Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Obadiah 1:5
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?
5, 6. The completeness of the destruction and desolation of Edom is depicted by a double contrast. Two cases are supposed in which something would be left behind. The thief or the robber would take his fill and depart: the grape-gatherer would not strip every cluster from the vine. But the enemies of Edom would do worse than either of these. They would spare nothing, nor stay their hand till they had left her utterly desolate and bare.
how art thou cut off ] These words are an exclamation of the prophet, forced from him by the utter devastation which in prophetic vision he sees before his eyes. This is no work of the common robber, of the ordinary spoiler!
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If thieves came to thee – The prophet describes their future punishment, by contrast with that which, as a marauding people, they well knew. Thieves and robbers spoil only for their petty end. They take what comes to hand; what they can, they carry off shortness of time, difficulty of transport, necessity of providing for a retreat, limit their plunder. When they have gorged themselves, they depart. Their plunder is limited. The grape-gatherer leaves gleanings. God promises to His own people, under the same image, that they should have a remnant left Isa 17:6; Isa 24:13. Gleaning grapes shall be left in it. It shall be, as gleaning grapes, when the vintage is done. The prophet anticipates the contrast by a burst of sympathy. In the name of God, he mourns over the destruction which he fore-announces. He laments over the destruction, even of the deadly enemy of his people. How art thou destroyed! So the men of God are accustomed to express their amazement at the greatness of the destruction of the ungodly Psa 73:19. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment! Isa 14:4, Isa 14:12. How hath the oppressor ceased! How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Jer 50:23. How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! Jer 51:41. How is Sheshach taken! How is the praise of the whole earth surprised.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. If thieves came to thee] That is, if thieves entered thy dwellings, they would not have taken every thing; they would have laid hold on thy wealth; and carried off as much as they could escape with conveniently; if grape-gatherers entered thy vineyards, they would not have taken every bunch; some gleanings would have been left. But the Chaldeans have stripped thee bare; they have searched out all thy hidden things, Ob 1:6, they have left thee nothing. Hour art thou cut off! Thou art totally and irretrievably ruined! The prophet speaks of this desolation as if it had already taken place.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In this verse the prophet doth in an abrupt manner of speech, mixed of wonder and doubt, express the strange havoc and desolation made in Edom, as if lie had said, Who have been here? or in what posture wast thou found, O Edom! that such strange desolution is found in thee?
If thieves by day had spoiled thee, they would not have thus stripped thee. If robbers, which practise their violences in the night, had been with thee, they would have left somewhat behind them.
How art thou cut off? here is either a trajection, this placed here which must be read first in the verse, or an exclamation of one as in haste to know whence such unexpected events; or an insulting derision of that pride which boasted so much and performed so little in self defence.
Would they not have stolen till they had enough? thieves and robbers take till they have what is sufficient for them at present and leave the rest, but here is nothing left.
If the grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? if Edom be a vine, and gathered, some gleanings would be left by grape-gatherers; but, alas, here have been those that have cut up the vine! and is all thy confidence and boasting come to this?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. The spoliation which thoushalt suffer shall not be such as that which thieves cause, bad asthat is, for these when they have seized enough, or all they can getin a hurry, leave the restnor such as grape-gatherers cause in avineyard, for they, when they have gathered most of the grapes, leavegleanings behindbut it shall be utter, so as to leave theenothing. The exclamation, “How art thou cut off!” burstingin amidst the words of the image, marks strongly excited feeling. Thecontrast between Edom where no gleanings shall be left, and Israelwhere at the worst a gleaning is left (Isa 17:6;Isa 24:13), is striking.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night,…. Whether the one came by day, and the other by night, or both by night, the same being meant by different words, whose intent is to plunder and steal, and carry off what they can; thy condition would not be worse, nor so bad as now it is: for
how art thou cut off! from being a nation, wholly destroyed; thy people killed, or carried captive; thy fortresses demolished, towns and cities levelled with the ground, and all thy wealth and substance carried off, and nothing left: these are either the words of God, or of the prophet, setting forth their utter ruin, as if it was already; or of the nations round about, wondering at their sudden destruction. Some render it, “how silent art thou!” q that is, under all these calamities: or, “how art thou asleep!” or “stupefied!” as the Targum and Jarchi; not to be upon thy guard against the incursions of the enemy, but careless, secure, and stupid, and now stripped of everything: had common thieves and robbers broke in upon thee,
would they not have stolen till they had enough? as much as they came for, or could carry off; they seldom strip a house into which they enter of everything in it; they come for some particular things, and, meeting with them, they go off, and leave the rest:
if the grape gatherers come to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes? that is, if men should come into thy vineyards, and gather the grapes, and carry them off by force or stealth, would they take them all a way? doubtless they would leave some behind; some would be hid under the boughs, and be left unobserved by them: or the allusion is to gatherers of grapes, who gather them for the owners, and at their direction, who were wont to leave some clusters for the poor to glean after them; but in the case of Edom it is suggested that nothing should be left, all should be clean carried off; the destruction would he complete and entire. The Targum is,
“if spoilers as grape gatherers should come unto thee, c.”
see Jer 49:9.
