Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Obadiah 1:18
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].
18. The house of Jacob the house of Joseph ] Both are mentioned to shew that the remnant of the whole nation, not only of the two tribes, but of the ten, is included. The same names are used to describe the entire nation in Psa 77:15 [Heb. 16]; Psa 80:1 [Hebrews 2 ]; Psa 81:4-5 [Hebrews 5, 6 ].
any remaining ] “a survivor.” The punishment here denounced against Edom is quite distinct from that earlier punishment, of which the nations are summoned to be the instruments ( Oba 1:1-2). It is that final destruction, which they suffered at the hands of Jews only, first of Judas Maccabus, and then, in their total extermination, of John Hyrcanus. See Introduction, III.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Having given, in summary, the restoration and expansion of Judah, Obadiah, in more detail, first mentions a further chastisement of Edom, quite distinct from the former. In the first, for which God summoned the pagan, there is no mention of Judah, the desolation of whose holy City, Jerusalem, for the time, and their own captivity is presupposed. In the second, which follows on the restoration of its remnant, there is no mention of pagan. Obadiah, whose mission was to Judah, gives to it the name of the whole, the house of Jacob. It alone had the true worship of God, and His promises. Apart from it, there was no oneness with the faith of the fathers, no foreshadowing sacrifice for sin. Does the house of Joseph express the same in other words? or does it mean, that, after that first destruction of Jerusalem, Ephraim should be again united with Judah? Asaph unites, as one, the sons of Jacob and Joseph Psa 77:15, Israel and Joseph Psa 80:1; Israel, Jacob, Joseph Psa 81:4-5.
Zechariah Zec 10:6 after the captivity, speaks of the house of Judah and the house of Joseph, as together forming one whole. Amos, about this same time, twice speaks of Ephraim Amo 5:15; Amo 6:6 under the name of Joseph. And although Asaph uses the name of Joseph, as Obadiah does, to designate Israel, including Ephraim, it does not seem likely that it should be used of Israel, excluding those whose special name it was. While then Hosea and Amos foretold the entire destruction of the kingdom of Israel, Obadiah foretells that some should be there, after the destruction of Jerusalem also, united with them. And after the destruction of Samaria, there did remain in Israel, of the poor people, many who returned to the worship of God. Hezekiah invited Ephraim and Manasseh to the Passover 2Ch 30:1 from Beersheba to Dan 2Ch 30:5 addressing them as the remnant, that are escaped out of the hands of the kings of Assyria 2Ch 30:6.
The more part mocked 2Ch 30:10; yet, divers of Asher, Manasseh and Zabulon 2Ch 30:11 came from the first, and afterward many of Ephraim and Issachar as well as Manasseh and Zabulon 2Ch 30:18. Josiah destroyed all the places of idolatry in Bethel 2Ki 23:15 and the cities of Samaria 2Ki 23:19, of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon even unto Naphtali 2Ch 34:6, Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the remnant of Israel gave money for the repair of the temple, and this was gathered by the Levites who kept the doors 2Ch 34:9. After the renewal of the covenant to keep the law, Josiah removed all the abominations out of all the countries, that pertained to the children of Israel and made all found in Israel to serve the Lord their God 2Ch 34:33.
The pagan colonists were placed by the king of Assyria in Samaria and the cities thereof 2Ki 17:24, probably to hold the people in the country in check. The remnant of the house of Joseph dwelt in the open country and the villages.
And the house of Esau for stubble – At some time after the first desolation by Nebuchadnezzar, Esau fulfilled the boast which Malachi records, we will return and build up the desolate places Mal 1:4. Probably during the oppression of Judah by Antiochus Epiphanes, they possessed themselves of the South of Judah, bordering on their own country, and of Hebron (1 Macc. 5:65), 22 miles from Jerusalem , where Judah had dwelt in the time of Nehemiah Neh 11:25. Judas Maccabaeus was reduced to (1 Macc. 4:61) fortify Bethzur, literally house of the rock, (20 miles only from Jerusalem) (Eusebius), that the people might have a defense against Idumaea. Maresha and Adoraim, 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem, near the road to Gaza, were cities of Idumaea. (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 15. 4.) The whole of Simeon was absorbed in it. (Josephus, Ant. v. 1. 22.) Edom was still on the aggressive, when Judas Maccabaeus smote them at Arrabatene. It was (1 Macc. 5:3) because they beset Israel round about, that Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea at Arrabatene and gave them a great overthow.
