in power and might? Who will dare litigate with Him, and question His right? etc.
Jer 49:20
Surely the least … – Rather, Surely they will worry them, the feeble ones of the flock: surely their pasture shall be terror-stricken over them. No shepherd can resist Nebuchadnezzar Jer 49:19, but all flee, and leave the sheep unprotected. Thereupon, the Chaldaeans enter, and treat the poor feeble flock so barbarously, that the very fold is horrified at their cruelty.
Jer 49:21
Is moved – Quakes.
At the cry … – The arrangement is much more poetical in the Hebrew, The shriek – to the sea of Suph (Exo 10:19 note) is heard its sound.
Jer 49:22
Nebuchadnezzar shall swoop down like an eagle, the emblem of swiftness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. CONCERNING EDOM] This is a new and separate discourse.
Teman] A part of Idumea, put here for the whole country.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Edomites were the posterity of Esau the eldest son of Isaac, but disinherited, the blessing being given to his younger brother Jacob, who was the head of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, Gen 27:29. God there, Gen 27:39, promised him that he should have a fat and plentiful country, though his brother should be his lord, and foretold that he should break his brothers yoke from off his neck; the land of Seir was his country, Gen 32:3. The Edomites coasted southward upon Canaan, the Israelites passed by their coasts to go into Canaan; their way lay through Edom, but their king refusing to suffer them to go through, God ordered them to go another way. Balaam prophesied their ruin, Num 24:18. They were enemies to the Israelites in Sauls time, 1Sa 14:47, and in Davids time, 2Sa 8:14, and in Amaziahs time, 2Ki 14:7, who slew of them ten thousand, and took Selah, calling it Jokteel. Many of the prophets foretold their ruin. Jeremiah in this place, Eze 25:12-14; Joe 3:19; Amo 9:12; Ob 1,8; Mal 1:4.
Teman was a city of Edom, mentioned also Eze 25:13; Amo 1:12; Oba 1:9. Eliphaz, Jobs friend, was of this place, Job 2:11. It was a place famous for wise and prudent men, of which Eliphaz was not the meanest. The prophet asks what was become of all their counsel and wisdom, for which the Arabians, the Temanites in particular, were so famous. Now they were at their wits end.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. Concerning Edoma distinctprophecy, copied in part from Obadiah, but with the freedom of onehimself inspired and foretelling a later calamity. Obadiah’s wasfulfilled probably in Sennacherib’s time (compare Isa 34:5;Amo 1:11); Jeremiah’s about thesame time as his preceding prophecies (Jer 49:12;Eze 25:12).
wisdomfor which theArabs and the people of Teman (a city of Edom) in particular, werefamed (Gen 36:15; 1Ki 4:30;see Job, everywhere; Ob 8).
vanishedliterally,”poured out,” that is, exhausted (compare Isa19:3, Margin) [MAURER].Or, as the kindred Ethiopic word means, “worn out”[LUDOVICUS DEDIEU].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts,…. Or, “unto Edom” i, thus saith the Lord; or, “against Edom” k; all which is true, as observed on Jer 49:1; meaning the Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, who was called Edom. Kimchi thinks this respects time yet future, and points at the destruction of Rome, and the Romans, who with the Jews frequently go by the name of Edom; and Abarbinel is of the same mind. And Cocceius is of opinion that the Jews are meant, and their destruction, with whom the Idumeans were incorporated before the coming of Christ, and had Herod, an Idumean, king over them; but it is best to understand the prophecy properly and literally of the Idumeans themselves;
[is] wisdom no more in Teman? a city in Edom, which had its name from Teman, a grandson of Esau, Ge 36:11; whose descendants were called Temanites; one of which was Eliphaz, a friend of Job’s, Job 2:11; it was a principal city, famous for men of wisdom; such an one was the person just mentioned: perhaps the grand senate of the country, or the chief counsellors, dwelt here; where schemes were formed for the good of the country in times of war or peace; or schools were kept here for the instruction of persons in various arts and sciences; and which had continued to this time, but now would be no more. The Targum is,
“is there no more wisdom in the south?”
but Jarchi better interprets it of Edom, which lay south to the land of Israel;
is counsel perished from the prudent? it was so, even from those that were the most famous for being prudent and understanding men; they were now at their wits’ end, and knew not what course to take, nor what advice to give, in this their time of distress. The Targum renders it “from the children”; the sons of the Temanites, strangely degenerated from their ancestors;
is their wisdom vanished? or corrupted, as the Targum; or does it stink? according to the Rabbinical sense of the word; or infatuated, and become good for nothing? verily it was, it was useless, disregarded and despised.
i “ad Idumeam”, V. L. “ad Edom”, Pagninus, Montanus. k “Contra”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Concerning Edom. – To the Edomites, whom Israel were to leave undisturbed in their possession, since they were a kindred nations ( Deu 2:4), Balaam announces that “Edom shall become a possession,” i.e., shall be taken possession of by the ruler rising out of Israel. We have shown, in the explanation given of Num 24:18, that up to the time of the exile this utterance had been fulfilled merely by feeble attacks being made, since the Edomites were only temporarily subdued by the Israelites, then soon made themselves independent again, and made war on Israel. On account of their implacable hostility towards the people of God, Ezekiel ( Eze 25:12.), as well as Jeremiah in this prophecy, announces ruin to them. The contents of the prophecy before us are as follow: The far-famed wisdom of Teman will not preserve Edom from the destruction with which Jahveh will visit it. The judgment of desolation that has been decreed shall inevitably come on it (Jer 49:7-13). The nations shall wage war against it, and make it small; because of its proud trust in the strength of its dwelling-place, it shall become the laughing-stock of every passer-by (Jer 49:14-18). As a lion from the reedy places of Jordan suddenly attacks a herd, the Lord will drag the Edomites from their rocky dwelling, so that the earth shall quake with the crash of their fall, and the anguish of death shall seize their heroes (Jer 49:19-22). In this prophecy Jeremiah has relied much on Obadiah, Oba 1:1-9, and reproduced much of his expressions regarding the fall of Edom.
(Note: The use made of Obadiah by Jeremiah has been so convincingly proved, especially by Caspari in his commentary on Obadiah, that even Ewald and Graf, who place the prophecy of Obadiah in the time of the exile, acknowledge this use that has been made of it, and therefore hold that the first part of the book of Obadiah is a fragment of an older oracle. This is a hypothesis which we have already shown, in the introduction to Obadiah, to be untenable.)
According to what has been said, his address falls into three strophes. In the first (Jer 49:7-13), the judgment breaking over Edom is depicted as one that cannot be averted, and as having been irrevocably decreed by the Lord; in the second (Jer 49:14-18), it is set forth as to its nature and the occasion of its occurrence; and in the third (Jer 49:19-22), as to its completion and consequences.
Jer 49:7-13 The judgment as inevitable. – Jer 49:7. “Thus saith Jahveh of hosts: Is there no more wisdom in Teman? has wisdom perished from those of understanding? is their wisdom [all] poured out? Jer 49:8. Flee, turn ye! hide yourselves, ye inhabitants of Dedan; for I bring the destruction of Esau upon him, the time [when] I visit him. Jer 49:9. If grape-gatherers come to thee, they will not leave gleanings; if thieves by night, they destroy what suffices them. Jer 49:10. For I have stripped Esau, I have uncovered his secret places, and he cannot cover himself; his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not. Jer 49:11. Leave thine orphans, I will keep them alive; and let thy widows trust me. Jer 49:12. For thus saith Jahveh: Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink the cup shall certainly drink it: and art thou he [who] shall be quite unpunished? thou shalt not be unpunished, but shalt certainly drink. Jer 49:13. For by myself have I sworn, saith Jahveh, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all its cities shall become everlasting wastes.” In order to frighten Edom out of his carnal security, the prophet begins by depicting the horror of the judgment coming down on this people, before which his wise men shall stand not knowing what to advise, and unable to find out any means for averting the evil. Teman, the home of the wise Eliphaz (Job 2:11), is here, as in Amo 1:12, Oba 1:9, the region of that name in Gebalene, the northern district of Idumea; see on Amo 1:12. The question, “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?” is ironical, and has a negative meaning. The following clauses also are to be taken as questions, not as assent to the question, as Hitzig and Graf infer from the omission of is not the plural of , “son,” but the participle of fo elp i ci or , and equivalent to ; cf. Isa 29:14.
Jer 49:8 The Dedanites, whose caravans march in peace through Edom (see on Jer 25:23), must flee, and hide themselves in deeply concealed hiding-places, in order to escape the evil befalling Edom. The form , which only occurs besides in Eze 9:2, in the sense of being “turned, directed,” is here preferred to the Hiphil (cf. Jer 49:24, Jer 46:21, etc.), in order to indicate the constraint under which they must change their route. is also an imperative, in spite of the Segol in the first syllable, which is found there, in some forms, instead of a; cf. Ewald, 226, a. , “make deep to stay,” i.e., withdraw yourselves into deep or hidden places, where the enemy does not see and discover you. “For the destruction of Esau,” i.e., the destruction determined on Esau, or Edom, “I bring on him;” on this matter, cf. Eze 46:21.
