Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Obadiah 1:15
For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
15. The day of the Lord ] The order of the words, “for near is the day of the Lord,” accords with the fact that the day of the Lord is here spoken of as something already known and familiar. It was first revealed to the prophet Joel (Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1; Joe 2:31 [Heb, 3:4]). There as here it had reference first to some nearer typical visitation and judgment, but included the great final day into which the prophet’s view here expands.
as thou hast done ] comp. Eze 35:15 and Psa 137:8.
thy reward ] rather, thy work; dealing, R.V. Comp. Joe 3:7 [Heb., 4:7].
As ye have drunk ] This is commonly interpreted to mean, “As ye Edomites have drunk in triumphant revelry and carousal on my holy mountain, rejoicing with unhallowed joy over its destruction, so shall (ye and) all the nations drink continually the wine of God’s wrath and indignation.” But it is better to understand the first clause as referring to the Jews: “As ye have drunk (who are) upon my holy mountain; as even you, who are my chosen people and inhabit the mountain consecrated by my presence, have not escaped the cup of my wrath, so all the nations shall drink of that same cup, not with a passing salutary draught as you have done, but with a continuous swallowing down, till they have wrung out the dregs thereof and been brought to nothing by their consuming power.” The “drinking” is thus the same in both clauses and not as in the other interpretation, literal in the first clause, and figurative in the second. Thus too the word “continually” has its proper force, by virtue of the contrast which it suggests between the Jews, for whom the bitter draught was only temporary, for amendment and not for destruction, and the heathen who were to drink on till they perished. And this view of the words is strikingly confirmed by the parallel passages in Jeremiah. To that prophet the commission is given by God, “Take the wine cup of this fury at mine hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it.” Beginning with “Jerusalem and the cities of Judah” the prophet passes the cup in turn to Edom. And if the nations refuse to take the cup, he is to answer them by Obadiah’s argument that even God’s holy mountain has not escaped: “ye shall certainly drink. For do I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name and should ye be utterly unpunished?” (Jer 25:15-29). Again in the chapter in which, as we have seen, Jeremiah has much in common with Obadiah, he uses the figure of the cup of judgment with reference both to Jews and Edomites as though he had so understood it here. “Behold,” he says, “they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken, and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished?” Jer 49:12. And once more in the book of Lamentations he prophesies, “the cup also (of which we have drunk) shall pass through unto thee,” and then draws, in the following verse, the same contrast in plain language between the punishment of Israel and of Edom, which is here drawn by Obadiah by the figure of the single and the continuous draught. “The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity. He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins” (Jer 4:21-22).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
15, 16. After the description in Oba 1:11-14, of the fault for which Edom was to be punished, the prophet returns in these two verses to the subject of Oba 1:2-9, and completes the description of the punishment that should be inflicted on him. He connects them by the word “for,” at once with the prediction of Oba 1:10, “thou shalt be cut off for ever,” and with the earnest dissuasions of the verses that have followed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the pagan – The prophet once more enforces his warning by preaching judgment to come. The day of the Lord was already known Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1, Joe 2:31, as a day of judgment upon all nations, in which God would judge all the pagan, especially for their outrages against His people. Edom might hope to escape, were it alone threatened. The prophet announces one great law of Gods retribution, one rule of His righteous judgment. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. Pagan justice owned this to be just, and placed it in the mouth of their ideal of justice. Blessed he, says the Psalmist Psa 137:8, that recompenses unto thee the deed which thou didst to us. Blessed, because he was the instrument of God. Having laid down the rule of Gods judgment, he resumes his sentence to Edom, and speaks to all in him. In the day of Judahs calamity Edom made itself as one of them. It, Jacobs brother, had ranked itself among the enemies of Gods people. It then too should be swept away in one universal destruction. It takes its place with them, undistinguished in its doom as in its guilt, or it stands out as their representa tive, having the greater guilt, because it had the greater light. Obadiah, in adopting Joels words Joe 3:7, thy reward shall return upon thine own head, pronounces therewith on Edom all those terrible judgments contained in the sentence of retribution as they had been expanded by Joel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. The day of the Lord is near] God will not associate thee with him in the judgments which he inflicts. Thou also art guilty, and shalt have thy punishment in due course with the other sinful nations.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For the day of the Lord, of just revenge from the Lord upon this cruelty of Edom, the time which the Lord hath appointed for the punishing of this and other nations, is near upon all the heathen; which God had given to Nebuchadnezzar, and which by this mans arms God would punish, as Jer 27:2-7; and that day may justly be accounted near, which shall come within the compass of one mans life, and that well advanced in years, as Nebuchadnezzar now was.
As thou hast done, perfidiously, cruelly, and ravenously against Jacob, with a hostile, revengeful mind, it shall be done by thine enemies
to thee, as Oba 1:7; and this came to pass on Edom within five years after Jerusalem was sacked and ruined; within which space of time Obadiah prophesied, reproving Edom, and threatening him for what he had done against Jerusalem and its inhabitants.
Thy reward, the punishment or retribution of evil for the evil thou hast done to Jacob,
shall return; by Gods just hand, and by thy enemys cruel hand, shall be poured out upon thee.