q “quomodo redactus es in silentium?” Calvin “quomodo siles?” some in Tarnovius; so Syr.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet sees this overthrow of Edom from its lofty height as something that has already happened, and he now depicts the utter devastation of Edom through the medium of the enemies whom Jehovah has summoned against it. Oba 1:5. “If thieves had come to thee, if robbers by night, alas, how art thou destroyed! would they not steal their sufficiency? If vine-dressers had come to thee, would they not leave gleanings? Oba 1:6. How have the things of Esau been explored, his hidden treasures desired! Oba 1:7. Even to the border have all the men of thy covenant sent thee: the men of thy peace have deceived thee, overpowered thee. They make thy bread a wound under thee. There is no understanding in him.” In order to exhibit the more vividly the complete clearing out of Edom, Obadiah supposes two cases of plundering in which there is still something left (Oba 1:5), and then shows that the enemies in Edom will act much worse than this. with the perfect supposes a case to have already occurred, when, although it does not as yet exist in reality, it does so in imagination. are common thieves, and robbers by night, who carry off another’s property by force. With this second expression, the verb must be repeated. “To thee,” i.e., to do thee harm; it is actually equivalent to “upon thee.” The following words cannot form the apodosis to the two previous clauses, because nidmethah is too strong a term for the injury inflicted by thieves or robbers, but chiefly because the following expression is irreconcilable with such an explanation, the thought that thieves steal being quite opposed to nidmah , or being destroyed. The clause “how art thou destroyed” must rather be taken as pointing far beyond the contents of Oba 1:5 and Oba 1:6. It is more fully explained in Oba 1:9, and is thereby proved to be a thought thrown in parenthetically, with which the prophet anticipates the principal fact in his lively description, in the form of an exclamation of amazement. The apodosis to ‘im gannaghm (if robbers, etc.) follows in the words “do they not steal” (= they surely steal) dayyam , i.e., their sufficiency (see Delitzsch on Isa 40:16); that is to say, as much as they need, or can use, or find lying open before them. The picture of the grape-gatherers says the same thing. They also do not take away all, even to the very last, but leave some gleanings behind, not only if they fear God, according to Lev 19:10; Deu 24:21, as Hitzig supposes, but even if they do not trouble themselves about God’s commandments at all, because many a bunch escapes their notice which is only discovered on careful gleaning. Edom, on the contrary, is completely cleared out. In Deu 24:6 the address to Edom passes over into words concerning him. is construed as a collective with the plural. is a question of amazement. Chaphas , to search through, to explore (cf. Zep 1:12-13). Baah ( nibhu ), to beg, to ask; here in the niphal to be desired. Matspon , . . from tsaphan , does not mean a secret place, but a hidden thing or treasure ( , lxx). Obadiah mentions the plundering first, because Petra, the capital of Edom, was a great emporium of the Syrio-Arabian trade, where many valuables were stored (vid., Diod. Sic. xix. 95), and because with the loss of these riches the prosperity and power of Edom were destroyed.
(Note: Jeremiah (Jer 49:9) has greatly altered the words of Obadiah, dropping the comparison of the enemy to thieves and grape-gatherers, and representing the enemy as being themselves grape-gatherers who leave no gleaning, and thieves who waste till they have enough; and thereby considerably weakening the poetical picture.)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
The Prophet shows in this verse that the calamity with which God was resolved to afflict the Idumeans would not be slight, for nothing would be left among them; and he amplifies what he says by a comparison. When one is plundered of his property by thieves, he grieves, that what he had acquired by much labor through life, has been in one moment taken from him: and when any one has spent labor and expense in cultivating his vineyard, and another takes away its fruit, he complains of his great misfortune, that he had lost his property and big labor in the cultivation of his vineyard, while another devours its fruit. But the Prophet intimates that God would not be content with such kind of punishment as to the Idumeans.
Hence he says, Have night thieves or robbers come to thee? They must doubtless have stolen, and have taken away what they thought sufficient for them; but now nothing shall be left to thee. In short, the Prophet intimates that the Assyrians would not be like thieves or night robbers, who stealthily and privately take away what comes to their hands; but he means, that the Idumeans would be so plundered, that their houses would be left wholly empty, and he declares that the Assyrians would thus spoil them like night thieves or robbers, who are wont to proceed with unbridled liberty; for none dares to resist them, or even to say a word against them. This plundering then will not be, says the Prophet, of an ordinary kind; but the enemies will make thee entirely empty.
The same is the object in view when he says, Have vintagers come to thee? To be sure, they commonly leave some clusters; but the Assyrians will leave, no, not one: they shall depart so laden with plunders, that thou shalt be left empty.
But all this, as we have reminded you, was said in order to alleviate or to mitigate the grief of the faithful, who then deemed themselves very miserable, as they were alone plundered by enemies; for they saw that their neighbors were dwelling in safety, and even becoming partakers of the spoil. Their condition therefore was very miserable and degraded. Hence the Prophet, that he might moderate this bitter grief, says, that the Idumeans would in no common way be plundered, for not a hair could be left them. This is the import of the passage.