Jer 49:9-13 Jer 49:9 is a reproduction of Oba 1:5, but in such a way that what Obadiah brings forward as a comparison is directly applied by Jeremiah to the enemy: our prophet represents the enemy as grape-gatherers who leave nothing to glean, and as nocturnal thieves who destroy what is sufficient for them, i.e., destroy till they have enough, drag away and destroy as much as they can. The after-clauses, “they will not leave,” etc., “they destroy,” etc., are thus not to be taken as questions. The reference to Obadiah does not entitle us to supply from that passage. The connection here is somewhat different. The following verse is joined by means of , “for;” and the thought, “for I have stripped Esau, I have discovered his secret places,” shows that the enemy is to be understood by the grape-gatherers and nocturnal thieves: he will leave nothing to glean – will plunder all the goods and treasures of Edom, even those that have been hidden. On this subject, cf. Oba 1:6. , “to strip off leaves, make bare” (Jer 13:26), has been chosen with a regard to in Obadiah. , lit., “and he hides himself, he will not be able to do it;” i.e., Esau (Edom) tries to hide himself; he will not be able to do it – he will not remain concealed from the enemy. There are not sufficient grounds for changing the perf. = into the inf. abs. , as Ewald and Graf do. “His seed is destroyed,” i.e., his family, the posterity of Esau, the Edomites, his brethren,” the descendants of nations related to the family, and of others similar who had intermingled with them, as the Amalekites, Gen 36:12, Horites, Gen 36:20., Simeonites, 1Ch 4:42, “and his neighbours,” the neighbouring tribes, as Dedan, Jer 49:8, Thema and Buz, Jer 25:23. “And he is not” is added to give intensity, as in Isa 19:7; cf. Jer 31:15. The last idea is made more intensive by Jer 49:11, “Leave your orphans and widows.” Edom is addressed, and the imperative expresses what must happen. The men of Edom will be obliged to leave their wives and children, and these will be left behind as widows and orphans, because the men fall in battle. Yet the Lord will care for them, so that they shall not perish. In this comfort there is contained a very bitter truth for the Edomites who hated Jahveh. is the imperative (Ewald, 228, a), not infinitive (Hitzig); and is a rare form of the jussive for , as in Eze 37:7; cf. Ewald, 191, b. Reasons are given for these threats in Jer 49:12 and Jer 49:13, first in the thought that Edom cannot continue to be the only one unpunished, then in the bringing forward of the solemnly uttered purpose of God. “Those who should not be compelled to drink.” Those meant are the Israelites, who, as the people of God, ought to have been free from the penal judgment with which the Lord visits the nations. If, now, these are not left (spared such an infliction), still less can Edom, as a heathen nation, lay claim to exemption. By this Jeremiah does not mean to say that nay injustice befalls the Jews if they are obliged to drink the cup of the wrath of God, but merely that their having been chosen to be the people of God does not give them any right to exemption from the judgments of God on the world, i.e., if they make themselves like the heathen through their sins and vices. The inf. abs. for intensifies: “ye shall (must) drink.” The idea is founded on that pervading Jer 25, and there is use made of the words in Jer 25:29. The in Jer 49:13 is mainly dependent on the clause immediately preceding: “thou shalt certainly drink.” On “by myself have I sworn” cf. Jer 22:5. In the threat that Edom shall be laid waste there is an accumulation of words corresponding to the excitement of feeling accompanying an utterance under solemn oath. is used instead of the more common ; cf. Jer 25:18; Jer 44:22, etc. , as in Jer 25:9. Bozrah was at that time the capital of the Edomites (cf. Jer 49:22); it lay south from the Dead Sea, on the site of the village Buseireh (Little Bozrah), in Jebal, which is still surrounded by a castle and with ruins of considerable extent, and is situated on an eminence; see on Amo 1:12 and Gen 36:33. “And all its cities,” i.e., the rest of the cities of Idumea; cf. , Jer 49:2.
Jer 49:14-18 The nature and occasion of the judgment decreed. – Jer 49:14. “I have heard tidings from Jahveh, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: Gather yourselves together, and go against her, and arise to the battle! Jer 49:15. For, behold, I have made thee small among the nations, despised among men. Jer 49:16. Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, the pride of thy heart, O thou that dwellest in the hiding-places of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill. Though thou makest thy nest high like the eagle, thence will I bring thee down, saith Jahveh. Jer 49:17. And Edom shall become an astonishment; every passer-by shall be astonished at her, and shall hiss at all her plagues. Jer 49:18. As [it was in] the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, saith Jahveh, no man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn there.”
This judgment will immediately take place. The nations who are to make Edom small and despised have been already summoned by the Lord to the war. Jeremiah has taken this idea from Oba 1:1, Oba 1:2. The subject in “I have heard” is the prophet, who has heard the information from Jahveh. In Obadiah is found the plural, “we have heard,” because the prophet includes himself among the people; this is to show that the news serves as a consolation to Israel, because Edom shall be punished for his crimes committed against Judah. This view was not before the mind of Jeremiah; with him the prevailing representation is, that judgment, from which Edom cannot be excepted, is passed upon all nations. Therefore he has chosen the singular, “I have heard.” In the succeeding clause the perf. Pual has been changed into , as the more usual form. The messenger is to be considered as having been sent by the Lord for the purpose of summoning the nations to war, as he actually does in the second hemistich. The message agrees, in the nature of its contents, with Oba 1:1; but Jeremiah has dealt somewhat freely with its form. The statement with regard to the object of the war, Jer 49:15, agrees pretty exactly with Oba 1:2. The account, too, which is given of the cause of the judgment, i.e., the guilt of Edom arising from his trusting in the impregnable character of his habitation, is derived from Oba 1:3, Oba 1:4. Jeremiah has intensified the idea by the additional use of , but has also made certain limitations of the expression by omitting some clauses found in Obadiah. The word just named is . . , and has been variously explained. The verb occurs only in Job 9:6, with the meaning of quaking, trembling; and the noun pretty frequently in the sense of fear, shuddering, horror; further, is used in 1Ki 15:13; 2Ch 15:16, of an idol, monster, object of horror. Hence Rabbinical writers have been inclined to understand as meaning idolatry; in this they are followed by J. D. Michaelis, Meier, and Ngelsbach. The last-named writer translates, “Thy monster (idol) led thee astray.” But even though this meaning were better established from the use of language than it is, yet the mention of idolatry, or even of an idol, is quite unsuitable in this passage. The lxx render i.e., risus or jocus tuus , Chald. , “thy folly,” – evidently a mere guess from the context. The best ascertained translation is, “Thy terror,” i.e., the terror which thou dost inspire, or the fear of thee, “hath misled thee, the pride of thine heart,” so that “the pride,” etc., forms an apposition to “thy terror.” The combination of the fem. with the verb in the masc. is not decisive against this. Following the example of Schleussner ( O arrogantiam tuam ), Hitzig and Graf would take the word as an exclamation, “Terror to thee! horror on thee!” and thy point for support to , Isa 29:16. But an exclamation is out of place here, and incompatible with the derivation of the following words from Obadiah. Since Jeremiah appropriates from Obadiah the thought, “thy pride hath misled thee,” may possibly be meant as a mere intensification of . The pride of Edom increased because the other nations were afraid to make war on him in his rocky dwelling, so difficult of access. On , see on Oba 1:3. The succeeding apposition-clause , found in Obadiah, is modified by Jeremiah into otni , “thou that seizest, or holdest (as in Jer 40:10), the height of the hill.” In the expression there is perhaps implied an allusion to the rock-city , or Petra, in the Wady Musa (see on 2Ki 14:7), and in ni dn another allusion to Bozrah, which lay on a hill; see on Jer 49:13. On Jer 49:16, cf. Oba 1:4. Jeremiah has omitted the hyperbolic addition, “among the stars.” In Jer 49:17 and Jer 49:18 the devastation of Edom is further portrayed. On Jer 49:17, cf. Jer 25:11, Jer 25:38; with 17 b agrees Jer 19:8, almost word for word. The comparison with Sodom, etc., is a reminiscence from Deu 29:22, and is repeated in the prophecy concerning Babylon, 50:40; cf. Isa 13:19; Amo 4:11. “Her neighbours” are Admah and Zeboim, Deu 29:22; Hos 11:8. The comparison with Sodom is not so to be understood as if it indicated that Edom shall be destroyed in the same manner as Sodom; it is merely stated that the land of Edom shall become a desert waste, like the region of the Dead Sea, uninhabited, and with no human beings in it; cf. Jer 49:33 and Jer 50:40.
Jer 49:19-22 “The execution of the judgment, and fall of Edom. – Jer 49:19. “Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the glory of Jordan, to the dwelling or rock: but in a moment will I drive him away from her, and will appoint over her him who is chosen; for who is like me? and who will summon me [before the judge]? and what shepherd shall stand before me? Jer 49:20. Therefore hear the counsel of Jahveh which He hath counselled against Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they shall drag them about, the little ones of the flock; surely he shall lay waste their dwelling over them. Jer 49:21. At the noise of their fall the earth trembles; a cry – its noise is heard in the Red Sea. Jer 49:22. Behold, he shall come like the eagle and dart after [his prey], and spread his wings over Bozrah; and the heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall become like the heart of a woman travailing.”
As a lion coming up out of the thicket of reeds at the Jordan ( , see on Jer 12:5) suddenly attacks a flock, so shall he who executes the judgment attack the Edomites in their strong habitations, and at once put them to flight. The foe or general who executes the judgment is here no further pointed out, as in Jer 46:18; Jer 48:20; but he is merely set forth as a lion, and in Jer 49:22 as an eagle that in its flight darts down on its prey. , pasture or dwelling of permanence; as is used in Num 24:21 of the rocky range of Sinai, so is it used here of the rocky range of Seir ( , Jer 49:16). The translation “evergreen pasture” (Graf, Ngelsbach) cannot be defended; for neither , “continual, enduring,” nor , “pasture-ground, dwelling,” includes the notion of green grass. Quite baseless is the assumption of Hitzig, that the former word means the “shepherd” as remaining with the flock. , “I shall wink,” stands for the adverb, “immediately, at once.” , “I will make him (Edom) run,” i.e., drive him, “from it,” his habitation (which is construed as fem. ad sensum). Jahveh sends the lion; Jahveh is not compared with the lion (Hitzig). In the former word is not the interrogative pronoun, but the indefinite quicunque, as in Exo 24:14; cf. Ewald, 332, b. And the latter word is not “the valiant shepherd” (Hitzig), but signifies “chosen.” is used instead of ; and means to “set over” something, as the chief, superior. The idea is, that God will frighten away the Edomites out of their land by a lion, and appoint him as the shepherd whom He chooses for that purpose. None can prevent this, for there is none like Jahveh in strength or power, and none can call Him to account for His doing. (from ), in Hiphil, to “summon before the court of justice,” i.e., to call on one to make a defence; cf. Job 9:19. Nor can any shepherd stand before Jahveh, i.e., defend his flock. These words are directed against the rulers of Edom, who foolishly imagined they were secure, and could not be touched in their rock-fortresses. The words, moreover, contain general truths, so that we cannot apply to historical persons, such as Nebuchadnezzar or Alexander the Great.