Upon thine own head: thy chief men, chief in the cruelty, shall be chief in suffering, for the measure thou hast measured shall be measured to thee, as Psa 137:8; Eze 35:15; Joe 3:7,8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Forresumptive inconnection with Ob 10, whereinEdom was threatened with cutting off for ever.
the day of the Lordtheday in which He will manifest Himself as the Righteous Punisher ofthe ungodly peoples (Joe 3:14).The “all” shows that the fulfilment is not exhausted in thepunishment inflicted on the surrounding nations by theinstrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar; but, as in Joe 3:14;Zec 12:3, that the last judgmentto come on the nations confederate against Jerusalem is referred to.
as thou hast done, it shallbe done unto theethe righteous principle of retribution inkind (Lev 24:17; Mat 7:2;compare Jdg 1:6; Jdg 1:7;Jdg 8:19; Est 7:10).
thy rewardthe rewardof thy deed (compare Isa3:9-11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For the day of the Lord [is] near upon all the Heathen,…. That is, the time was at hand, fixed and determined by the Lord, and he had spoken of by his prophets, when he would punish all the Heathens round about for their sins; as the Egyptians, Philistines, Tyrians, Ammonites, Moabites, and others; and so the Edomites among the rest; for this is mentioned for their sakes, and to show that their punishment was inevitable, and that they could not expect to escape in the general ruin; see Jer 25:17. This destruction of Edom here prophesied of, and of all the Heathen, was accomplished about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, so that it might be truly said to be near; and some time within this space Obadiah seems to have prophesied; and the day of the Lord is not far off upon the Pagans, Mahometans, and all the “antichristian” states, When mystical Edom or Rome will be destroyed; see Re 16:19;
as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head; this is particularly directed to Edom, upon whom the day of the Lord’s vengeance shall come; when he punished the Heathens, then the Edomites should be retaliated in their own way; and as they had rejoiced at the destruction of the Jews, and had insulted them in their calamities, and barbarously used them, they should be treated in like manner; see Eze 35:15; and thus will mystical Babylon, or the mystical Edomites, be dealt with, even after the same manner as they have dealt with the truly godly, the faithful professors of Christ, Re 18:6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This warning is supported in Oba 1:15 by an announcement of the day of the Lord, in which Edom and all the enemies of Israel will receive just retribution for their sins against Israel. Oba 1:15. “For the day of Jehovah is near upon all nations. As thou hast done, it will be done to thee; what thou hast performed returns upon thy head. Oba 1:16. For as ye have drunken upon my holy mountain, all nations will drink continually, and drink and swallow, and will be as those that were not.” (for) connects what follows with the warnings in Oba 1:12-14, but not also, or exclusively, with Oba 1:10, Oba 1:11, as Rosenmller and others suppose, for Oba 1:2-14 are not inserted parenthetically. “The day of Jehovah” has been explained at Joe 1:15. The expression was first formed by Obadiah, not by Joel; and Joel, Isaiah, and the prophets that follow, adopted it from Obadiah. The primary meaning is not the day of judgment, but the day on which Jehovah reveals His majesty and omnipotence in a glorious manner, to overthrow all ungodly powers, and to complete His kingdom. It was this which gave rise to the idea of the day of judgment and retribution which predominates in the prophetic announcements, but which simply forms one side of the revelation of the glory of God, as our passage at once shows; inasmuch as it describes Jehovah as not only judging all nations and regarding them according to their deeds (cf. Oba 1:15, and Oba 1:16), but as providing deliverance upon Zion (Oba 1:17), and setting up His kingdom (Oba 1:21). The retribution will correspond to the actions of Edom and of the nations. For , compare Joe 3:4, Joe 3:7, where (Joe 3:2-7) the evil deeds of the nations, what they have done against the people of God, are described. In Oba 1:16 Obadiah simply mentions as the greatest crime the desecration of the holy mountain by drinking carousals, for which all nations are to drink the intoxicating cup of the wrath of God till they are utterly destroyed. In sh e ththem (ye have drunk) it is not the Judaeans who are addressed, as many commentators, from Ab. Ezra to Ewald and Meier, suppose, but the Edomites. This is required not only by the parallelism of (as ye have drunk) and (as thou hast done), but also by the actual wording and context. cannot mean “as ye who are upon my holy mountain have drunk;” and in the announcement of the retribution which all nations will receive for the evil they have done to Judah, it is impossible that either the Judaeans should be addressed, or a parallel drawn between their conduct and that of the nations. Moreover, throughout the whole of the prophecy Edom only is addressed, and never Judah. Mount Zion is called “my holy mountain,” because Jehovah was there enthroned in His sanctuary. The verb shathah is used in the two clauses in different senses: viz., sh e ththem , of the drinking carousals which the Edomites held upon Zion, like yishtu in Joe 3:3; and shathu , in the apodosis, of the drinking of the intoxicating goblet (cf. Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; Jer 49:12, etc.), as the expression “they shall be as though they had not been” clearly shows. At the same time, we cannot infer from the words “all nations will drink,” that all nations would succeed in taking Zion and abusing it, but that they would have to taste all the bitterness of their crime; for it is not stated that they are to drink upon Mount Zion. The fact that the antithesis to is not (“ye will drink”) but , does not compel us to generalize sh e ththem , and regard all nations as addressed implicite in the Edomites. The difficulty arising from this antithesis cannot be satisfactorily removed by the remark of Caspari, that in consequence of the allusion to the day of the Lord upon all nations in Oba 1:15, the judgment upon all nations and that upon the Edomites were thought of as inseparably connected, or that this induced Obadiah to place opposite to the sins of the Edomites, not their own punishment, but the punishment of all nations, more especially as, according to Oba 1:11, it must necessarily be assumed that the foreign nations participated in the sin of Edom. For this leaves the question unanswered, how Obadiah came to speak at all (Oba 1:15) of the day of the Lord upon all nations. The circumstance that, according to Oba 1:11, heathen nations had plundered Jerusalem, and committed crimes like those for which Edom is condemned in Oba 1:12-14, does not lead directly to the day of judgment upon all nations, but simply to a judgment upon Edom and the nations which had committed like sins. The difficulty is only removed by the assumption that Obadiah regarded Edom as a type of the nations that had risen up in hostility to the Lord and His people, and were judged by the Lord in consequence, so that what he says of Edom applies to all nations which assume the same or a similar attitude towards the people of God. From this point of view he could, without reserve, extend to all nations the retribution which would fall upon Edom for its sins. They should drink tamd , i.e., not at once, as Ewald has rendered it in opposition to the usage of the language, but “continually.” This does not mean, however, that “there will be no time in which there will not be one of the nations drinking the intoxicating cup, and being destroyed by drinking thereof; or that the nations will come in turn, and therefore in a long immeasurable series, one after the other, to drink the cup of intoxication,” as Caspari supposes, but “continually, so that the turn never passes from the heathen to Judah, Isa 51:22-23” (Hitzig). This drinking is more precisely defined as drinking and swallowing ( , in Syriac, to devour or swallow, hence , a throat, so called from the act of swallowing, Pro 23:2), i.e., drinking in full draughts; and the effect, “they will be like such as have not been, have never existed” (cf. Job 10:19), i.e., they will be utterly destroyed as nations.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Edom’s Judgment In The Day Of The Lord, v. 15, 16
Verses 15, 16:
Verse 15 announces that the “Day of the Lord,” or Jehovah, is at hand, upon all the heathen. That is, even heathen nations can not sin against God or their fellowman without an accounting in chastening judgment, Zep 1:15-18; Isaiah 2; Isaiah 1-22; Rev 19:11-21. God will surely manifest Himself against Edom in judgment for wrong, for He is a Righteous Punisher of ungodly peoples, Joe 3:14. As Edom had done, it is affirmed, it shall be done to him, Lev 24:17; Mat 7:2; Jdg 8:19; Ezr 7:10; Isa 3:9-11.