But some regard the verb נדמיתה nudamite as signifying, “Thou art reduced to silence;” for the verb דום dum or דמה dame means to be silent: and they give this exposition, “How dost thou not endeavor at least to meet thine enemies?” for they take “to be silent” in the sense of being still, as דמה dame is often so taken in Scripture, “How then have they been silent?” but he speaks of the future in the past tense, as though God had already inflicted punishment on the Idumeans, that faith in the prediction might be made more certain: thou hast been reduced to silence, that is, how couldest thou remain quiet on seeing thine enemies plundering with so much violence — how then hast thou been reduced to silence? Others say, How hast thou been consumed? for דמה dame often means to destroy. But to this point belongs no great importance; for the Prophet means, that it could not be ascribed to chance, that enemies would destroy the whole land of Edom, for the cruel assault would by no means be of an ordinary kind: and then as the Idumeans thought that an entrance to their enemies was on every side closed up, as they inhabited the summits of mountains, according to what I have already said, and that they were most safe in their recesses and lofty rocks, the Prophet here sets it forth as a wonderful thing that God’s judgment would yet reach them. Let us proceed —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Oba. 1:5.] Spoliation shall be complete; not such as thieves or grape-gatherers make, who leave the rest when they have had enough.
Oba. 1:6. Hidden] places explored; all treasures searched out, lit. diligent and earnest tracking out (Zep. 1:12).
HOMILETICS
THE IRREPARABLE LOSS.Oba. 1:5-6
The prophet now depicts the utter overthrow of Edom. The material wealth on which they relied shall be taken away, and nothing shall remain or be recovered.
I. Their treasures are searched out. How are the things of Esau searched out! The most secret places, the most hidden things, are diligently tracked out. Everything safely stored up in holes of the rock was sought after and discovered. No place can hide from God. No wealth can protect from retribution. Nothing can be concealed and kept on earth. Our best treasures are searched out, stolen by thieves or corroded by time. In the judgment day the hidden things of all men will be brought to light, every hiding-place of sin exposed, and sinners stripped of their pride and self-confidence.
II. Their treasures are taken away. The grape-gatherer leaves some gleanings, thieves and robbers retreat with what they can carry with them: but the enemy would act much worse than ordinary plunderers. Nothing shall escape them. The devastation should be complete. A gleaning was left in Israel (Isa. 17:6; Isa. 24:13), but Edom was utterly spoiled. Treasures ensure not from the invader, aggrandize not the possessors, but become the spoil of the conqueror. Nations may trust to their defences and individuals to their wealth, but God can take them all away. I have made Esau bare. I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself.
III. The regret at the loss is great. How art thou cut off! This parenthetic sentence indicates the amazement of the prophet at the great destruction of the ungodly. Sad to see men lose reputation and happiness, the health of the body and the fortunes of the family, without the least hope of recovery. What a sight to behold men exposed to judgment, robbed of all defence, and stupefied in their sin.
1. God pities such. Judgment is strange work to him. He desires not the death of any sinner. O Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thee!
2. Gods servants pity such. Amos mourns over the destruction which he announces in the name of God. David and Jeremiah wept because men kept not the law. All true prophets are in sympathy with the people for whom they labour. A lost soul should cause tears to flow like rivers of water. Oh that they were wise, that they understood this!
ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE CHAPTER
Oba. 1:5-6. Thieves. Paulinus, when he was told that the Goths had sacked Nola and plundered him of all he had, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Lord, thou knowest where I have laid up my treasure [Bib. Museum].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE EXTENT OF EDOMS JUDGMENT
TEXT: Oba. 1:5-9
5
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
6
How are the things of Esau searched! how are his hidden treasures sought out!
7
All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him.
8
Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
9
And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.
QUERIES
a.
What is the significance of the figures of speech, Oba. 1:5?
b.
How did Edoms allies deceive her?
c.
Who were the wise men of Edom?
PARAPHRASE
Alas! How you are going to be destroyed! Why, even if thieves or night raiders came upon you, they would steal only as much as they could use or find would they not? Or, imagine yourself a vineyardwould not even the harvesters fail to gather some of the grapes? But it would not be so with God; His devastating judgment will be complete in all the things of Esau. How completely He will search out and take away all the hidden treasures of Esau! All the allies with whom you have made treaties and pacts will betray you, join with your enemies and drive you across the borders of your own land into the hands of your enemies. Even your most trusted friends while making covenants of peace with you will, at the same time, be secretly plotting a trap for you. The calamity which comes upon you will be so secretive, sudden and complete none will have the wisdom or understanding to offer defense or help. And it shall most certainly come to pass on that day, says Jehovah, I will utterly destroy the wise men and their wisdom out of Edom. In that day also your heroes and mighty men of valor, O Teman, will become cowards and as a result they will be helpless to prevent the terrible slaughter that is coming upon the inhabitants of Edom.
SUMMARY
Edoms devastation will be absolutely complete! Her destruction will originate with the God of all the earth who will bring it about through His ministersboth the allies and enemies of Edom.