Jer 49:20 This truth the Edomites are to lay to heart, and to hear, i.e., consider the purpose which the Lord has formed regarding Edom. Teman is not synonymous with Edom, but the inhabitants of Teman are specially named together with Edom in the parallel member, because they were particularly famous for their wisdom (Jer 49:7), and in their pride over this wisdom, held the counsels of God in very small esteem. The counsel of God, the thoughts which He has conceived regarding Edom, follow in the clauses which are introduced with solemn assurance. is rendered by the Vulgate, si non dejecerint eos parvuli gregis , which Luther follows in his translation, “if the shepherd-boys will not drag them away.” And C. B. Michaelis and Hvernick (on Ezekiel, p. 415) still view the words as meaning that “the least of the flock” will drag away Edom; i.e., the covenant people, weak and miserable though they are, will be victorious over Edom: in support of this rendering they point to Eze 25:14. But though Ezekiel clearly declares that the Lord will satisfy His revenge on Edom by means of His people Israel, yet it does not follow from this that Ezekiel had this passage of Jeremiah in his mind, and sought so to apply it. In spite of the clearness with which the thought is expressed by Obadiah and Ezekiel, that Edom will at last become the prey of the people of God, we would expect to find it in Jeremiah only as a simple inference from his words; for Jeremiah does not, like Obadiah and Ezekiel, mention the enmity of Edom to Israel as the cause of his guilt, but only the pride of his heart. Against taking “the little ones of the flock” as the subject of the clause, we find these considerations: (1) , “to pull, drag away,” does not well apply to sheep, but rather points to dogs (Jer 15:3) or lions, which drag away their prey. (2) The context is far from leading us to understand, by the little ones of the sheep, Israel or the people of God, either here or where the words are repeated, 50:45; while Zec 2:7 and Zec 13:7 are passages which cannot be held as regulating this verse. In Jer 49:19 the rulers of Edom are viewed as shepherds: in accordance with this figure, the Edomites are in Jer 49:20 called sheep, and weak, helpless ones too. The subject of is indefinite: “the enemy will advance like a lion out of the jungle of the Jordan;” the suffix precedes the noun, as in Jer 48:44, etc. The fate of Edom will be so terrible, that their pasture-ground, their habitation will be astonished at it. The Hiphil is formed, like in Num 21:20, from ; not, however, with the sense of “laying waste,” which the construction with of a person does not suit, but with the meaning of “making astonished,” as in Eze 32:10, and only here with the directly causative sense of manifesting, showing astonishment or amazement.
Jer 49:21-22 The fall of Edom will be so fearful, that the earth will tremble, and the cry of anguish from the perishing people will be heard on the Red Sea. is the inf. Kal with suffix. The threatening concludes, in Jer 49:22, with the same though through which destruction is threatened to the Moabites, Jer 48:40. The comparison of the enemy to an eagle is continued in the expression, “he shall come up;” the coming up, however, does not mean the rising of the eagle into the air, but refers to the enemy: to march as an enemy against Edom.
With reference to the fulfilment of this prophecy, we have already pointed out, on Num 24:18, and at the close of the exposition in Obadiah, that the threatened devastation of the land of Edom was brought about by the Chaldeans, as is clear from Mal 1:3; but the annihilation of the people was commenced by the Maccabeans, and completed by the Romans, about the time of the Jewish war.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Judgment of Edom. | B. C. 595. |
7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? 8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him. 9 If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. 10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not. 11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me. 12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 14 I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle. 15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men. 16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. 17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. 19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them. 21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea. 22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
The Edomites come next to receive their doom from God, by the mouth of Jeremiah: they also were old enemies to the Israel of God; but their day will come to be reckoned with, and it is now at hand, and is foretold, not only for warning to them, but for comfort to the Israel of God, whose afflictions were very much aggravated by their triumphs over them and joy in their calamity, Ps. cxxxvii. 7. Many of the expressions used in this prophecy concerning Edom are borrowed from the prophecy of Obadiah, which is concerning Edom; for, all the prophets being inspired by one and the same Spirit, there must needs be a wonderful harmony and agreement in their predictions. Now here it is foretold,
I. That the country of Edom should be all wasted and made desolate, that the calamity of Esau should be brought upon him, the calamity he has deserved, and God has long designed him, for his old sins, v. 8. The time is at hand when God will visit him, and call him to an account, and then they shall flee from the sword, turn back from the battle, and dwell deep in some close caverns, where they shall hide themselves. All they have shall be carried off by the conqueror; whereas grape-gatherers will leave some gleanings, and even thieves know when they have enough and will destroy no further, those that destroy them shall never be satiated, (Jer 49:9; Jer 49:10); they shall make Esau quite bare, shall strip the Edomites of all they have, shall find out ways and means to come at their most hidden treasure, shall discover even the secret places where they thought to secure their wealth, and rifle them, so that they shall none of them save their wealth, no, nor save themselves nor their children, that might be concealed in a little room: He shall not be able to hide himself, and his seed too is spoiled. His brethren the Moabites, and his neighbours the Philistines, whom he might have expected succours from, or at least shelter with, are spoiled as well as he and disabled to do him any service. And he is not, or there is not he, there is none to him, none left him, that may say what follows (v. 11), Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive. When they are flying, or dying, there shall be none left, no relation, no friend, no, not so much as any parish officers to take care of their wives and children that they leave behind. Edom is not, he is cut off and gone; nor is there any to say, Leave me thy orphans. If the master of a family be cut off, or forced away, it is some comfort if he have a friend to leave his family with, whom he can confide in; but they shall have none such, for they shall all be involved in the same calamity. The Chaldee makes these to be the words of God to his people, distinguishing them from the Edomites in this calamity; and they read it, “But you, O house of Israel! you shall not leave your orphans; I will secure them, and let your widows rest on my word. Whatever becomes of the widows and fatherless of the Edomites, I will take care of yours.” Note, it is an unspeakable comfort to the people of God, when they are dying, that they may leave their surviving relations with God, may, in faith, commit them to him and encourage them to trust in him; and, though they cannot promise themselves great things in the world for them, yet they may hope that he will preserve them alive, always, provided that they trust in him. Let the Edomites, for their part, count upon no other than to be made a desolation and a reproach; for the decree has gone forth; God hath sworn it by himself (v. 13), that their cities shall be wasted, nay, they shall be perpetual wastes, they shall be made mean and despicable; they had made a mighty figure, but God will make them small among the heathen; and those that despised God’s people shall themselves be despised among men (Jer 49:15; Oba 1:2), nay, they shall be made monstrous, and even a prodigy (v. 17): Edom shall be such a desolation that every one who goes by shall be astonished; nay, worse yet, they shall be made a terror; Edom shall be made like Sodom and Gomorrah, none shall care for coming near the ruins of it, no man shall abide there (v. 18), such a frightful place shall it be made.
II. That the instruments of this destruction should be very resolute and formidable. They have their commission from God; he summons them into this service (v. 14): I have heard a rumour, or report, from the Lord, heard it by the prophecy of Obadiah, heard it by a whisper to myself, that an ambassador, or herald, or messenger, is sent to the Gentiles, who are to lay Edom waste, saying, Gather you together, muster all the forces you can, and come against her; for (v. 20) this is the counsel that he hath taken against Edom. The matter is settled, the decree has gone forth, and there is no resisting it. God has determined that Edom shall be laid waste, and then he that is to be employed in wasting it shall come swiftly and strongly. Nebuchadnezzar is he or whom it is here foretold, 1. That he shall come up like a lion, with fierceness and fury, like a lion enraged by the swelling of Jordan overflowing his banks, which forces him out of his covert by the water-side into the higher grounds, v. 19. He shall come roaring, come to devour all that come in his way. He shall come against the habitation of the strong, the forts and castles; and I will cause him to come suddenly into the land (so the next words might well be read), so as to find them unprovided with necessaries for a defence; for I will look out a chosen man to appoint over her, to do this execution, a man fit for the purpose, one chosen out of the people; for when God has work to do he will find out the fittest instruments to be employed in doing it: “Who is like me for choosing the instruments, and spiriting them for the work? And who will appoint me the time? Who will challenge me, and fix a time and place to meet me? Who will join issue with me in battle? And, when I send a lion into the flock, who is that shepherd that can, or dare, stand before me, or against me, to oppose that lion, and think to rescue any of the flock?” Note, When God has work to do of any kind he will soon find those that are able to engage in it, and all the world cannot find those that are able to engage against it. Nay, if God will have Edom destroyed, and their peopled dislodged, there needs not a lion, a fierce lion to do it: Even the least of the flock shall draw them out (v. 20); the meanest servant in Nebuchadnezzar’s retinue, the weakest of all that follow his camp, shall draw them out for the slaughter, shall force them to flee, or to surrender, and make their habitations desolate with them. God can bring to pass the greatest works by instruments least likely. When the Chaldean army comes against the Edomites all hands shall be employed and the poorest soldier in it shall have a pluck at them. 2. Nebuchadnezzar shall come, not only like a lion, the king of beasts, but like an eagle, the king of birds (v. 22): He shall fly as the eagle upon his prey, so swiftly, so strongly, shall clap his wings upon Bozrah, to secure it for himself (as before, ch. xlviii. 40), and immediately the hearts of the mighty men shall fail them, for they shall see he is an enemy that it is in vain to struggle with.
III. That the Edomites’ confidences should all fail them in the day of their distress. 1. They trusted to their wisdom, but that shall stand them in no stead. This is the first thing fastened upon in this prophecy against Edom, v. 7. That nation used to be famous for wisdom, and their statesmen were thought to excel in politics; and yet now they shall take such wrong measures in all their counsels, and be so baffled in all their designs, that people shall ask, with wonder, What is the matter with the Edomites? Is wisdom no more in Teman? Have the wise men of the east country (1 Kings iv. 30) become fools? Are those at their wits’ end that were thought to have the monopoly of prudence? Has counsel perished from the understanding men? It is so, when God is designing the ruin of a people; for whom he will destroy he infatuates. See Job xii. 20. Has their wisdom vanished? Is it tired? (so some); is it worn out? (so others); has it become useless? so others. Yes, it will do them no service when God comes forth to contend with them. 2. They trusted to their strength, but neither shall that avail them, v. 16. They had been a terror to all their neighbours; every body feared them and truckled to them, and this made them proud and conceited of themselves and their own strength, and very secure; because no neighbouring nation durst meddle with them, they thought no nation in the world durst. Their country was much of it mountainous, having many passes which they thought themselves able to make good against any invader; but this terribleness of theirs deceived them, and so did their imaginary inaccessibleness; they did not prove so strong as they were formidable, nor so safe as they were secure. High as they are, God will bring them down; for, as there is no wisdom, so there is no might against the Lord, See these expressions, Oba 1:3; Oba 1:4; Oba 1:8.