Verse 16 affirms that as the Edomites had drunk with idolatrous revilry upon the Lord’s Holy Mountain (upon Jerusalem) the seat of the Temple, and Judah who was His covenant people, so would the heathen Edomites drink of the Lord’s judgment cup, Psa 60:3; Jer 49:12; 1Pe 4:17. To swallow down the drink of judgment, means to take the bitter dregs, leaving nothing in the cup, Psa 75:8. To be “as though they had not been,” means not a trace of Edom’s national existence shall be left, when his judgment is full, Job 10:19; Psa 37:36; Eze 26:21.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
By saying that the day of Jehovah was nigh upon all nations, the Prophet may be regarded as reasoning from the greater to the less: “If God will not spare other nations, how canst thou escape his hand?” In a like manner does Jeremiah speak in chapter 49, (Jer 49:12) he addresses the Idumeans in these words, ‘Behold, they shall drink of the cup, who have not been by judgment condemned to drink; and shalt thou not taste? by drinking thou shalt drink to the very dregs. He shows then that the Idumeans deserved a double vengeance; for if indeed they were compared with the Assyrians and Chaldeans, the fault of the latter would appear small: the Chaldeans might pretend some causes for the war, they were aliens, they were, in short, professed enemies; but the Idumeans were neighbors and kindred. The same thing might be also said of other nations. But the words may be explained in a simpler manner; and that is, that God would not only take vengeance on one or two nations, but on all. “See,” he says, “a change will take place not only in one corner, but in the whole world. The Lord will thus show that he is the judge of the whole earth. Hence it follows, that the Idumeans also must render an account, for God has resolved to execute judgment on all nations; no one whatever shall be passed by.”
Behold, then, nigh is the day of Jehovah. We have said that the time in which Obadiah prophesied is unknown to us. But it is no matter of wonder that he declares that nigh is the day of Jehovah; for the Lord hastens not after the manner of men; but, at the same time, he knows his own seasons; and this is ever accomplished, that when the ungodly think themselves to be at rest, then sudden destruction overtakes them.
He draws this conclusion, As thou hast done, so shall it be done to thee. There seems, however, to be here an implied comparison between the chastisement of the chosen people and the punishment which shall be inflicted on other nations. When the Idumeans saw that the kingdom of Israel and of Judah was trodden under foot, they thought that the children of Abraham were thus punished because they had despised their own Prophets, because they had become immoral and perverse in the extreme. Thus they exempted themselves and others from punishment. Now the Prophet declares that God had been the judge of his people, but that he is also the judge of the whole world, and that this would quickly be made evident. When, therefore, he says, that nigh was the day of Jehovah, he had, I have no doubt, a regard, as I have already said, to the chastisement of the Church; as though he said, “As God has proved himself to be one who justly punishes sins with respect to Israel and Judah; so also at length he will ascend his tribunal to judge all the nations; no one, therefore, shall escape punishment. All then in their different conditions shall be constrained to give an account of their actions, for the Lord will spare none: and though he has begun with his Church and his own house, yet there will come afterwards the suitable time to take vengeance, when he will extend his hand to punish all heathen nations.” This, seems to me to be the real meaning.
Rightly then does he conclude, As then thou hast done, it shall be done to thee: “Think not that thou shalt be unpunished for having gone against thy brother. It was God’s purpose to exhibit an example of his severity towards others, while he spared thee; but thou hast abused his forbearance; for thou mightest have remained quiet at home: the Lord will then repay thee.” And then he subjoins, Thy reward shall recoil, or return, on thine own head Here the Prophet announces what Christ also says
‘
With what measure any one measures, it shall be repaid to him,’ (Mat 7:2.)
This sentence is worthy of being noticed: for when God leaves the innocent to the will of the ungodly, they think that they may do whatever they please with impunity, as though they were the executioners of God. As then they become thus insolent when the Lord spares them, let us take notice of what the Prophet says here, — that a reward is prepared for every one, and that whatever cruelty the ungodly may exercise, it shall be returned on their own heads. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Oba. 1:15. For] Resumptive from Oba. 1:10. Righteous retribution in kind.
Oba. 1:16.] The greatest crime the desecration of the holy mountain by drinking carousals, for which all nations are to drink of Gods wrath till utterly destroyed. Not been] (Job. 10:19); not a trace of national existence left (Psa. 37:36; Eze. 26:21).