COMMENT
Oba. 1:5 THIEVES . . . STEAL ONLY . . . ENOUGH? GRAPE-GATHERERS . . . LEAVE SOME? God, speaking through Obadiah, asks rhetorical questions (expecting yes answers), Actually these are interrogative declarations, The whole point is the contrast between what man would do to Edam and what God is going to do, If the plundering of Edom were designed and executed by men only there would be some gleanings left after the plundering. But it shall not be so when Gods plundering is finished! Nothing will be left. Isaiah prophesies, . . . they shall name it, No Kingdom There. (read in connection with Edoms plundering, Isa. 34:5-17; Jer. 49:17-22; Eze. 25:12-14; Mal. 1:1-5). Edoms history, as long as she existed after this prophecy, was one long story of subjugation and plundering. Her glorious culture, one of the richest of the world then, was plundered by nation after nation. Her people were taken time after time and sold into slavery. The nation was driven from its homeland into the southern deserts of Palestine.
Oba. 1:7 MEN OF THY CONFEDERACY . . . HAVE DECEIVED THEE . . . THEY THAT EAT THY BREAD LAY A SNARE: Edoms allies (probably the Arabians with whom Edom joined in the plundering of Judahsee II Chron. 22:16ff) secretly plotted her downfall all the while they were banqueting with her around the peace tables, Edoms neighbors, the Arabians, made commercial treaties with her but betrayed her to her enemies at the same time. Keil says, Edom was a great emporium of the Syrio-Arabian trade, where many valuables were stored, and because of the loss of these riches the prosperity and power of Edom were destroyed.
Oba. 1:8 DESTROY THE WISE MEN OUT OF EDOM: We, with Keil, do not believe Obadiah means that the wise men of Edom will be slain but that the Lord will take away their discernment, making them to become fools, so that they will be of no help to Edom. That Edom was known for its wise men is evident from Jer. 49:7; Isa. 19:11; Isa. 29:14 and especially from the fact that Eliphaz, the wise man who was the friend of Job was from Teman (Job. 2:1, etc.). Rom. 1:18-32 serves to explain how and why God gave these Gentiles up to their own foolishness. When any people refuses to have God in their knowledge and exchange the truth of God for lies, God gives them up and sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe a lie (cf. 2Th. 2:11-12). This is what happened to Edom. Proud in her Own conceit she became a fool!
Oba. 1:9 AND THY MIGHTY MEN . . . SHALL BE DISMAYED . . . Teman is another name for the southern district of Idumea, named after Teman a son of Eliphaz and a grandson of Esau (cf. Gen. 36:11; Gen. 36:15). With the destruction of wisdom and discernment by the Lord (cf. Isa. 29:14-16; 1Co. 1:18-31) even the mighty warriors and men of valor lost hope and the nation was cut off. As we have mentioned earlier in our Introduction to Obadiah, the Edomites were betrayed by their allies and lost their high, rocky fortress in Petra delivered to the borders of their enemies and forced to live in the wastelands of the deserts of southern Palestine, there to become known as Idumeans. The Idumeans perished from the earth, as a nation, about 70 A.D. The Nabateans, from the nomadic Arabian tribes, inhabited the cliffs of Petra but not for long for Gods doom had been pronounced against this place. God was to speak through other prophets that this territory would become so desolate it would become home only for the hawk, porcupine and owl: Isaiah said that thorns would grow over its strongholds, and it would be the haunt of jackals and other kinds of wild beasts (Isaiah 34).
Many words of doom rang out against this seemingly impregnable rock fortress and its inhabitants. But for years it seemed that whoever occupied the cliffs would be safe and secure for no enemy could get in to attack the city. Even in the time of Romes power and dominion, Petra and her inhabitants were still rich and powerful. But God said the proud city would be brought down, that it would be left deserted. How could this possibly happen when it was in such an important position and so well protected? For centuries the long, rich caravans laden with precious, costly treasures for trade from the East made Petra one of the most important stopping and trading places along the one and only trade route from the East to the West. But without warning and almost without reason a new caravan route opened up far to the north of Petra making Palmyra its chief stopping place. No longer did the camel caravans pass through the mountains of Seir with their precious cargoes. The great trade center Petra was suddenly cut off from the main highway, the city was left alone in its rocky wilderness. Soon the people left the cliff side homes that had taken years of patient labor to build. Their fortress wasnt strong enough to hide them from Gods judgment. No great battles, no mighty armies, were needed to make Gods sure word of prophecy come true. No, only the changing of a trade route and Petra, the city which had been powerful and rich, became a hollow shell, emptied of all life except the owl and the jackal. You can go there this very day and see the prophecy fulfilled before your very eyes. In 150 A.D. the Roman emperor Trajan all but obliterated the Nabatean people from the face of the earth.
QUIZ
1.
How complete will be Gods judgment against Edom?
2.
How was Edoms downfall finally brought about?
3.
How does God destroy the wisdom of Edoms wise men?
4.
Why would the mighty men of Teman be dismayed?
5.
How was Gods Word, that Petra would become the habitat for wild beasts, finally fulfilled?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(5-9) The completeness of the overthrow awaiting Edom. It is no mere inroad of a marauding tribe. Something would escape the robber, though he might go away quite satisfied with his plunder; and even a raid in vintage time, for the purpose of doing all the mischief possible to the country, would leave here and there a scattered bunch, gleanings for the inhabitants when the spoilers had retired, but now everything is doomed to destruction. Edom is completely robbed and ransacked. Notice how the sad, almost pathetic, conviction of this breaks outas if rather from a friend (see Introduction) than an enemyin the parenthetical how art thou cut off! in the very middle of the sentence. Every one must perceive, the prophet seems to say, a higher hand at work here.