IV. That their destruction should be inevitable and very remarkable. 1. God hath determined it (v. 12); he hath said it; nay (v. 13), he hath sworn it, that the Edomites shall not go unpunished, but that they shall drink the cup of trembling, which is put into the hands of all their neighbours; even those whose judgment, or doom, was not to drink of the cup, who had not so well deserved it as they had done, nations that had not been such enemies to Israel as they had been, or Israel itself, that was God’s peculiar people, and among whom there were many, very many, who kept his ordinances, upon which account they might have expected an exemption; and yet they had been made to drink of the bitter cup; and shall the Edomites think to pass it? No; they shall surely drink of it. Note, When God punishes the less guilty it is folly for the more guilty to promise themselves impunity; and when judgment begins at God’s house it will reach the strangers. 2. All the world shall take notice of it (v. 21): The earth is moved, and all the nations are put into a concern, at the noise of their fall; the news of it shall make them tremble. The noise of the outcry is heard to the Red Sea, which flowed upon the coasts of Edom. So loud shall be the shouts of the conquerors and the shrieks of the conquered, and such a mighty noise shall the news of this destruction of Idumea make in the nations, that is shall be heard among the ships that lie in the Red Sea to take in lading (1 Kings ix. 26), and then they shall carry the news of it to the remotest shore. Note, The fall of those who have affected to make a noise with their pomp and power will make so much the greater noise.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 7-22: CONCERNING EDOAA
1. Descendants of Esau, the Edomites had been the perpetual enemies of Israel, from the time of the conflict between the twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, (Gen 36:1; Gen 27:41).
a. They occupied the territory formerly known as Seir (Gen 32:3; Num 24:18) extending from Zered to the Gulf of Aqabah – about 100 miles.
b. The Edomite kings who succeeded the patriarchal chieftains were hostile to Israel, (Num 20:14-21; Jdg 11:17); however, the covenant people were forbidden to detest, abhor or abuse them, (Deu 23:7).
2. Teman was a grandson of Esau (Gen 36:11), whose name was used of the tribe, living in northern Edom, but also became a synonym for the entire land, (Job 4:1; Hab 3:3; Amo 1:12).
a. The Temanltes were anciently renowned for their wisdom.
b. Now the Lord inquires whether that wisdom has not perished through corruption, (vs. 7).
3. The Dedanites, travelling desert-traders of northwest Arabia (Jer 25:23), are counseled to flee to some safe refuge ff they would escape the judgment that is to come upon Edom, (vs. 8; comp. Isa 21:13).
4. Unlike the picker who leaves a few grapes, or the thief who leaves some possessions behind, the Lord will strip Edom of all her fortresses – leaving her bare and without a hiding place, (vs. 9-10; Oba 1:5-6).
5. Yet, in justice and mercy, the Lord will preserve the widows and orphans-the innocent, (vs. 11).
6. As Israel has tasted the cup of Jehovah’s anger (comp. 1Pe 4:17-19), so now, Bozrah will become a horror, reproach, waste and curse; the cities of Edom will become perpetual wastes, (vs. 12-13).
7. A parallel prophecy to verses 14-16 is found in Oba 1:1-4. a. The Lord Himself calls together an army for the judgment of Edom, (vs. 14) whose stature among the nations is so diminished that Edom will be despised, (vs. 15; comp. Luk 1:51).
b. Presuming that her fortresses were impenetrable, the Edomites were lifted up in the deceptiveness of a proud heart, (vs. 15a).
c. But, though she dwells among the clefts of Petra (an amphitheater of mountains accessible only through a narrow gorge); though she make her nest high, like that of the eagle; still the Lord will bring her down in humiliation! (vs. 15b; comp. Amo 9:2; Isa 14:13-15).
8. The coming plagues and judgment of Edom is likened to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah – wherein no man will dwell or sojourn, (vs. 17-18).
9. Though the destroyer of Edom is not specifically named, his description, as “a lion from the dwelling of the Jordan”, and “an eagle”, that spreads out his wings against Bozrah, suggests that it may have been Babylon (vs.19-22; comp. Eze 17:2-21).
a. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be as the heart of a woman in her birth-pangs.
b. Like dogs, their enemies will drag them away and treat them as they please, (comp. Jer 50:45).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Here Jeremiah turns to Idumeans, who were most inveterate enemies to the chosen people, though their origin ought to have disposed them to show kindness to them, for they had descended from the same father, even Abraham. The Idumeans also gloried in their holy descent, and had circumcision in common with the Jews. It was then a most impious cruelty that the Idumeans entertained such bitter hatred towards their own blood. Hence our Prophet most severely reproved them, as also did Ezekiel and Obadiah. (Eze 25:12; Oba 1:1)
He says first, Is there not wisdom any more in Teman? By these words he intimates, that though the Idumeans thought themselves safe through their own counsels, because they excelled in acuteness, it yet would avail them nothing, for the Lord would blind them and deprive them of a sane mind; for what is put here interrogatively is declared plainly by Obadiah, (Oba 1:8) even in God’s name,
“
I will take away wisdom from Teman, and there shall be no understanding in Mount Esau.”
But as Obadiah had preceded Jeremiah, it was necessary that he should speak of this as of a future thing. But our Prophet, as the judgment of which Obadiah was a witness and a herald, was near at hand, boldly exults over the Idumeans, and laughs at their reproach, inasmuch as they were deprived of counsel and understanding when they had most need of them. Teman, no doubt, was the name of a mountain or of a region; and this we learn from the Prophet Habakkuk,
“
God shall come from Teman, and the holy one from Mount Paran.” (Hab 3:3)
It was also a chief city, as we learn form other places; and our Prophet sets it forth as the seat of the kingdom, when he says, Is there not wisdom in Teman? and then, Has counsel perished from the intelligent?
I wonder that interpreters, skillful in the language and conversant in it, should render the last word “ sons, ” for it is unsuitable to the place. (34) The word, no doubt, is derived from בום, bun, to understand, and not from בנה, bene, to build, whence the word, בנים, benim, sons, comes. For how can it suit this passage to say, Is there no more wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the children? that is, as they understand it, “from the children of Esau.” But this is frigid and forced; and the two clauses correspond much better when read thus, “Is there no more wisdom in Teman? has counsel perished from the intelligent?” that is, from those who have hitherto boasted of their intelligence and acuteness.
He then adds, Rotten has become their wisdom. The verb סרח, sarech, means to be superfluous, but some render it here to be putrid, as it is in Niphal I know not whether they have done this, because they did not know another meaning suitable to the context; but we may fitly render it thus, that their wisdom had become superfluous, that is, useless. We may also adopt another meaning, that their wisdom had been hitherto overflowing, that is, superabounded; for they had such wisdom, so as not only to act wisely for themselves, but also to show to others what was right and useful. As then the Idumeans possessed so much wisdom as to direct others, and not to be wise only for themselves, the words would read well were they rendered, that their wisdom had abounded. But in that case the words would be ironical; for the Prophet seems to assign a reason for his astonishment.
I give then this explanation: he first says, Is there wisdom no more in Teman? He exclaims, as though the thing was very strange, “How can this be! is the very fountain of wisdom exhausted? Who could have thought that a city so renowned for wisdom would become so fatuitous as not to know her approaching calamity, so as to meet it, and apply in time the remedy?” And to the same effect he adds, Has counsel perished from the intelligent? At length he subjoins, Abounded has their wisdom; and this he says, in order to show a reason for his astonishment. (35)
But we must notice the sameness and the difference between our Prophet and Obadiah. The latter foretold the blindness of that nation; but our Prophet, as though he wished to rouse from their torpor those who had been inattentive to the prophecy of Obadiah, exclaims, “How has wisdom perished from Teman, and counsel from the intelligent?” We must further observe, that this punishment was by God inflicted on the Idumeans, because they had applied all their thoughts to frauds and intrigues; and it seldom happens, but that they who excel in acuteness become very sharp and fraudulent. As then men are thus wont to abuse for the most part their knowledge, God blinds them, and shews that men cannot of themselves be wise, but as far as it is given them from above. As I have already said, the Prophet enlarges on this judgment, that he might the more effectually rouse the minds of men. For had the Idumeans been rustics, such as dwell among mountains, and had no report prevailed as to their wisdom, no one would have wondered that they were taken and subdued; for simple and unwary men are exposed to the intrigues of their enemies, and cannot escape them. But the Prophet, in order to set forth this judgment of God as wonderful, says that their wisdom had been as it were overflowing, that is, like an abundant treasure, for they administered counsel to others. As, then, the Idumeans so much excelled in intelligence, especially those who dwelt in the city Teman, the Prophet shews by this very circumstance that their blindness proceeded from the manifest vengeance of God, and that such a change did not happen by chance. It follows, —
(34) So the Vulg. and the Targ., while the Sept. and the Syr., have “prudent,” or intelligent. The word is not in its regular form, the י iod being wanted, and the מ mem before it being omitted, which is not uncommon. Discerning rather than “prudent,” or “intelligent,” is its meaning. — Ed
(35) Some maintain that the first clause only is a question, for there is no interrogatory particle prefixed to the other clauses, —
Is wisdom no longer in Teman? Perished has counsel from the discerning, Vanished has their wisdom.
Neither the versions nor the Targum put the two last lines as questions; nor the Sept. and the Syr. the first. The verb סרח is differently rendered, — by the Sept., “departed;” by the Vulg., “become useless;” by the Syr., “taken away;” by the Targ., “marred,” or corrupted. The verb means to spread, to stretch out; and spreading here is in the sense of dissipating or scattering, and the verb here is passive. So “vanished” would convey the meaning. The first line is a question, and the two following contain the answer. A tautology cannot be otherwise avoided. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
VI. AN ORACLE AGAINST EDOM Jer. 49:7-22
Beyond the brook Zered, the southern boundary of Moab, lay Edom. Edom was an exceedingly mountainous country rich in copper and iron ore. Because of its mineral wealth and because a main north-south trade route, the Kings Highway, passed through it, Edom was under constant threat of attack from surrounding nations. From the time of David the Israelites were able to dominate Edom except for a few brief periods of independence. Esaus bitter hatred of his brother Jacob was inherited by his descendants, the Edomites. While history records that Jacob and Esau were reconciled (Gen. 33:1-16), the descendants of these two patriarchs remained implacable foes throughout most of their history.