HOMILETICS
THE DAY OF RETRIBUTION.Oba. 1:15-16
Another warning of judgment to come. All men are amenable to law. God notices violations of law and duty. He is present in the affairs and will administer justice on the sins of men. For the day of the Lord is near.
I. God governs men by a law of requital. Human life appears confused, but God has plan and design. The wicked may triumph and the righteous suffer, but God will rectify matters. Men may disregard and deny the day of retribution, but cannot escape it. They often suffer here in loss of property, thwarted plans, and bad repute. Look not then upon the wrath of man, but the judgment of God.
1. This retribution may be near. The day of the Lord is near.
2. It is fixed in time. The day of the Lord.
3. It is certain. They shall drink. Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord.
II. This law of retribution will be in equity. As thou hast done it shall be done unto thee. It is the lex talionis. God renders exactly to nations and individuals according to their works. Adonibezek confessed, As I have done so God hath requited me (Jud. 1:7). With the froward God is froward (Psa. 18:26); with the cruel he is strict, as with Agag and Edom. Men are filled with their own ways (Pro. 14:14), and reap exactly what they sow in quality and quantity. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
1. In personal experience. Thy reward shall be upon thine own head.
2. In bitter degree. They shall drink and swallow down.
3. In long duration. Drink continually. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealings shall come down upon his own pate.
Heaven is above all, yet there sits a Judge
That no king can corrupt [Shakespeare].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Oba. 1:15. Thy reward, &c.
1. Then take not the law in your own hands.
2. Be encouraged in a good cause.
3. Fear in a bad cause.
Oba. 1:16. As ye have drunk. A metaphor found in Scripture and heathen writers, in allusion to the cup of poison given to criminals, or to feasts where the governor gave to each guest (Joh. 2:9). As Gods people had drunk the cup of affliction, so must the heathen drink of it. The cup of sorrow.
1. To Gods people(a) mixed with sweetness; (b) it will soon be over.
2. To the wicked(a) full of wrath; (b) will last for ever. When Gods people have drunk the red wine in the cup, the wicked must drink the dregs; the cup passeth from place to place till all be drank off.
All nations are, in the first instance, all who had been leagued against Gods people; but the wide term comprehends all who, in time, become like them. It is a rule of Gods justice for all times. Each in turn drank continuously, until it became as though it had never been. To swallow up, and be swallowed up in turn, is the worlds history [Pusey].
1. The Hill of Zion Gods holy mount.
2. This mount polluted by the carousals of men.
3. This mount vindicated and purified by God. The Church may be laid waste and made desolate, but God will purify it and revenge its enemies; will make a difference between holy and unholy; punish the spoiler and defend the worshipper. Here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE CHAPTER
Oba. 1:15-16. Retribution. To the revengeful God will be robed in vengeance, and to the merciful he will be a God of love. Thus our own characters, whether good or bad, will be thrown back upon ourselves, with the conscious force of Divinity. What is hell but sins reflections of the Divine characterthe rays of the Eternal falling upon the soul through the combustible medium of the moral corruption, and thus setting all on fire? Let us remember, then, that there is to be a Divine reflection of ourselves, and that exactly with what measure we mete, it will be measured to us again [Dr Thomas].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The terrors of the day of Jehovah, Oba 1:15-16.
In Oba 1:10 the prophet announces judgment upon the Edomites for their ill treatment of Judah; in Oba 1:11 he describes in greater detail their wrongdoings; in 12-14 he warns them to abstain from further violence. These warnings he backs up in Oba 1:15-16 by calling attention to the day of Jehovah, when Edom and all other enemies of Jehovah will receive their just dues.
For Connects with Oba 1:14 more directly than with Oba 1:9.
The day of Jehovah is near upon all the heathen R.V., “all the nations.” Edom is joined here with the other enemies of Jehovah; but 15b sets her apart again from the rest. Though the transition from 15a to 15b is abrupt there is insufficient reason for rejecting the latter as out of harmony with the former. The seeming difficulty may be removed by regarding 15b as an attempt on the part of the prophet to emphasize the special guilt of the Edomites, which might possibly be overlooked, were they not singled out for condemnation. In a sense, therefore, 15b is a parenthetical clause.
Day of Jehovah See on Joe 1:15.
As thou hast done The latter part of Oba 1:15 lays down the basis of recompense, the lex talionis (compare Eze 35:15; Psa 137:8; see on Joe 3:7). This idea is continued, in somewhat different form, in Oba 1:16. “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.”