(5) Some grapes.Gleanings, as in margin. (Comp. Isa. 17:6; Isa. 24:13.)
(6) How are the things of Esau searched out!Literally, How are they searched out Esau! Where Esau is either taken collectively = Edom as a nation, or we must supply, as in the Authorised Version, the things of, or, as Ewald, they of. For search, comp. Zep. 1:12.
His hidden things.Heb., matspunm, from tsapan = to hide, but whether hidden treasures or hiding places cannot be determined, as the word only occurs here.
(7-9) Overtaken by this terrible calamity, and deserted by her allies, Edom will turn in vain for counsel to her senators and wise men, and for support to her heroes and mighty men, for these will not only share in the general ruin, but are marked out for an overthrow as signal as their renown.
(7) All the men of thy confederacy. . . .This desertion by allies is doubtless put prominently forward as the due retribution on Edom for his treachery and cruelty to his natural ally, his brother Jacob. The members of the confederacy are not specified. In Jer. 27:3 we find Edom associated with Moab, Ainmon, Tyre, and Sidon, in the warning to submit to Nebuchadnezzar. The two former would be the natural allies of Edom, and in Eze. 25:8 Seir is joined with Moab as reproaching Israel. From Psa. 60:8, we may add to these Philistia (comp. also Oba. 1:19). The expression have brought thee to the border is variously understood. The most natural explanation is that the fugitives from the ruin of Edom, flying into the territory of neighbouring and allied tribes for help, are basely driven back to their own frontier, and left to their fate.
The men that were at peace with thee.As in margin, the men of thy peace, an expressive Hebrew idiom occurring in Jer. 20:10; Jer. 38:22, and in Psa. 41:9, where it is translated mine own familiar friend.
Great difference of opinion exists as to the connection of this and the following clause, and as it stands the text presents considerable difficulty. By dropping the italicised words in our version, and omitting the semicolon, we get, The men of thy peace have deceived thee, prevailed against thee and thy bread, have laid a wound under thee. There are two verbal difficulties(1) wound, Heb., mazr, which occurs in Hos. 5:13 in the sense of a festering wound or abscess, but which the older translators here render ambush, or snare; (LXX.); insidi (Vulg.). Ewald and Hitzig, among moderns, prefer net, and defend it etymologically. This certainly gives good sense, and if zr, of which it is a derivative, can have the sense of binding, may be correct. Our translators in Jer. 30:13, and Aquila and Symmachus in this passage, evidently give it that force (see also Lees Heb. Lex., sub voce). To squeeze or crush, however, seems the true meaning of zr: as in Jdg. 6:38, of Gideons fleece; Job. 39:15, of the eggs of the ostrich. The preposition tachath = under, also offers a difficulty; Laid a wound under thee suggests no intelligible meaning. But on the authority (though possibly somewhat doubtful) of 2Sa. 3:12, where the word is translated on behalf of, but where the context requires without his knowledge, and on the analogy of all other languages, we may (with Vatablus, Drusius, Luther, and L. de Dieu; see Keil) translate the word deceitfully, or without thy knowledge, a rendering in accordance with the parallelism. But the syntax of the passage still remains unexplained. What is the construction of lachmeka=of thy bread? From Psa. 41:9, The man of my peace which did eat of my bread, we are led to the conjecture that it forms part of a familiar, perhaps proverbial, expression for one bound by the closest ties of fellowship and hospitality, and we must, therefore, either supply a participle, these eating, as in the Psalm, or understand a second anshy=men of. It is true there is no other instance of the phrase men of thy bread, but it is a conceivable Hebrew idiom. Keeping the parallelism we now get an intelligible rendering of the passage.
Unto the border they sent thee, all the men of thy confederacy.
Deceived thee, ruined thee,
Men of thy peace, men of thy bread;
(They) gave thee a wound in secret.
No understanding (is) in him.
For the arrangement of the second clause, which is put for deceived thee the men of thy peace, ruined thee the men of thy bread, see Son. 1:5, and Note there. In the last clause the margin reads of it: i.e., of the injury just mentioned, instead of in him. But it is better to take it as an abrupt declaration in the prophets manner (comp. how art thou cut off! in Oba. 1:5) of the utter bewilderment that had come or was coming on Edom, unable either by counsel or force to withstand his foes.
(8) Shall I not . . .Literally, Surely in that dayit is Jehovahs sayingI will make sages disappear from Edom, and understanding from Esaus mountain.
The tradition of a peculiar sagacity in Edom, and especially in Teman (see Jer. 49:7), lingered long. Jobs sage friend Eliphaz was a Temanite. In Bar. 3:22-23 we read: It (wisdom) hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman. The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors (margin, expounders) of fables and searchers out of understanding, none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remember her paths. Jeremiahs words show even more strikingly how high the reputation had been: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? The men of the world think that they hold their wisdom and all Gods natural gifts independently of the giver. God, by the events of His natural providence, as here by His word, shows, through some withdrawal of their wisdom, that it is His, not theirs. Men wonder at the sudden failure, the flaw in the well-arranged plan, the one over-confident act which ruins the whole scheme, the over-shrewdness which betrays itself, or the unaccountable oversight. So the utter want of perception and foresight in Edom seems unaccountable, till we think of the Divine purpose and end in it all. The wise were destroyed, and the mighty men dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. It is the prophetic statement of the truth of the old heathen proverb: Whom God wishes to destroy He first dements.