A. The Inescapable Calamity Jer. 49:7-13
TRANSLATION
(7) Concerning Edom. This said the LORD of hosts:
Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? has counsel perished from the prudent ones? has their wisdom disappeared? (8) Flee! Turn! Go down deep to dwell, O inhabitant of Dedan; for I will bring the destruction of Esau upon him, the time of his punishment. (9) If grape-gatherers come to you they will not leave grapes. If thieves in the night, they will destroy until they have sufficient. (10) But I have stripped Esau, uncovered his hiding places and he shall not be able to hide himself. His seed and his brethren are destroyed; and he is no more. (11) Forsake your orphans! I will keep them alive! Let your widows trust in Me! (12) For thus says the LORD: Behold, if those whose judgment was not to drink the cup shall surely drink, shall you get off scot-free? You will not be exempt, but will certainly have to drink. (13) For I have sworn by Myself (oracle of the LORD) that Bozrah shall be desolation, reproach, waste, and curse; and all her cities shall be eternal desolations.
COMMENTS
The oracle against Edom begins with a series of rhetorical questions designed to mock the wisdom for which that land was renown. The calamity comes with such suddenness upon Edom that the professional wisemen, counselors, and statesmen are incapable of offering any helpful advice. Teman is a city in the northern part of Edom. Human wisdom is certainly inadequate in the face of the judgment of the living God. The calamity draws near. Jeremiah calls on the neighboring Dedanites who inhabited the region south of Edom. These merchant people apparently carried on extensive trade with Edom and they are here urged to avoid all contact with Edom lest they be caught up in the calamity which was about to befall that nation. Dwell deep probably means to withdraw deep into the desert regions where they would be safe from the approaching destruction. It is the time of Edoms judgment; the Lord will bring calamity upon Edom (Jer. 49:8).
The complete devastation of Edom is indicated by two powerful figures of speech. The enemy like grape gatherers will leave no gleanings in the land. Like thieves they will unsparingly plunder the land until they have their fill (Jer. 49:9).[394] The Lord Himself will lay Esau (Edom) bare revealing to the enemy the secret retreats and hiding places thus insuring that all the treasures of the land will be plundered. The inhabitants of Edom will be able to find no safe retreat. The descendants of Edom, those who shared his land and those who lived around about his land, would all suffer in the coming calamity. Most important, Edom himself is not i.e., would cease to exist as a nation (Jer. 49:10). All the warriors of Edom shall be cut off in the conflict leaving their wives and children as helpless widows and orphans. Yet the gracious God of Israel will care for these helpless ones if they but look to Him for protection. What a beautiful promise here in the midst of ominous threats and dreadful judgments.
[394] There is no real reason Why Jer. 49:9 should be rendered in English as an interrogative as in KJV and ASV. The ASV marginal reading is superior.
Edom must drink of the cup of Gods wrath. The calamity is inescapable. After all, if the chosen people of God shall not escape His judgment, how could Edom? (Jer. 49:12). Since Israel must suffer, Edom cannot be unpunished. Furthermore, God has taken an oath that Bozrah, the chief city of northern Edom, and the other cities of the land shall become perpetual desolations (Jer. 49:13).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) Concerning Edom.A short survey of the past history is necessary that we may enter into the force of the prophets words. On the journey of the Israelites to Canaan the Edomites were left unmolested (Num. 14:21; Deu. 2:4). Conquered by Saul (1Sa. 14:47), and yet more completely by David (2Sa. 8:14), they made an unsuccessful attempt to throw off the yoke in the time of Solomon (1Ki. 11:14-22), but finally revolted with success in that of Joram (2Ki. 8:20-22; 2Ch. 21:8). Amaziah and Uzziah endeavoured to reassert dominion over them (2Ki. 14:7; 2Ki. 14:22), but under Ahaz they invaded Judah (2Ch. 28:17), and in the reign of Zedekiah appear as an independent power seeking to ally themselves with that king against their common enemy Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 27:3). Soon, however, they allied themselves with the Chaldaeans, and were conspicuous for their triumphant exultation in the destruction of Jerusalem (Psa. 137:7; Lam. 4:21; Eze. 35:15; Eze. 36:5). Obadiah had prophesied against them, probably shortly before Jeremiahs utterance, and what we find here stands in the same relation to his language as the prophecy against Moab in Jeremiah 48 does to Isaiah 15, 16. Possibly, however, as Oba. 1:11 seems to indicate, Obadiah was the later of the two. (See Introduction to Obadiah.)
Is wisdom no more in Teman . . .?The exact locality of Teman has not been determined, but it is always closely connected with Edom, and, as the word means south, may describe that region of the Edomite country. Its fame for wisdom seems to have been proverbial. So Eliphaz the Temanite appears as the chief speaker among Jobs three friends (Job. 2:11; Job. 4:1). So Obadiah (Oba. 1:8) speaks of the wise men of Edom. So Solomons wisdom excelled that of the children of the East (1Ki. 4:30). The form of the questions implies that all three are to be answered in the affirmative.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
PROPHECY AGAINST EDOM, Jer 49:7-22.
7. Concerning Edom This prophecy is based on the first nine verses of Obadiah, but with many changes. The country of Edom held a relation to the kingdom of Judah not unlike that which Moab held to Israel. It extended from Moab and the Dead Sea, on the west to the Mediterranean, on the east to the desert, thus skirting the entire southern boundary of Judah. There are signs of a peculiar antipathy between the descendants of Esau and those of Jacob. This was so strong at the time of the giving of the law as to require special enactment, and hence that somewhat singular clause inserted in the Mosaic law, “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother.” Even that most sad and plaintive of all the psalms, commencing, “By the rivers of Babylon,” etc., does not close without giving evidence of the same state of feeling: “Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.” And hence this name of Edom came to be a generic one for the enemies of the Church; so that when the divine Conqueror is described, it is in such language as this: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” There are many prophecies directed against Edom, but of only one of these does Jeremiah make use, namely, that in Obadiah, already specified. Teman was in the north-eastern part of Idumea, but is here put for the whole country. It was the home of the wise Eliphaz of the book of Job, and hence, probably, was famed for wisdom; so that here is doubtless somewhat of irony.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Judgment Against Edom ( Jer 49:7-22 ).
Edom lay to the south east of Judah stretching from the borders of Judah down to the Gulf of Aqabah, a distance of 100 miles. Its importance generally lay in the fact that it gave access to the lucrative Red Sea trade through its port at Ezion Geber. The King’s Highway, the trade route from the north, passed through its territory, on the way to Ezion Geber, and those who travelled it were often prey to brigands descending from the Edomite mountains round about. Eponymously descended from Esau (although being a mixture of peoples) Edom was seen as a brother tribe to Israel, but rather than this making them more friendly towards Israel, it appears to have had the opposite effect. Their attitude towards Israel appears to have been one of constant hostility, and they appear to have taken great delight in Judah/Israel’s misfortunes, and to have taken advantage of them for their own ends. See 2Ch 20:1; 2Ch 28:17.
So, as in Isaiah and Obadiah, of all the nations the judgment on Edom is seen to be judgment at its most extreme (compare Isaiah 34; Isa 63:1-6; Obadiah). This seemingly occurred because, even though they were a brother tribe to Israel, they had constantly revealed their treacherousness by taking advantage of Judah’s weak position at times when they were in difficulties. This was especially so at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. It was a destruction in which they took great delight, exulting over Judah’s downfall (see Psa 137:7; Lam 4:21; Eze 25:12-14; Eze 35:15; Eze 36:5), and this in spite of the fact that they had initially been allies (Jer 27:3). As a consequence they occupied parts of southern Judah. Thus their treachery was extreme. As a consequence Edom was to be wiped off the face of the map, becoming a desolation for ever (although interestingly their occupation of southern Judah, to which later Edomite refugees would flee, would prove to be a boon to them when they had nowhere else to go).
Edom’s meanness of spirit towards Israel had come out from the beginning. In the days of Moses they had refused to allow Israel safe passage through their territory, at a time when the Israelites had endured forty tortuous years in the wilderness (Num 20:14-29). And this attitude had continued throughout the centuries, no doubt exacerbated by the fact that when Israel was strong, in for example the days of Saul, David and Solomon, Israel in its turn had not hesitated to subdue Edom. But there was no doubt of Edom’s constant and mean-spirited animosity towards Judah/Israel throughout the centuries, and their constant attempts at various times to take advantage of Judah’s weakness, and this despite their relationship to Israel.
From the humane point of view the extremity of the judgment must, however, be seen as somewhat ameliorated by the fact that when they were finally driven out of their land by the Arabs, and later by the Nabataeans, and had settled in Southern Judah (what became known as Idumaea) the Edomites were absorbed into Israel and became Jews, although admittedly by compulsion under John Hyrcanus. Their need to seek refuge would thus prove to be a blessing in disguise, so that by the time of Jesus Edom had been absorbed into Israel.
In all this we see the sovereignty of God and the freewill of man going hand in hand. We must not put the blame for the cruelty of the invaders on God. It was the consequence of man’s inhumanity to man. What is, however, being brought out is that through it God was bringing about His purposes.
Jer 49:7
‘Of Edom.’
The passage begins with the usual terse reference as to who is in mind in the prophecy, in this case Edom.
Jer 49:7
“Thus says YHWH of hosts,
Is wisdom no more in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom vanished?”
Teman was proverbial for its wise men, and it is always closely associated with Edom. (Teman was a grandson of Esau). In Hab 3:3 it appears to be used to describe Edom, the part representing the whole. One of Job’s ‘comforters’ was Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11; Job 4:1), and the wise men of Edom are further referred to by Obadiah (Jer 1:8). They were linked with ‘the children of the east’ who were renowned for their wisdom (1Ki 4:30). Now, however, YHWH declares that they have lost their wisdom, something which is demonstrated by their behaviour. They have proved themselves foolish. In the Hebrew the questions anticipate a positive answer.
Jer 49:8
“Flee you, turn back, dwell in the depths (caves),
O inhabitants of Dedan,
For I will bring the calamity of Esau on him,
The time that I shall visit him.”
Those who are associated with Edom are therefore advised to flee and leave them to their fate. Dedan was an Arabian city, not part of Edom, although closely linked with Teman and Edom in Eze 25:13. They are advised to separate themselves from Edom and hide in remote places in view of what is coming on Edom. For it is Edom’s time to be visited by YHWH and to suffer calamity.