His second battle against them was in Judaea itself. He (1 Macc. 5:65.) fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the South, where he smote Hebron and her daughters, and pulled down its fortress and burned the towns thereof round about. About 20 years afterward, Simon had again to recover Bethzur (1 Macc. 11:65, 66), and again to fortify it, as still lying on the borders of Judah. (1 Macc. 14:33). Twenty years later, John Hyrcanus, son of Simon, (1 Macc. 13:53). (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 9, 1) subdued all the Edomites, and permitted them to remain in the country, on condition that they would receive circumcision, and adopt the laws of the Jews. This they did, continues Josephus; and henceforth became Jews. Outwardly they appear to have given up their idolatry. For although Josephus says , the Edomites account (not, accounted) Koze a god, he relates that, after this forced adoption of Jewish customs, Herod made Costobar, of the sacerdotal family, prefect of Idumaea and Gaza. Their character remained unchanged.
The Jewish historian, who knew them well, describes them as a tumultuous disorderly race, ever alive to commotions, delighting in change, who went to engagements as to a feast : by nature most savage for slaughter. 3, b.c. they took part in the sedition against the Romans , using, as a pretext probably, the Feast of Pentecost, to which they went up with those of Galilee, Jericho, the country beyond Jordan, and the Jews themselves. Just before the last siege of Jerusalem, the Zealots sent for them, on pretext that the city was betrayed to the Romans. All took arms, as if in defense of their metropolis, and, 20,000 in number, went to Jerusalem . After massacres, of which, when told that they had been deceived, they themselves repented, they returned; and were, in turn, wasted by Simon the Gerasene . Simon took it. He not only destroyed cities and villages, but wasted the whole country. For as you may see wood wholly bared by locusts, so the army of Simon left the country behind them, a desert. Some things they burnt, others they razed.
After a short space, he returned to the remnant of Edom, and, chasing the people on all sides, constrained the many to flee to Jerusalem . There they took part against the Zealots , were a great part of the war against the Romans, and perished , rivals in phrensy with the worst Jews in the thee of that extreme, superhuman, wickedness. Thenceforth, their name disappears from history. The greater part of the remmant of the nation had perished in that dreadful exterminating siege; if any still survived, they retained no known national existence. Arabian tradition preserves the memory of three Jewish Arab tribes, none of the Edomites.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. The house of Jacob shall be a fire] After their return from captivity, the Jews, called here the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph, did break out as a flame upon the Idumeans; they reduced them into slavery; and obliged them to receive circumcision, and practise the rites of the Jewish religion. See 1Macc 5:3, c. 2Macc 10:15-23; and Joseph. Antiq., lib. xiii. c. 17.
There shall not be any remaining] As a people and a nation they shall be totally destroyed. This is the meaning; it does not signify that every individual shall be destroyed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Besides what Nebuchadnezzar shall do upon his particular quarrel against Edom, bringing them to a very desolate condition, there shall, (though it be not owned,) intermixed, be the quarrel of God for Israels sake, which the Chaldeans shall avenge; or else, after the return out of captivity, and some settled state in their own land, Israel himself shall destroy the remnant of Edom, Joe 3:16, with Joe 3:19; Eze 25:14.
The house of Jacob; either the kingdom of the two tribes, or else the whole twelve tribes, the residue of the ten tribes joined with the two in their return from Babylon.
The house of Joseph; the ten tribes, particularly here mentioned to comfort them. and assure them that they should not be cast off, though they were more notoriously guilty of idolatry, and a long apostacy.
The house of Esau for stubble; as unable to resist or secure themselves as stubble is to resist the flame.
They shall kindle in them: this was fulfilled in part by Hyrcanus and the Maccabees, 1Ma 5:3; but more fully to be accomplished in the mystical sense, when the Lord shall make his church as a fire to all its enemies, and Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all nations.
Devour them; as flame eats up the stubble.
There shall not be any; no considerable number or body of them, or none shall continue Edomites, but turn Jews, and be circumcised, be added to the church.