The interpretation of Oba 1:16 depends upon the determination as to who are the persons addressed with you. 1. Are they Edomites? “As ye Edomites have drunk in triumphant revelry and carousal on my holy mountain, rejoicing with unhallowed joy over its destruction, so shall (ye and) all the nations drink continually the wine of God’s wrath and indignation.” 2. Are they the Jews? “As ye have drunk (who are) upon my holy mountain; as even you who are my chosen people, and inhabit the mountain consecrated by my presence, have not escaped the cup of my wrath, so all the nations shall drink of that same cup, not with a passing salutary draught as you have done, but with a continuous swallowing down, till they have wrung out the dregs thereof and been brought to nothing by their consuming power.” Against the first and in support of the second interpretation it is urged: (1) The former would necessitate a change of meaning in drink; in the first sentence it would have to be understood literally, in the second figuratively. (2) In other parts of the book Edom is addressed in the singular, here in the plural. (3) The Edomites are a part of “all the nations” (15a); it would be peculiar to have them separated in Oba 1:16 (15b is of a different nature). (4) “The contrast between the Edomites reveling upon Mount Zion and the nations drinking the cup of Jehovah’s wrath gives no sense.” (5) It is also urged that the second interpretation alone does justice to continually “by virtue of the contrast which it suggests between the Jews for whom the bitter draught was only temporary, for amendment and not for destruction, and the heathen who were to drink on until they perished.” (6) The parallel passage (see, however, p. 291) in Jer 49:12 (compare Jer 25:15-29; Lam 4:21-22) is also quoted in support. But the second interpretation is by no means free from difficulties: (1) The rendering, “As ye have drunk who are upon my holy mountain,” is grammatically impossible; “upon my holy mountain” belongs to “as ye have drunk.” This objection, however, is valid only against the above-mentioned translation of the passage; a proper translation might remove the difficulty. (2) Throughout the whole prophecy Edom seems to be addressed, never the people of Judah directly. (3) The parallelism with “even as thou hast done,” referring to Edom (Oba 1:15), favors the first view. (4) The meaning which Jeremiah gives to the passage cannot determine the meaning of Obadiah. If the two passages are dependent the one on the other, which is by no means certain (p. 291), the borrower evidently took considerable liberty with the passage borrowed, and he may have gone so far as to alter the original meaning. On the whole, the first interpretation seems to be the more natural. It is in more perfect accord with the context, and it gives to the expression “drunk upon my holy mountain” its natural meaning. The use of drink in a twofold sense is not a serious objection; on the contrary, such change would be striking, and thus would add force to the prophetic message. The word continually would not lose its significance. Abrupt transitions from singular to plural, or plural to singular, are not uncommon in prophetic literature; and in this case the change may easily be accounted for by assuming that the prophet desired to include, in thought at least, all the nations. This assumption is supported by the fact that in Oba 1:15-16 the Edomites and the other nations are thought of as intimately associated, both in oppressing Judah and in enduring the judgment. For these reasons we may consider the words addressed to the Edomites, and by implication to all the nations.
As ye have drunk There is nothing improbable in the thought that the Edomites joined the destroyers in carousals and revelry to celebrate the downfall of the Jewish nation and the capture of the city, and that they did this on the temple mountain.
My holy mountain See on Joe 2:1.
So shall all the heathen [“nations”] drink All who have manifested hostility toward the chosen people of God must drink the cup of the divine wrath.
Continually “So that the turn to drink never passes from the nations to Judah” (Isa 51:22-23).
Swallow down R.V. margin, “talk foolishly.” Of these the former is to be preferred. They will be compelled to empty the cup to the bottom.
A figurative description of the severity and completeness of the judgment. The result will be utter destruction for the nations that have been the enemies of Jehovah and of his people.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Day Of YHWH Will Result In The Carrying Out Of God’s Judgment And Will Bring About The Vindication Of God’s People ( Oba 1:15-21 ).
But what they had overlooked was that one day YHWH would call them to account, as he would all nations. Each nation would have its ‘day of YHWH’. For Edom it would come soon. As they had done, so it would be done to them. When they themselves were invaded they would find none to sympathise. And the same would happen in one way or another to ‘all the nations’. Just as Edom would drink of YHWH’s vengeance because of how they had behaved towards Judah, so would all the nations continually. They would drink it to the full so that their very names would be wiped out. They would be as though they had never existed.
But those who escaped of the house of Jacob (the people of God) would come out of the situation on the other side and would possess their inheritance, and would themselves be the fire that burned up Edom, something finally fulfilled when the remnants of Edom who had taken shelter in Idumaea, southern Judah, would forcibly be circumcised and have to become Jews (under John Hyrcanus in 2nd century BC). The remnants of Edom were no more.
Oba 1:15
“For the day of YHWH is near on all the nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.
Your dealing will return on your own head.”
The prospect of a ‘day of YHWH’ or possibly better ‘a time of YHWH’ (yom cannot be restricted just to mean ‘day’) is common in many of the prophets. It was based on the certainty that in the end the nations would be punished for their behaviour and for their refusal to accept YHWH. For Edom it would come in the not too distant future (as also described in Isaiah 34). They would first lose their land and then finally be absorbed by the Jews. But all nations would have their ‘time of YHWH’. And it was approaching. It was ‘near’.
Oba 1:16
“For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
So will all the nations drink continually,
Yes, they will drink, and swallow down,
And will be as though they had not been.”
And in that time, just as Edom had drunk on YHWH’s holy mountain, figuratively if not literally when they feasted in rejoicing at Jerusalem’s demise (although if it was at the time of the exile they might vindictively have followed up Jerusalem’s destruction by partying in the ruins of Jerusalem itself), and would then have to drink equally deeply of the bitterness of YHWH’s vengeance (see especially Jer 25:15-29; Psa 75:8; and compare Isa 51:17-23; Eze 23:31-34; Hab 2:16), so would all nations have to drink to the full of His anger. In the end there is no escape for any.
So the ‘day of YHWH’ is a term which covers all the times when YHWH would bring to bear His anger on different nations at different times. It was a recognition by the prophets that one day in one way or another all nations would be brought to account, and it would solidify into the idea of a final day of judgment on the nations.
Oba 1:17
“But in mount Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy,
And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.”
But the one nation which would come through all this satisfactorily would be ‘the house of Jacob’. For them there was hope. A remnant of them would survive and would be re-established in Mount Zion, and mount Zion would again be holy (see Isa 4:3-6), and the house of Jacob would possess its inheritance.
A partial fulfilment of this undoubtedly happened in the rebuilding of Israel after the exile, when many exiles returned to join up in the land with those who had remained faithful to YHWH and a new nation, and then a new Jerusalem, was born. It was they who in fact would ‘devour Esau’ when the Edomites who had fled to southern Judah and settled there were forced to become Jews at the point of the sword by John Hyrcanus. But it also contained within it the general certainty of the continuation of the people of God, although even the prophets did not realise quite how the new Israel, the Israel of God, would take possession of the world, not by sword, but by the word of God (although Isaiah 2, among others, makes it clear). For in the coming of Jesus, Who was Himself ‘the true Vine’ (Joh 15:1-6), a new Israel would be formed who would take God’s salvation to all so that from all nations there would be those who would respond, forming together the new Israel of God (Gal 6:16; Rom 11:17-28; Eph 2:11-22 ; 1Pe 2:9; etc), the new ‘congregation’ of Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18).