‘The calamity of Edom — the time that I shall visit him.’ Chilling phrases which brings out what God has purposed for Edom. It will be a time when they will be visited by God in judgment. It is a reminder that God’s judgment is inexorable.
We have here a reminder to all that we should beware of connecting ourselves up with those whose way of life is unsatisfactory. If we do so we must not be surprised if we get caught up when they suffer the consequences of their behaviour.
Jer 49:9-10
“If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy only until they had enough?
But I have made Esau stripped bare,
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he will not be able to hide himself,
His seed is destroyed,
And his brothers, and his neighbours,
And he is not.
Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive,
And let your widows trust in me.”
YHWH now makes clear the completeness of the judgment that is coming on Edom. Whereas grape-gatherers will always leave a few grapes for the gleaners, in accordance with the Mosaic law (Lev 19:10; Deu 24:21), and even thieves will always leave something behind once they are satisfied with what they have found, YHWH will leave Edom with nothing. It will be stripped bare. Even their most secret hiding places will be uncovered so that they cannot hide from the destroyers. Edom’s seed will be destroyed, apart, that is, from His showing of mercy to the fatherless and to widows. This exception is interesting in that it draws attention to the fact that the people are not suffering haphazardly. It is because of their sins and their attitudes. The innocent will be spared with a view to them trusting in YHWH. Throughout God’s judgment there is also a purpose of mercy.
It is interesting that Oba 1:5-6 makes use of similar illustrations in order emphasise the utter judgment which is coming on Edom. It may be that Jeremiah borrowed from him, or that they were both aware of a common prophecy against Edom. But in the end the words and the ideas were YHWH’s.
Jer 49:12
“For thus says YHWH,
Behold, they to whom it pertains not to drink of the cup will assuredly drink,
And are you he who will altogether go unpunished?
You will not go unpunished,
But you will surely drink.
YHWH points out to Edom that even ‘innocent’ nations will have to drink of the cup of suffering, even though they did not deserve it, how much more then will Edom be made to drink of it, they who do deserve it. One thing therefore is sure, that they too will drink of it. They will not go unpunished for their sins.
The point is not that the other nations are not to be seen as sinful. It is rather that they have not shown enmity towards God’s people, this in contrast with Edom. Compare Amo 1:11. The picture of experiencing suffering and judgment in terms of drinking of a cup is a regular one in the Old Testament. See Jer 25:15-29 for its use in Jeremiah. See also Psa 75:8; Isa 51:17; Isa 51:22; Hab 2:16; Psa 11:6. It is in direct contrast to drinking of the cup of YHWH in a good sense (Psa 16:5; Psa 116:13).
Jer 49:13
“For I have sworn by myself,
The word of YHWH,
That Bozrah will become an astonishment,
A reproach, a waste, and a curse,
And all its cities,
Will be perpetual wastes.”
Bozrah was once the chief city of Edom (to be distinguished from the Bozrah in Moab – Jer 48:24). Its overthrow had already been prophesied by Amo 1:12. If we associate it with modern Buseirah it was situated 25 miles (40 kilometres) south east of the Dead Sea. Excavations there have revealed three principle levels of occupation in 8th century BC and later.
For YHWH to swear by Himself was a most solemn oath (compare Heb 6:13). It was the very declared intention of YHWH. And He swore that the proud city of Bozrah in its lofty security, a city at which men marvelled, would become a thing of astonishment as men beheld its ruin. It would be a perpetual sign of reproach in that it would demonstrate that they had behaved in such a way as to bring this in themselves. It would become a waste, a city under a curse. And all its surrounding towns and villages would become perpetual wastes. There was to be no future hope here for Edom.
Jer 49:14
“I have heard tidings from YHWH,
And an ambassador is sent among the nations,
Saying, ‘Gather yourselves together, and come against her,
And rise up to the battle.’ ”
Jeremiah emphasises that what is prophesied is already taking shape. He himself has received tidings from YHWH, whilst an ambassador has already been sent by Him amongst the nations calling on them to gather themselves to battle against Edom (compare Jer 46:3-4). The ambassador may indicate an angelic messenger acting invisibly, or it may have in mind those whom Nebuchadrezzar sent out to call tributaries to respond to the call to arms.
Humanly speaking this was not, of course, just YHWH’s doing. It was the result of man’s greed as he sought to establish empires and obtain much booty. Going forth to war was seen as an essential part of life (compare 2Sa 11:1 which speaks of ‘the time when kings go forth to battle’). And none partook in this more than the great kings. But YHWH was utilising man’s behaviour in order to bring about His own purposes.
Jer 49:15-17
For, behold, I have made you small among the nations,
And despised among men.
As for your terribleness,
The pride of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
What hold the height of the hill,
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there,
The word of YHWH,
And Edom will become an astonishment,
Every one who passes by it,
They will be astonished,
And will hiss at all its plagues.”
It is always a nations tendency to see itself as great, and to take pride in its defensive capability. And Edom was no exception. It saw itself as invulnerable and its armies as invincible. But they had never really been tested against such an army as Babylon’s. If we do not know the capacity of the enemy it is easy to deceive ourselves. It was to learn that it was but ‘small among the nations’, and that it would become a thing despised among men. Pride would come before a fall.
One of Edom’s strongpoints was its mountainous nature. Its cities were built in high places, making attack difficult. They ‘dwelt in the clefts of the rock’ and on ‘the height of the hill’. But they are warned that even though they make their nest as high as the eagle’s, they will be brought down from there. Eagles make their nests in inaccessible places (see Job 39:27-29). But however inaccessible, they can always be reached by a determined enemy. So it would be for Edom. And the result would be that instead of being envied and exalted they would become an object of astonishment and amazement because of what was to happen to them. Men would draw their breaths and gasp when they saw the disasters that were coming on them.
‘As for your terribleness.’ The word is an unusual one and may indicate the terrible aspect that they sought to present, proud of their own ferocity. But a cognate word found in 1Ki 15:13; 2Ch 15:16 may indicate that like ‘abomination’ it was used to depict idolatry. They were proud of their fierce god. Thus we have linked the ideas of pride and idolatry, both hateful to God. It may be that just as YHWH could be called ‘the Fear of Isaac’, so Edom’s god, possibly Qaus which appears in many Edomite names, could be called ‘the Terrible One of Edom’.
‘In the clefts of the rocks.’ Some would translate as ‘in the fortresses of Sela’, being a reference to the mountain top fortresses in Edom. Sela is elsewhere used of the city of Petra, built into the rocks, although the remains that we know of at Petra are of Roman origin. Here it appears to be referring to Edom as a whole.
For us the lesson is clear. If we trust in ourselves in our spiritual warfare, and see ourselves as upon the mountain tops and therefore secure, we must beware lest we need to humbled. We must ever remember the injunctions of Eph 6:10-18.
Jer 49:18
“As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah,
And their neighbour cities,
The word of YHWH,
No man will dwell there,
Nor will any son of man sojourn in it.”
Indeed the devastation was to be likened to that of Sodom and Gomorrah. The cataclysmic disaster that had occurred to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19) had been so devastating that it had echoed down the centuries (Jer 23:14; Isa 1:10; Isa 3:9; Isa 13:19; Amo 4:11; Zep 2:9). It had become a byword for complete and utter disaster. Sodom and Gomorrah, with their neighbouring towns, had been wiped off the map, leaving an uninhabited land. In the same way Edom was to become so desolated that no man dwelt there, and no one lived in it. This found partial fulfilment in the arrival of the Arabs (5th century BC), and later the Nabataeans (3rd century BC, who drove out the Edomites. But it became even moreso in later centuries.
Jer 49:19
“Behold, he will come up like a lion from the pride of Jordan,
Against the strong habitation,
For I will in the wink of an eye make them run away from it,
And whoever is chosen,
Him will I appoint over it,
For who is like me?
And who will appoint me a time?
And who is the shepherd who will stand before me?”
The ‘pride of Jordan’ was the description used of the area of thick jungle thickets on the banks of the Jordan in which many wild beasts found refuge. It was notorious for the lions that came from there seeking prey when they were hungry through shortage of prey in the thickets, when they could be a danger to men as they desperately sought for food, even entering towns and villages in their search. Compare Jer 12:5; Jer 25:38; Hos 13:7-8. As soon as lone men saw them they ran away. They knew just how dangerous they could be under those circumstances. No adversary is named by Jeremiah, but the picture is a vivid one as the adversary is pictured as emerging from the thickets, hungry in his quest for prey. He is the chosen of YHWH, YHWH’s shepherd, emerging in YHWH’s time, a time which no one else can appoint and He alone will decide.
‘And whoever is chosen, him will I appoint over it.’ This may indicate YHWH’s chosen candidate, someone in the full bloom of young manhood (implicit in the word used) who has been chosen by YHWH. Or it may be a challenge to Edom to choose for themselves a champion so that YHWH may set him over them, indicating at the same time that any such appointment would be useless.
‘Strong habitation.’ This may refer to their invasion of towns and villages. Alternately we may render it as ‘evergreen pasturage’ or ‘secure encampment’, indicating the areas where the shepherds fed their flocks. The word here rendered ‘habitation’ is used in Jer 6:3 to indicate the places where shepherds encamped.
‘And who is the shepherd who will stand before me?” This could refer to the predator arising as ‘the shepherd who stands before YHWH’, that is, as His true and reliable close servant, the question indicating that his identity is as yet to be seen as unknown. In this case he is YHWH’s shepherd. Or it may be questioning as to what shepherd could prevent YHWH from carrying out His purpose, the idea being that no shepherd of Edom could hope to outface or resist Him, any more than they could hope to outface a hungry lion who had seized one of their sheep. Of course there were exceptional shepherds who did outface lions (compare 1Sa 17:34-36). But the point here was that there was no one who could outface YHWH. We do not know enough about the history of the times to be sure as to who was in mind, but it may well have been Babylon (see Jer 49:22).
Jer 49:20-21
“Therefore hear you the counsel of YHWH,
Which he has taken against Edom,
And his purposes,
Which he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman,
Surely they will drag them away,
The little ones of the flock,
Surely he will make their habitation,
Desolate over them,
The earth trembles at the noise of their fall,
There is a cry, of which the noise is heard in the Reed Sea.”