(9) For Teman, see Job. 2:11.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
In Oba 1:5-6 the prophet pictures the completeness of the destruction by a comparison of the calamity to come with familiar experiences.
Thieves robbers grape-gatherers R.V. brings out the thought more satisfactorily by reading the first question of Oba 1:5, “would they not steal only till they had enough?” The second reads, “would they not leave some gleaning grapes?” Thieves and robbers, it is true, take and carry off whatever they can lay their hands on; but when they have satisfied their desire they go away leaving some things behind. In a similar manner grape-gatherers do not pick every single berry or grape; with (Lev 9:10; Deu 24:21) or without intention they leave some gleanings. Not so Edom’s conqueror; he will leave behind nothing but waste and desolation.
How art thou cut off! A parenthetical exclamation by the prophet, forced from him by the awful character of the judgment, which, in his prophetic vision, he sees already accomplished.
How are the things of Esau searched out! Literally, How are they searched out, Esau! An expression of amazement at the completeness of the ruin. Every corner of Edom will be searched thoroughly and the plunder will be carried off.
Hidden things R.V., “hidden treasures.”
The treasures stored in the treasure houses hewn in the rock in inaccessible places. These hiding places will be discovered and the treasures will be taken away as booty. Edom will be completely despoiled (Jer 49:9).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
They Will Be Expelled From Edom By Those Who Will At First Appear To Be Their Friends ( Oba 1:5-9 ).
Their punishment will be extreme and final, and they will be ousted from their homeland by those who have eaten with them and pretended to be their friends.
Oba 1:5-6
“If thieves came to you,
If robbers by night,
(How you are cut off!),
Would they not steal only until they had enough?
If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?”
How are Esau searched!
How are his hidden treasures sought out!”
The essence of these verses is that when YHWH did search them out, their destruction would be total. Thieves who came seeking them out would only steal until they had had enough, grape-gatherers would leave gleanings, but when YHWH came he would take everything from them. They would be totally ‘cut off’. Nothing would be left. Their treasures would be thoroughly searched out. Note the reference to Edom as ‘Esau’, deliberately stressing the relationship with ‘Jacob’ (Israel).
Oba 1:7
“All the men of your confederacy have brought you on your way,
Even to the border.
The men who were at peace with you have deceived you,
And prevailed against you.
Those who eat your bread lay a snare under you.
There is no understanding in him.”
Furthermore this would take place at the hands of those whom they had trusted and with whom they had entered into a confederacy. The idea would appear to be that their fellow-Arabs, having entered into what appeared to be a friendly agreement with them, had chased them out of their own country across the Judean border into the Negeb, having simply deceived them. Indeed such was the perfidy of their friends that they had eaten bread with them and then betrayed them, an almost unheard of thing among Arabs. It demonstrated their so-called allies’ total and complete lack of sympathy and understanding. They had clearly been plotting to take over their country.
Oba 1:8
“Shall I not in that day,
Oracle of YHWH,
Destroy the wise men out of Edom,
And understanding out of the mount of Esau?”
And all these consequences would be the result of the fact that YHWH had destroyed the wisdom and understanding of the wise men of Edom, whose wisdom was proverbial, and of the leadership who ruled over mount Esau (the Edom highlands). This would explain why they had entered into such a foolish alliance.
One example of the wise men of Edom was Eliphaz the Temanite who was one of Job’s ‘comforters’ (Job 2:11). Teman may well have been a city famed for its ‘wise ones’ and its ability to provide ‘the wisdom of the east’ (1Ki 4:30). Another example of a city previously renowned for its ‘wise ones’ was Abel in Israel (see 2Sa 20:18).
Oba 1:9
“And your mighty men, O Teman, will be dismayed,
To the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau because of the slaughter.”
And it was not only the wise men of Teman who would be exposed. Their mighty men too would be dismayed. And the consequence was to be that all the Edomites (‘everyone’) would be cut off from the mountains of Edom as a result of the fierce genocide carried out against them.
Teman was named after the grandson of Esau (Gen 36:11), and was connected with early Edomite chieftains (Gen 36:15; Gen 36:34; Gen 36:42). Its prominence comes out in such references as Jer 49:7; Eze 25:13; Amo 1:12; Hab 3:3.
‘Because of the slaughter.’ Some would append these words to the following verse but MT attaches it to Oba 1:9 and it adds considerably to the flavour of the verse.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Oba 1:5. If thieves came, &c. When thieves come to thee, when nightly robbers, when thou art laid to rest, will they not plunder as much as shall seem good to them? When the grape-gatherers shall come to thee, will they leave no grapes? Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Oba 1:5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?
Ver. 5. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night ] Or, what? have thieves come to thee? have robbers been here? O, sure it is worse than so with thee; they would never have made such clean work as they say, but have left somewhat behind them; they would never have played the harpies a in this sort, and taken all before them. Thus the neighbour nations stand wondering at this woeful desolation, and sarcastically insulting. Now to be mocked in misery is no small grief to the party. Thus the prophet pricks them by a rhetorical addubitation, the better to affect their minds with an effectual fear of no ordinary or easy calamity, but such as will be wonderful and incredible; so that they that hear of it will say,
How art thou cut off!