Oba 1:18
“And the house of Jacob will be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame,
And the house of Esau for stubble,
and they will burn among them, and devour them,
And there will not be any remaining to the house of Esau,
For YHWH has spoken it.”
The final demise of Edom (the house of Esau) will take place at the hands of the house of Jacob. While the people of God will burn brightly, Esau will be the stubble consumed in its flames, until none of Esau are left. Edom will simply be swallowed up into the people of God (which as we have seen took place under John Hyrcanus in 2nd century BC).
‘For YHWH has spoken it.’ Such a comment about YHWH’s effective word regularly comes in the middle of a prophecy. See especially Amos where similar phrases occur regularly.
Oba 1:19-20
“And they of the South (the Negeb) will possess the mount of Esau,
And they of the lowland the Philistines,
And they will possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria,
and Benjamin will possess Gilead.”
“And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, who are among the Canaanites,
Will possess even to Zarephath,
And the captives of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad,
Will possess the cities of the South.”
The triumph of the people of YHWH is finally depicted as they will expand outwards from the areas to which they have been restricted, or will even take possession of the land of their captives, while those exiled in a far off place will return to take possession of the cities of the Negeb, so badly treated by the Edomites. Thus Edom’s rejoicing over Judah’s demise has been premature.
As a result those of Israel/Judah who live in the Negeb will expand southwards to take possession of Mount Esau, those of Israel/Judah who dwell in the lower hills (the Shephelah) will expand westward to take possession of Philistia, others will take possession of the countryside of Ephraim and Samaria, and even Transjordan will be repossessed. Benjamin were (anciently) conveniently situated for the task.
Furthermore those who were exiled among the Canaanites north of Israel/Judah would take possession of the land where they were held captive. Zarephath was south of Sidon on the road to Tyre. And even more emphatically those who had been exiled to far off Sepharad would return to take possession of the cities of the Negeb (the very cities which Edom had sought to appropriate). Sepharad was possibly Sardis, capital of Lydia in Asia Minor, known in Persian times as Sfard. It may be identifiable with the Saparda of Assyrian inscriptions. But this is not certain. What is certain is that it indicted some far off place where there were exiles from Judah/Israel.
The whole picture is of Israel resettling their land and expanding, something which remarkably came to fulfilment in the intertestamental period. While Edom sank without trace, the people at whose demise they had rejoiced would rise again.
In the end, however, the ‘country’ which the people of God seek is a heavenly one. When Abraham and his descendants looked for a city and for a country they were not seeking an earthly one but a heavenly one (Heb 11:10-14). Thus the final fulfilment of these promises will be in the new heavens and the new earth.
Oba 1:21
“And saviours will come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau,
And the kingdom will be YHWH’s.”
And what is most important to the prophet is that YHWH will no longer have rivals. He alone will reign and will be worshipped. The syncretism that was such a running sore throughout the Book of Kings will have gone for ever, And the people of God will worship the one true God as their great Overlord and King. The kingship will be YHWH’s.
And this would be accomplished by ‘saviours’. Those who would cause the people of God to triumph. Initially this would be the Maccabees and those who followed them, who would re-establish Israel/Judah, but finally it would be the Apostles who as the foundation of the new Israel would take God’s word, first to their fellow-Jews, (establishing the new chosen Israel among the old, the Israel within Israel of Paul – Rom 9:6), and then to the nations, who would become a part of that new Israel, by the spreading of the good news of the Kingly Rule of God. And that triumph will take in the mount of Esau. God’s people will be triumphant.
But the final fulfilment of these prophecies awaits the new heavens and the new earth in which dwells righteousness, where YHWH will be supreme (Revelation 21-22).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Ver. 15. For the day of the Lord is near, &c. ] “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming,” Psa 37:12-13 , the particular day of his sore punishment, a type and pledge of the general judgment, that great day of the Lord, as it is called, Rev 6:17 ; Rev 16:14 , because the great God will on that day do great works, and determine great matters, Jdg 1:19 . But as some men’s sins go before to judgment (as it were, by a special sessions preceding and anteverting the great Assizes), so should Edom and his neighbouring nations taste also of Nebuchadnezzar’s cup and whip, Jer 25:17 , and this day is said to be near upon them, though it came not of above a hundred years after; so is the coming of Christ to judgment near, though we presume not to set the time, as some have done, deceiving and being deceived.
As thou hast done, it shall be done to thee
“ Quid fodis immeritis natis sua lumina, Phineu?
– Poena reversura est in caput ipsa tuum. ”
So of Diomedes, King of Thrace, cast by Hercules to be devoured by his own dogs, which he had so often fed with man’s flesh. The like might be said of Perillus and his brazen bull, whereof himself had the lucky omen. Iustum est, ait Rhadamanthus, quod quis iniuste aliis intulit idem subeat et patiatur
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT:1:15-21
15For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.
Your dealings will return on your own head.
16Because just as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the nations will drink continually.
They will drink and swallow
And become as if they had never existed.
17But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.
18Then the house of Jacob will be a fire
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they will set them on fire and consume them,
So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,
For the LORD has spoken.
19Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain;
Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the cities of the Negev.
21The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.
Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations Edom is used as a type of all nations who are against God’s people. This is a moral universe and God will set all things straight one day (i.e., eschatological judgment)!!!
For the day of the Lord, see note at Oba 1:8. It is a recurrent theme, especially in Joel (cf. Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1; Joe 2:11; Joe 2:31) and Amos (cf. Amo 5:18; Amo 5:20).