It is now emphasised that what is to happen to Edom is YHWH’s purpose. It is in accordance with His counsel. The invaders will be like hungry lions seizing the defenceless lambs, and dragging them away to be eaten. Their homes will be desolated. And such will be the awfulness of the situation that the whole earth will tremble at the noise of their fall, and their cries will be heard even at the Red Sea (literally ‘the sea of reeds’, which was on their southernmost border). This latter may indicate that many will attempt to flee by boat, or alternatively may simply be indicating that their cries of distress will be such that they will go beyond their borders. The kind of extreme language used here was common in the inscriptions of conquerors. It is not intended to be taken literally, but as underlining the greatness of the catastrophe. For Teman compare Jer 49:7.
Jer 49:22
“Behold, he will come up and fly as the eagle,
And spread out his wings against Bozrah,
And the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day,
Will be as the heart of a woman in her birth pains.
The prophecies close with an indication of the might of their conqueror. He will come up like a mighty eagle searching for prey, spreading out his great wings against their capital city, which was built on the heights (compare Jer 48:40). Such will be his might that the hearts of Edom’s finest warriors will quail, as a woman quails when approaching childbirth.
The picture of the mighty eagle is a common one for describing great conquerors. See, for example, Eze 17:1-10.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Against Edom
v. 7. Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Is wisdom no more in Teman? v. 8. Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, v. 9. If grape-gatherers, v. 10. But I, v. 11. Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in Me; v. 12. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, v. 13. For I have sworn by Myself, saith the Lord, v. 14. I have heard a rumor from the Lord, v. 15. For, lo, v. 16. Thy terrible-ness hath deceived thee, v. 17. Also Edom shall be a desolation; every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, v. 18. As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, v. 19. Behold, he, v. 20. Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He hath taken against Edom, v. 21. The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, v. 22. Behold, he,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 49:7. Concerning Edom This prophesy respecting Edom refers to the same time with those preceding. See Obad. Jer 49:8, &c. Teman was a city in Edom, the inhabitants whereof were famous for their wisdom. See Job 2:11.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The Edomites, the descendants of Esau, are here brought to account. Long grudge, and an old hatred to Jacob and his seed, marked this race: and to this hour the enmity hath not ceased. Gal 4:29 . I cannot add to the beauty of this passage; neither is it possible to illustrate and explain it, equal to what is already done by scripture: See Obadiah’s prophecy. But, I beg the Reader to notice that verse in it, Oba 1:11 , which the Chaldee scripture seems to make a promise of God to Israel, in the midst of this judgment on Esau. I do not say it is so, I only mention it. And it should seem to be very probable: for it is a blessed promise, and hath been found blessed to God’s people in all ages.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 49:7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; [Is] wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
Ver. 7. Is wisdom nowhere in Teman? ] The Edomites, and especially the Temanites (of whom Eliphaz, Job’s friend, was one), were famous for wisdom, Oba 1:8 which although it be of excellent use for putting things to the best, yet without the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, Pro 1:7 and his blessing, it proveth not only unprofitable, but pernicious also. It is, saith James, “earthly, sensual, and devilish.” See what the Scripture speaketh of it. Job 12:2 ; Job 12:12-13 1Co 3:18-21
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 49:7-13
7Concerning Edom.
Thus says the LORD of hosts,
Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
Has good counsel been lost to the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Dedan,
For I will bring the disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I punish him.
9If grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only until they had enough.
10But I have stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His offspring has been destroyed along with his relatives
And his neighbors, and he is no more.
11Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me. 12For thus says the Lord, Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, but you will certainly drink it. 13For I have sworn by Myself, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.
Jer 49:7 Edom There is no hope given to Edom, as there is to the other nations. Edom was a perennial enemy of Judah.
SPECIAL TOPIC: EDOM AND ISRAEL
wisdom. . .good counsel There are several words used to describe Edom’s reputation of having wise men (use of three questions). Job was probably from Edom (i.e., the land of Uz, and one of his friends from Teman, a city in Edom).
1. wisdom (BDB 315)
2. counsel (BDB 420)
3. the prudent (BDB 106, KB 122, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE)
Jer 9:23-24 is very clear that true wisdom is inseparably linked to a knowledge of YHWH.
Teman This NOUN (BDB 412) means south (cf. Jos 12:3; Jos 13:4) or south wind (cf. Psa 78:26). It is used as a designation for
1. a descendant of Esau, Gen 36:11; 1Ch 1:36
2. an Arabian clan, Gen 36:15; 1Ch 1:53
3. a territory or country, Gen 36:34; Obadiah Jer 49:9
4. a city, Jer 49:7; Jer 49:20; Eze 25:13; Amo 1:12
NASBdecayed
NKJV, NRSV,
NJBvanished
TEVdisappeared
JPSOA, ABgone stale
REBdispersed abroad
PESHITTAtaken away
This VERB (BDB 710, KB 769) in Qal means to be loosed. This is the only occurrence of the VERB in Niphal. The root has several senses and different lexicons list them differently.
1. BDB 710
a. VERB
(1) Qal – go free, be unrestrained
(2) Niphal – let loose in the sense of dismissed
b. NOUN – excess (cf. Exo 26:12)
2. KB 769 – VERB
(1) to stink (Syrian)
(2) to stop
(3) obstinance
(4) falsehood
(5) hanging down
(6) projecting
(7) lounge around
KB # (1) seems to fit the VERB form and context best (KB 769 II), but it is found only here, which makes certainty impossible.
Jer 49:8 This is another series of IMPERATIVES, like Jer 49:3, related to Edom’s judgment.
1. flee away – BDB 630, KB 681, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jer 49:24; Jer 46:21
2. turn back – BDB 815, KB 937, Hophal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jer 49:24; Jer 46:21
3. dwell in the depths – BDB 770, KB 847, Hiphil IMPERATIVE (i.e., an attempt to hide, cf. Jer 49:10, or possibly to leave the trans-Jordan plateau and return to their original homeland, cf. NET Bible, p. 1432, #5)
Dedan This was an Arabian tribe connected with Sheba (cf. Gen 25:3; 1Ch 1:32). They are somehow related to Edom in Jer 25:23 and Eze 25:13. The best guess is that a group/city/clan of them had settled in the territory of Edom; not that Edom’s influence had spread that far south and east.
Jer 49:9-10 This is very similar to Oba 1:5-6.
Jer 49:9 gleanings This term (BDB 760) is from Lev 19:9-10; Lev 23:22; Deu 24:20-22, where it describes YHWH’s provision for the poor as it relates to harvesting a field. The grain which was not gathered the first time through and the grain in the corners was left for the poor to harvest enough to eat but not to gather in quantities to sell.
Jer 49:10 There is a play on the word offspring (lit. seed, BDB 282) connected to gleaning. Edom will be completely and utterly destroyed, nothing left.
and he is no more This represents the MT. Some versions of the LXX change this to and there is none to say, which gives a context to Jer 49:11, thereby making specific who the speaker is (i.e., the invaders).
Jer 49:11 Is Jer 49:11 (1) another ray of hope linked to Jer 49:12 or (2) an affirmation of complete destruction of even the most vulnerable? The context fits #2 best (cf. Jer 49:20).
Jer 49:12 the cup The word cup (BDB 468) is often an idiom for judgment. As one drinks and becomes drunk with its physical and emotional consequences, the idiom of cup became a way to describe poor choices and their consequences. Some examples of this idiom:
1. Job 21:20
2. Psa 60:3; Psa 75:8
3. Isa 29:9; Isa 51:17; Isa 63:6
4. Jer 25:15-16; Jer 25:28; Jer 49:12
5. Lam 4:21
6. Eze 23:32-34
It is used in the NT of
1. Jesus – Mat 20:22; Mat 26:38-42; Mar 14:36; Luk 22:47; Joh 18:11
2. the beast – Rev 14:10; Rev 16:19; Rev 19:15
certainly drink There are several INFINITIVES and IMPERFECT VERBS of two roots used for emphasis in this verse.
1. certainly drunk – BDB 1059, KB 1667 (three INFINITIVES and two IMPERFECTS)
2-3. completely acquitted – BDB 667, KB 720 (one INFINITIVE and two IMPERFECTS)
Jer 49:13 I have sworn by Myself There is no one greater to swear by than YHWH Himself (cf. Jer 22:5; Jer 44:26; Jer 51:14; Gen 22:16; Isa 45:23; Amo 6:8; Heb 6:13; Heb 6:18). Oath taking was a cultural way of affirming the absolute trustworthiness/truthfulness of a statement or promise.
Bozrah This was a major city (possibly the capital in the seventh century) in Edom. The Bozrah mentioned in Jer 48:24 is an unknown site in Moab. The root for the city’s name (BDB 131 II) is related to the VERB for grape-gathering (lit. those who cut off) in Jer 49:9 (BDB 130, KB 148, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE).
an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin and a curse This is a series of terms used to describe people’s reaction to God’s judgment.
1. a horror – BDB 1031 I, cf. Deu 28:37; Jer 5:30; Jer 25:9; Jer 25:11; Jer 25:18; Jer 25:38; Jer 29:18; Jer 42:18; Jer 44:12; Jer 44:22; Jer 49:13; Jer 49:17; Jer 50:23; Jer 51:37; Jer 51:41
2. a reproach – BDB 357, cf. Jer 24:9; Jer 29:18; Jer 42:18; Jer 44:8; Jer 44:12
3. a ruin – BDB 351 II, cf. Eze 29:10; Eze 38:8; Zep 2:4
4. a curse – BDB 887, cf. Jer 24:9; Jer 25:18; 2Ki 22:19; Zec 8:13
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The Forty-Sixth Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
Edom. From Esau. Judgment for his unbrotherly conduct to Israel. Compare Psa 137:7. Isa 63:1. Eze 25:12-14; and Obadiah.
the LORD of hosts. See note on Jer 6:6.
Is . . . ? is . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis.
wisdom . . . Teman? A grandson of Esau. See notes on p. 666.
Teman. A town in Edom. Not yet identified. Compare Job 2:11. Amo 1:12. Oba 1:9. Hab 3:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer49:7-13
Jer 49:7-13
THE PROPHECY AGAINST EDOM (Jer 49:7-22)
EDOM’S JUDGMENT IS INEVITABLE (Jer 49:7-13)
Of Edom. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? Flee ye, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I shall visit him. If grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, would they not destroy till they had enough? But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbors; and he is not. Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me. For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink. For I have sworn by myself, saith Jehovah, that Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
Is wisdom no more in Teman.?