If the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grates?
a A rapacious, plundering, or grasping person; one that preys upon other D
b A salt of racemic acid. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
if the grape gatherers. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read “or if”, &c.
would they not. ? Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 24:21). App-92. Compare Isa 17:6; Isa 24:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Oba 1:5-9
THE EXTENT OF EDOMS JUDGMENT
TEXT: Oba 1:5-9
Edoms devastation will be absolutely complete! Her destruction will originate with the God of all the earth who will bring it about through His ministers-both the allies and enemies of Edom.
Oba 1:5 THIEVES . . . STEAL ONLY . . . ENOUGH? GRAPE-GATHERERS . . . LEAVE SOME? God, speaking through Obadiah, asks rhetorical questions (expecting yes answers), Actually these are interrogative declarations, The whole point is the contrast between what man would do to Edam and what God is going to do, If the plundering of Edom were designed and executed by men only there would be some gleanings left after the plundering. But it shall not be so when Gods plundering is finished! Nothing will be left. Isaiah prophesies, . . . they shall name it, No Kingdom There. (read in connection with Edoms plundering, Isa 34:5-17; Jer 49:17-22; Eze 25:12-14; Mal 1:1-5). Edoms history, as long as she existed after this prophecy, was one long story of subjugation and plundering. Her glorious culture, one of the richest of the world then, was plundered by nation after nation. Her people were taken time after time and sold into slavery. The nation was driven from its homeland into the southern deserts of Palestine.
Zerr: Oba 1:5. Moffatts translation renders the words in parenthesis by, “”What a downfall is yours The thought is that the ruin predicted to be coming on Edom Will be so great and complete that even the Lord is caused to make an exclamation. It will be even more complete than the Work of thieves in looting a place. They would at least have stopped when they had what they wanted for them-selves, and hence there would have been some [margin says gleaning.] grapes left. But when the Lord gets through with the chastisement of Edom there will be nothing left. Oba 1:6. This verse is another prediction in the form of an exclamation, and corresponds with the thought of the preceding paragraph.
Oba 1:7 MEN OF THY CONFEDERACY . . . HAVE DECEIVED THEE . . . THEY THAT EAT THY BREAD LAY A SNARE: Edoms allies (probably the Arabians with whom Edom joined in the plundering of Judah-see 2Ch 22:1-6-) secretly plotted her downfall all the while they were banqueting with her around the peace tables, Edoms neighbors, the Arabians, made commercial treaties with her but betrayed her to her enemies at the same time. Keil says, Edom was a great emporium of the Syrio-Arabian trade, where many valuables were stored, and because of the loss of these riches the prosperity and power of Edom were destroyed.
Zerr: Oba 1:7. Men of thy confederacy has reference to the allies of Edom. When the test comes they will turn against him and drive him to the border, which means that Edom will be driven to the last extremity. It frequently happens that the professed friends of a man will reverse themselves and become his enemies. The last two words of the verse are rendered “of it in the margin, and both Moffatt and the American Revised version agree with it. The idea is that Edoms professed friends were weaving a web around him and he did not have the good sense to realize it.
Oba 1:8 DESTROY THE WISE MEN OUT OF EDOM: We, with Keil, do not believe Obadiah means that the wise men of Edom will be slain but that the Lord will take away their discernment, making them to become fools, so that they will be of no help to Edom. That Edom was known for its wise men is evident from Jer 49:7; Isa 19:11; Isa 29:14 and especially from the fact that Eliphaz, the wise man who was the friend of Job was from Teman (Job 2:1, etc.). Rom 1:18-32 serves to explain how and why God gave these Gentiles up to their own foolishness. When any people refuses to have God in their knowledge and exchange the truth of God for lies, God gives them up and sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe a lie (cf. 2Th 2:11-12). This is what happened to Edom. Proud in her Own conceit she became a fool!
Zerr: Oba 1:8. That day refers to the time when the overthrow- of Edom was to take place. The nation as a whole was to be ruined, but also its wise men were to be shown to be unable to preserve the country by their leadership.
Oba 1:9 AND THY MIGHTY MEN . . . SHALL BE DISMAYED . . . Teman is another name for the southern district of Idumea, named after Teman a son of Eliphaz and a grandson of Esau (cf. Gen 36:11; Gen 36:15). With the destruction of wisdom and discernment by the Lord (cf. Isa 29:14-16; 1Co 1:18-31) even the mighty warriors and men of valor lost hope and the nation was cut off. As we have mentioned earlier in our Introduction to Obadiah, the Edomites were betrayed by their allies and lost their high, rocky fortress in Petra delivered to the borders of their enemies and forced to live in the wastelands of the deserts of southern Palestine, there to become known as Idumeans. The Idumeans perished from the earth, as a nation, about 70 A.D. The Nabateans, from the nomadic Arabian tribes, inhabited the cliffs of Petra but not for long for Gods doom had been pronounced against this place. God was to speak through other prophets that this territory would become so desolate it would become home only for the hawk, porcupine and owl: Isaiah said that thorns would grow over its strongholds, and it would be the haunt of jackals and other kinds of wild beasts (Isaiah 34).