As you have done, it will be done to you This is a spiritual principle. God is ethical-moral and so is His creation. Humans break themselves on God’s standards. We reap what we sow. This is true for believers (but does not affect salvation) and unbelievers (cf. Job 34:11; Psa 28:4; Psa 62:12; Pro 24:12; Ecc 12:14; Jer 17:10; Jer 32:19; Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31-46; Rom 2:6; Rom 14:12; 1Co 3:8; 2Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-10; 2Ti 4:14; 1Pe 1:17; Rev 2:23; Rev 20:12; Rev 22:12).
Oba 1:16 Because just as you drank on My holy mountain The question is how many groups are being addressed in this verse:
1. Edom (Oba 1:15 b), the invading nations (MASCULINE PLURAL, cf. Oba 1:15 a)
2. Israel (line 1)
Edom (line 3)
All invading nations (lines 2,3)
If #1 is right, then line 1 must refer to Edom getting drunk in Jerusalem after the victory of the invading foreign army.
In context #2 fits best. Edom was part of a multi-national invading army (i.e., the Babylonian army). This reflects Psalms 2 and Zec 12:2-3. YHWH will one day judge all nations and all but His people will be destroyed (i.e., Isa 51:22-23; Mat 5:5).
All the nations will drink continually The terms drink (BDB 1059, KB 1667, repeated three times) and cup (used in other places, i.e., Jer 49:12; Jer 44:26) refer to God’s judgment (cf. Psa 75:8; Isa 51:17; Isa 51:23; Jer 25:15-16; Jer 25:27; Jer 25:18; Eze 23:32-33 Mat 20:22-23; Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42; Joh 18:11; Rev 14:10; Rev 16:19; Rev 19:15).
become The VERB to be (BDB 224, KB 243) is repeated twice in Oba 1:16 and twice more in Oba 1:17. It is a role reversal emphasis. Edom was, but will cease to exist. Israel, though on the verge of non-existence, will blossom again!
Oba 1:17 Mount Zion Mount Zion was the site of the ancient Jebusite citadel (cf. 2Sa 5:7; 1Ch 11:5). The temple was located on Mount Moriah (cf. Gen 22:2; Gen 22:8; Gen 22:14; 1Ch 21:18-27; 2Ch 3:1). However, the term Mount Zion came to be the designation for the entire city of Jerusalem (especially in Psalms and the Prophets), see ABD, vol. 6, pp. 1096-1097). See Special Topic: Moriah, Salem, Jebus, Zion, Jerusalem .
holy See Special Topic below.
SPECIAL TOPIC: HOLY
possess their possessions Many see this as referring to a future day of abundance and restoration (cf. Isa 14:1-2; Amo 9:11-15). There is a possible alternate translation of and the house of Jacob shall take for an inheritance those that took them for an inheritance (cf. LXX, NRSV).
Oba 1:18 the house of Jacob. . .the house of Joseph This apparently refers to the unification of the tribes of Israel. The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah (i.e., 922 B.C.) have become one again (cf. Oba 1:20)!
the house of Esau will be as stubble Fire is often a symbol of judgment (cf. Exodus 15; Exodus 7; Mat 3:12; 1Co 3:10-15).
SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE
there will be no survivor of the house of Esau See Jer 11:23; Amo 1:8; and Mal 1:2-5.
Oba 1:19-20 This verse describes how the defeated Israelites will possess its inheritance (Oba 1:17). The remnant will spread out and possess the land given to them by God (i.e. Deuteronomy).
This possession of the land by those to whom it was promised becomes a universal fulfilment in Oba 1:21. All the earth belongs to YHWH and one day He will be King over it all!
Oba 1:19 the Negev This (BDB 616) means the dry land and thereby south country, referring to the arid land south of Beersheba (cf. Jos 15:21-32) extending into the area south and west of the Dead Sea. See Blaiklock and Harrison, The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, pp. 335-336. It is first mentioned in Gen 12:9; Gen 13:1; Gen 13:3; Gen 20:1; Gen 24:62. In Gen 13:14; Gen 28:14 it is best translated south (cf. Exo 26:18; Exo 27:9; Exo 36:23; Exo 38:9; Exo 40:24).
shephelah This (BDB 1050) means lowlands and refers, in this context, to the western foothills of the Judean plateau (cf. Jos 15:33-34). The area is about ten miles wide and fifty miles long (ABD, vol. 5, p. 1204).
the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria This refers to the land area of the northern Ten Tribes.
Oba 1:20 Zarephath This refers to a city of the coastal plain north of Israel in Phoenicia (cf. 1Ki 17:9-10). See Blaiklock and Harrison, The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, p. 483.
Sephared This (BDB 709) seems to be a metaphor for the farthest place of exile. There has been much discussion over its exact locale
1. the capital of Lydia because of the use of the term in Persian inscriptions (Blaiklock and Harrison, The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, p. 399)
2. the islands off of Libya
3. southwest Media because of the inscriptions of the Assyrian kings, Sargon and Esarhaddon
4. Spain (this is the interpretation of the Targums, the Rabbis and the Peshitta)
5. the Bosporus, which is the interpretation of the Vulgate
6. Sparta (the interpretation of Keil and Delitzsch based on I Maccabees, chapter 12 and 14). Obviously no one knows!
Oba 1:21 the deliverers The Septuagint has those who have been saved (cf. Isa 45:22). It refers to those set free from exile (cf. Isa 52:10). This term (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) may refer to military leaders (cf. Neh 9:27).
the kingdom will be the LORD’s This refers to God’s sovereignty over all history (cf. Psa 22:28; Psa 47:7-9; Psa 67:4; Zec 14:9) and to the coming and reign of God’s Messiah (cf. Eze 34:23-24; Mic 5:2-5 a). Even the NT denotes that the Messiah will eventually turn the Kingdom over to the Father (i.e., 1Co 15:24-28). See , see Special Topic: The Kingdom of God .