(Jer 49:7) Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11) was the famous wise man of his day, Teman being renowned for its allegedly wise men. The term ‘Teman’ here refers to the whole northern district of Idumea, not merely to a city. The question here is asked in irony and requires that it be understood negatively.
Inhabitants of Dedan…
(Jer 49:9). This place is identified with the modern Alula, some 70 miles southwest of Taima. In the times of Jeremiah it was a flourishing caravan city.
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes…
(Jer 49:9)? The questions here imply affirmative answers; but the destruction coming upon Edom would be complete.
Children… widows… I will preserve them alive…
(Jer 49:11). God’s mercy upon this portion of the posterity of Abraham was here promised; but it was not stated for how long a time. Edom indeed continued for many centuries; but they never forsook their wickedness. So marked was this element of Edomite life that their nation was used in the prophecy of Isaiah to stand for all mankind in the final destruction of Adam’s race. This is fully developed in Isaiah 34. See our introduction to this chapter in the commentary on Isaiah for discussion of the phenomenal wickedness of Edom and note the complete justification of God’s judgment upon that people.
Bozrah… shall become a waste…
(Jer 49:13). Located 30 miles south of the Dead Sea, Bozrah was the northernmost of the great Edomite cities. The overthrow of both Bozrah and Edom is prophesied both as a historical certainty and as symbolical of the Lord’s final dealing with Adam’s race.
AN ORACLE AGAINST EDOM Jer 49:7-22
Beyond the brook Zered, the southern boundary of Moab, lay Edom. Edom was an exceedingly mountainous country rich in copper and iron ore. Because of its mineral wealth and because a main north-south trade route, the Kings Highway, passed through it, Edom was under constant threat of attack from surrounding nations. From the time of David the Israelites were able to dominate Edom except for a few brief periods of independence. Esaus bitter hatred of his brother Jacob was inherited by his descendants, the Edomites. While history records that Jacob and Esau were reconciled (Gen 33:1-16), the descendants of these two patriarchs remained implacable foes throughout most of their history.
The Inescapable Calamity Jer 49:7-13
The oracle against Edom begins with a series of rhetorical questions designed to mock the wisdom for which that land was renown. The calamity comes with such suddenness upon Edom that the professional wisemen, counselors, and statesmen are incapable of offering any helpful advice. Teman is a city in the northern part of Edom. Human wisdom is certainly inadequate in the face of the judgment of the living God. The calamity draws near. Jeremiah calls on the neighboring Dedanites who inhabited the region south of Edom. These merchant people apparently carried on extensive trade with Edom and they are here urged to avoid all contact with Edom lest they be caught up in the calamity which was about to befall that nation. Dwell deep probably means to withdraw deep into the desert regions where they would be safe from the approaching destruction. It is the time of Edoms judgment; the Lord will bring calamity upon Edom (Jer 49:8).
The complete devastation of Edom is indicated by two powerful figures of speech. The enemy like grape gatherers will leave no gleanings in the land. Like thieves they will unsparingly plunder the land until they have their fill (Jer 49:9). There is no real reason Why Jer 49:9 should be rendered in English as an interrogative as in KJV and ASV. The ASV marginal reading is superior. The Lord Himself will lay Esau (Edom) bare revealing to the enemy the secret retreats and hiding places thus insuring that all the treasures of the land will be plundered. The inhabitants of Edom will be able to find no safe retreat. The descendants of Edom, those who shared his land and those who lived around about his land, would all suffer in the coming calamity. Most important, Edom himself is not i.e., would cease to exist as a nation (Jer 49:10). All the warriors of Edom shall be cut off in the conflict leaving their wives and children as helpless widows and orphans. Yet the gracious God of Israel will care for these helpless ones if they but look to Him for protection. What a beautiful promise here in the midst of ominous threats and dreadful judgments.
Edom must drink of the cup of Gods wrath. The calamity is inescapable. After all, if the chosen people of God shall not escape His judgment, how could Edom? (Jer 49:12). Since Israel must suffer, Edom cannot be unpunished. Furthermore, God has taken an oath that Bozrah, the chief city of northern Edom, and the other cities of the land shall become perpetual desolations (Jer 49:13).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Edom: Jer 25:9, Jer 25:21, Gen 25:30, Gen 27:41, Gen 36:8, Num 20:14-21, Num 24:17, Num 24:18, Deu 23:7, Psa 83:4-10, Psa 137:7, Isa 34:1-17, Isa 63:1-6, Eze 25:12-14, Eze 35:1-15, Dan 11:41, Joe 3:19, Amo 1:11, Amo 1:12, Oba 1:1-9, Mal 1:3, Mal 1:4
Is wisdom: Jer 18:18, Job 5:12-14, Isa 19:11-13, Isa 29:14, Oba 1:8, Rom 1:22, Rom 1:23
Teman: Jer 49:20, Gen 36:11, Gen 36:15, 1Ch 1:53, Job 2:11, Job 4:1, Eze 25:13, Amo 1:12, Oba 1:9, Hab 3:3
Reciprocal: Gen 25:23 – the elder Gen 36:34 – Temani 1Ch 1:36 – Teman 1Ch 1:45 – Temanites Psa 108:10 – who will lead Isa 21:11 – me out Isa 34:5 – upon Idumea Isa 44:25 – turneth Jer 8:9 – The wise men are Jer 12:14 – that Jer 49:1 – Concerning Eze 25:8 – Seir Eze 32:29 – Edom Eze 35:2 – and prophesy Eze 36:5 – against all Oba 1:7 – there is Zep 2:9 – Surely 1Co 13:8 – vanish
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 49:7. Edom was another name for Esau (Gen 36:1) and the Edomites were the descendants of that man. Esau was a full brother to Jacob (they being twins) and hence these people were closer of kin to the Israelites than were the Ammonites. The Edomites were always regarded as enemies of the descendants of Jacob and many predictions were made against, them. Teman was a prominent district of tbe Edomites and was hence singled out in the declarations of the prophet. The question form of language is used in this verse, but the thought is that the area of Teman was destined to decline in wisdom.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 49:7. Concerning Edom The destruction of Edom, or Idumea, is likewise foretold by Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah: see the margin. Is wisdom no more in Teman The eastern part of the world (by which is chiefly meant Arabia and the adjacent countries) was famous for the study of wisdom, or philosophy, as it was called in later times: see 1Ki 4:30. The Edomites put in their claim to this prerogative, as appears from what is said here, and in the parallel place of Obadiah, Jer 49:8, as also from the book of Job, where Eliphaz, one of the disputants, is called the Temanite, as being descended from Teman, Esaus grandson, who gave name to the city or country of Teman, elsewhere mentioned. Is counsel perished from the prudent? When God designs a people for destruction, he deprives them of that common prudence and foresight which are requisite for the due management of their affairs. Lowth. Here Edom, which boasted itself, and whose fame was spread abroad for wisdom and prudence, is described acting as if all its wisdom and prudence were gone.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 49:7-22. Edom.For the land, and the relations of this people to Israel, see on Obadiah, from Jer 49:1-5 of which the present prophecy has taken verbally Jer 49:9, Jer 49:14-16. This does not, in itself, disprove the Jeremianic authorship of other parts of this prophecy, e.g. Jer 49:7 f., Jer 49:10 f., Jer 49:22. The Edomites are paralysed by disaster. Let the Dedanites (their southern neighbours, Eze 25:13) flee to some inaccessible refuge (dwell deep, Jer 49:8). The foe will destroy Edom utterly (Jer 49:9 mg.; in different sense from that of its source, Oba 1:5). Yahweh Himself (I is emphatic in Jer 49:10) searches out Edom, and cannot be escaped, but He will care for the orphans and widows (of the slaughtered Edomites). Israel undeservedly has drunk the cup (of Yahwehs wrath, Jer 25:15 ff.), and now it is Edoms turn; Bozrah and other Edomite cities shall be laid waste (Jer 49:13). The nations are combining against Edom, and she shall be humiliated; her pride in being inaccessible to the invader shall be shaken (Jer 49:14-16, see on Oba 1:1-4; as for thy terribleness, not found there, should be O, thy shuddering!). Desolated Edom shall become an object of wonder (Jer 19:8), like the cities of the plain (Gen 19:24, Deu 29:23). The foe comes up like a lion from the Jordan jungle (Jer 12:5); through him, Yahweh will drive them forth (mg.3) as He chooses, for who can withstand Yahweh? The helpless Edomites shall be dragged off (cf. Jer 15:3, mg.); their calamity is known far and wide (Jer 49:21). Vulture-like will the foe swoop down (Jer 48:40) and Edom be in dire extremity (Jer 49:22).
Jer 49:7. Teman: the northern district of Edom.vanished: better, spoilt.
Jer 49:13. Bozrah: capital of Teman, Isa 34:6, perhaps Busaireh, 20 m. SE. of Dead Sea.
Jer 49:19. strong: should be permanent, as mg.; Jer 49:19-21 recur in Jer 50:44-46, applied to Babylon.appoint me a time: i.e. for trial or contest, Job 9:19.shepherd: fig. for ruler, Jer 25:34 ff.
Jer 49:20. Read 2nd and 3rd mg.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
49:7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; [Is] wisdom no more in {i} Teman? hath counsel perished from the prudent? hath their wisdom vanished?
(i) Which was a city of Edom, called by the name of Teman Eliphaz’s son, who came from Esau.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
E. The oracle against Edom 49:7-22
The Edomites lived to the southeast of Judah, south of Moab. The Zered River was their northern border, the Gulf of Aqabah (about 100 miles to the south) the southern, the Arabah the western, and the desert the eastern borders. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, and a long history of antagonism with the Israelites that reached back to the days of Jacob and Esau, and Israel’s wilderness wanderings, marked their relationship (cf. Num 20:14-21; Jdg 11:17).
"In this prophecy Jeremiah has relied much on Obadiah, Jer 49:1-9, and reproduced much of his expressions regarding the fall of Edom." [Note: Keil. 2:241. This view assumes that Obadiah wrote before Jeremiah, but the dating of Obadiah is debatable.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Teman (lit. south), a town in Edom about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqabah, was famous for the wisdom of its inhabitants (cf. Job 2:11; Oba 1:9). [Note: Thompson, p. 721.] Yet the Edomites had not behaved wisely. The name of this town was a poetic equivalent for the whole nation (cf. Hab 3:3), and it came from one of Esau’s grandsons (Gen 36:11).