Zerr: Oba 1:9. Teman was a district located by or adjoining the land of Edom if not a part of it. Mount of Esau is equivalent to “Mount Seir (Gen 14:6). The mighty men means the leaders upon whom the inhabitants of the country of Edom relied for guidance. Their apparent wisdom will be exposed and they will be left overwhelmed with dismay.
Many words of doom rang out against this seemingly impregnable rock fortress and its inhabitants. But for years it seemed that whoever occupied the cliffs would be safe and secure for no enemy could get in to attack the city. Even in the time of Romes power and dominion, Petra and her inhabitants were still rich and powerful. But God said the proud city would be brought down, that it would be left deserted. How could this possibly happen when it was in such an important position and so well protected? For centuries the long, rich caravans laden with precious, costly treasures for trade from the East made Petra one of the most important stopping and trading places along the one and only trade route from the East to the West. But without warning and almost without reason a new caravan route opened up far to the north of Petra making Palmyra its chief stopping place. No longer did the camel caravans pass through the mountains of Seir with their precious cargoes. The great trade center Petra was suddenly cut off from the main highway, the city was left alone in its rocky wilderness. Soon the people left the cliff side homes that had taken years of patient labor to build. Their fortress wasnt strong enough to hide them from Gods judgment. No great battles, no mighty armies, were needed to make Gods sure word of prophecy come true. No, only the changing of a trade route and Petra, the city which had been powerful and rich, became a hollow shell, emptied of all life except the owl and the jackal. You can go there this very day and see the prophecy fulfilled before your very eyes. In 150 A.D. the Roman emperor Trajan all but obliterated the Nabatean people from the face of the earth.
Questions
1. How complete will be Gods judgment against Edom?
2. How was Edoms downfall finally brought about?
3. How does God destroy the wisdom of Edoms wise men?
4. Why would the mighty men of Teman be dismayed?
5. How was Gods Word, that Petra would become the habitat for wild beasts, finally fulfilled?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
if robbers: Jer 49:9
how: 2Sa 1:19, Isa 14:12, Jer 50:23, Lam 1:1, Zep 2:15, Rev 18:10
if the: Deu 24:21, Isa 17:6, Isa 24:13, Mic 7:1
some grapes: or, gleanings
Reciprocal: Lev 19:10 – glean Jdg 6:4 – left no Jer 6:9 – They shall Jer 49:4 – Who Eze 26:17 – How art
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Oba 1:5. Moffatts translation renders the words in parenthesis by, “”What a downfall is yours The thought is that the ruin predicted to be coming on Edom Will be so great and complete that even the Lord is caused to make an exclamation. It will be even more complete than the Work of thieves in looting a place. They would at least have stopped when they had what they wanted for them-selves, and hence there would have been some [margin says gleaning.] grapes left. But when the Lord gets through with the chastisement of Edom there will be nothing left.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Oba 1:5-9. If thieves come unto thee See note on Jer 49:9. How are his hidden things sought up! Those treasures and riches which he took all possible care to conceal, that they might not be discovered by the enemy. All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border Thy confederates marched out with thee, until thou wast come to the borders of thy country, and then they perfidiously joined with the enemys forces, and thereby deceived thee. And prevailed against thee Namely, treacherously. They that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee Those that were maintained at thy cost, as thine allies, have given thee a secret blow. There is none understanding Thou wast not aware of it. Shall I not, in that day, even destroy the wise men, &c. At that time, when these evils shall come upon them, their prudence and skill shall altogether forsake them, and the wisest among them shall not know what to do, or shall give unsatisfactory, or foolish, counsel. When God designs a people for destruction, he causes such circumstances to arise, such a multiplicity of dangers, and so unexpectedly, to surround them, that their greatest wisdom is confounded, and the most skilful among them are quite at a loss how to act. See note on Jer 49:7. And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, &c. Teman was one of the grandsons of Esau, after whom some city and district in Idumea was named. Here it seems to be used to signify the whole country of Idumea. Certain it is that the Idumeans were looked upon as a strong and valiant people. Josephus says, they went as unconcernedly and as cheerfully into battle as to a banquet; but here it is threatened that a panic fear should seize upon this courageous nation, so that they should be entirely discouraged, and not able to stand against their enemies, or defend themselves; the consequence of which would be, a great slaughter of them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:5 {d} If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?
(d) God will so destroy them that he will leave none, even though thieves when they come take but until they have enough, and they that gather grapes always leave some behind them. See Geneva “Jer 49:9”
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
C. The Plundering of Edom’s Treasures Oba 1:5-7
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Thieves robbed houses and grape harvesters stripped vineyards, yet both left a little behind that they did not carry off. However, Yahweh’s destruction of Edom would be so complete that nothing at all would remain of her (cf. Jer 49:9-10). There would be no remnant of Edom left (in contrast to the remnant that Yahweh promised elsewhere to leave in Israel). The form of this assurance sounds like mourning in the presence of death. Concealed treasures of all kinds, human as well as material, would not escape Yahweh’s omniscient eye (cf. Jer 49:4).