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the central theme of the book of Obadiah?
2. Why was Edom judged so severely?
3. Why is Edom used as a symbol for all the nations?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the day of the LORD. See note on Isa 2:11, Isa 2:17. The prophecy is now enlarged, and includes all the nations who were Israel’s enemies.
as = according as. This prophecy was fulfilled, so far as Edom was concerned, later on (see 1 Macc. 5.4, 65. Josephus, De Bell. iv. 5); likewise will the judgment on “all the nations” be literally fulfilled.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the day: Psa 110:5, Psa 110:6, Jer 9:25, Jer 9:26, Jer 25:15-29, Jer 49:12, Lam 4:21, Lam 4:22, Eze 30:3, Joe 3:11-14, Mic 5:15, Zec 14:14-18
as: Jdg 1:7, Psa 137:8, Eze 35:15, Joe 3:7, Joe 3:8, Hab 2:8, Mat 7:2, Jam 2:13
Reciprocal: Eze 35:6 – I will Joe 2:1 – for the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Oba 1:15. AR the heathen implies that other people besides the Edomites were to feel the wrath of God. That was true in more than one sense, for in overthrowing that one nation, others were given an indication and warning of what was to he the fate of all kingdoms of the world that followed practices displeasing to God.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Oba 1:15-16. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen The sacred writers call that the day of any persons, in which they do or suffer any thing very remarkable. Thus, Oba 1:13, the day of thy brother, signifies that time in which he was remarkably afflicted. So the day of the Lord signifies that time in which he does something extraordinary; and here it means the time in which God would inflict a remarkable vengeance upon the enemies of Judah. By all the heathen, is meant all those nations who, together with the Idumeans, insulted over the calamities of the Jews, or had waged war against them without any just cause. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee As thou hast rejoiced at the calamities of others, so shall others rejoice at thine: and as thou hast spoiled and plundered thy neighbours, so shalt thou be served thyself: see the margin. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, &c. Here is a sudden apostrophe to the Jewish people, who are here addressed. The sense is, As ye, who dwell on the mount which is sacred to me, have drunk of the cup of my indignation, or have suffered grievous calamities from my just displeasure, so also shall the nations among whom I am not known. They shall drink and swallow down Or, they shall drink large draughts of it, even to the very dregs. By this is expressed their suffering calamities in an extraordinary degree. They shall be as though they had not been They shall be utterly destroyed, so that there shall be no remains of them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Oba 1:15 a, Oba 1:16-21. The Judgment of the Nations.The Day of Yahweh approaches; Judah has already drunk her cup of suffering (cf. Jer 25:15; Jer 49:12), and now the other nations shall drink destruction. Mount Zion shall be a sanctuary, and the house of Jacob (here for Judah) shall recover what has been lost (Oba 1:17). Judah shall be joined by the restored northern kingdom (the house of Joseph), and together they shall utterly destroy the Edomites (Esau, Oba 1:18; for the contrast of Jacob and Esau, cf. Mal 1:2-5). The territories to be recovered in S. and N. are indicated (Oba 1:19 f.). Judah in Zion shall be reinforced by the help of the restored Israel (the saviours of Oba 1:21) against Esau, and the Messianic kingdom shall be established (Zarephath on coast, between Tyre and Sidon, cf. 1Ki 17:9); Sepharad, since the Persian period a name for Asia Minor, particularly Phrygia; this host, Oba 1:20, may be a corrupt form of Halah (cf. 2Ki 17:6).
Oba 1:19 seems to have been expanded by glosses, and Marti suggests as its original form, And they (i.e. the united Israel and Judah) will take possession of the Negeb and the Shephelah, and the fields of Ephraim and Gilead. In Oba 1:20, we should probably read, shall possess the Canaanites, the Heb. being impossible as it stands.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
1:15 For the day {k} of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
(k) When he will summon all the heathen, and send them to destroy you.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
III. THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL’S SOVEREIGNTY Oba 1:15-21
As is true of many of the prophetical books, this one also ends with a promise of Israel’s restoration in the future.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
A. The Judgment of Edom and the Nations Oba 1:15-18
References to the work and word of the Lord frame this section. Obadiah announced that a reversal of roles was coming for Edom and all the nations.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
"The day of the Lord" here is a future day in which God will reverse the fortunes of Israel and the nations (cf. Oba 1:8). "The day of the Lord," a common term in the Prophets, refers generally to any time when God intervenes in human affairs to accomplish His will. The day that Obadiah announced will be the day when God establishes His rule in human affairs, namely, when Jesus Christ returns to rule and reign on the earth. Obadiah said that day was approaching. As Edom and the other nations had done to Israel, so God would pay them back with precisely the same judgment (lex talionis; cf. Lev 24:20; Deu 19:21; Gal 6:7).
"God shows not only his sovereignty over all people by not permitting unrequited wickedness, but also his justice by not permitting punishment to exceed crime." [Note: D. Baker, p. 38.]
Edom’s punishments that resulted in her demise as a nation before the Second Coming were part of God’s judgment on her, but the prophet saw all God’s judgments on Edom and the nations, which will culminate in the eschaton (end times). All the prophets had difficulty seeing the proximity of the future events that they predicted to one another (cf. 1Pe 1:11).
"The opening line of 1Pe 1:15 therefore constitutes the core of Obadiah’s prophecy. It provides a theological framework for the preceding verses: the localized disasters befalling Edom and Jerusalem are not merely isolated incidents in a remote and insignificant theater of war, for they mark the footsteps of the Lord himself as he approaches to set up a ’kingdom that will never be destroyed’ (Dan 2:44). And the following verses are essentially a commentary on the implications of that impending ’day.’" [Note: Armerding, p. 353.]
"Edom is presented as the paradigm of all the nations." [Note: D. Baker, p. 39.]