For the Lord hath spoken it; however or whenever this is done, it shall be done, because the Lord hath spoken it; this assures us of the thing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. fireSee the same figure,Num 21:28; Isa 5:24;Isa 10:17.
house of Jacob . . .Josephthat is, the two kingdoms, Judah and Ephraim or Israel[JEROME]. The two shallform one kingdom, their former feuds being laid aside (Isa 11:12;Isa 11:13; Isa 37:22-28;Jer 3:18; Hos 1:11).The Jews returned with some of the Israelites from Babylon; and,under John Hyrcanus, so subdued and, compelling them to becircumcised, incorporated the Idumeans with themselves that theyformed part of the nation [JOSEPHUS,Antiquities, 13.17; 12.11]. This was but an earnest of thefuture union of Israel and Judah in the possession of the enlargedland as one kingdom (Eze 37:16,&c.).
stubble (Mal4:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame,…. The former may denote the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the latter the ten tribes, which after the separation in Rehoboam’s time were called Ephraim, and sometimes Joseph; though they may here signify one and the same, since all the tribes will be united, and become one people, at the time the prophecy refers to: the meaning is, that the people of Judah and Israel shall have strength and power to conquer and destroy their enemies, with as much ease, as flames of fire consume chaff or stubble, or any such combustible matter they light upon, as it follows:
and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; that is, the Israelites shall fall upon the Edomites, who will be no more able to withstand them than stubble can stand before devouring flames of fire, and shall utterly waste and destroy them:
and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house or Esau; they shall all be cut off by, or swallowed up among, the Jews; not so much as a torch bearer left, one that carries the lights before an army, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions; which versions, and the custom alluded to, serve very much to illustrate the passage. It was a custom with the Greeks, as we are told d, when armies were about to engage, that before the first ensigns stood a prophet or priest, bearing branches of laurels and garlands, who was called “pyrophorus”, or the “torch bearer”, because he held a lamp or torch; and it was accounted a most criminal thing to do him any hurt, seeing he performed the office of an ambassador; for those sort of men were priests of Mars, and sacred to him, so that those that were conquerors always spared them: hence, when a total destruction of an army, place, or people, was hyperbolically expressed, it used to be said, not so much as a torch bearer or fire carrier escaped e; hence this phrase was proverbially used of the most entire defeat of an army, or ruin of a people. So Philo f the Jew, speaking of the destruction of Pharaoh and his host at the Red sea, says, there was not so much as a torch bearer left, to declare the calamity to the Egyptians; and thus here, so general should be the destruction of the Edomites, that not one should be left, no, nor a person in such a post and office as described. The Targum of the whole is,
“and they of the house of Jacob shall be strong as fire, and they of the house of Joseph strong like a; flame, but they of the house of Esau shall be weak as stubble; and they shall have power over them, and kill them, and there shall be none left of the: house of Esau.”
This was fulfilled literally, either by Judas Maccabeus, when he went against the children of Esau in Idumea, and smote them, and took their spoil, in the Apocrypha:
“34 Then the host of Timotheus, knowing that it was Maccabeus, fled from him: wherefore he smote them with a great slaughter; so that there were killed of them that day about eight thousand men. 35 This done, Judas turned aside to Maspha; and after he had assaulted it he took and slew all the males therein, and received the spoils thereof and burnt it with fire.” (1 Maccabees 5)
or rather by Hyrcanus, who took the cities of Idumea, subdued all the Edomites, but permitted them to live in their own country, provided they would be circumcised, and conform to the Jewish laws; which they did, as Josephus says g, and coalesced and became the people with them, and were reckoned as Jews, and no more as Edomites. But this prophecy had its accomplishment spiritually, either in the first times of the Gospel, when the apostles, who were Jews and Israelites, went forth into the Gentile world, and among the enemies of Christ, preaching the word, which is like fire; and, when attended with the spirit of judgment and of burning, enlightens the consciences of men, melts their hearts, consumes their lusts, and is as a refiner’s fire to them, for, their purification; or, if not, it irritates, provokes, torments, and distresses, as fire does; and is either the savour of life unto life, or the savour of death unto death; see Isa 4:4
Jer 23:29; or rather it will have its full and final accomplishment in the destruction of antichrist, here signified by Esau and Edom, which will be by burning mystical Babylon, the whore of Rome; the beast and false prophet will be burnt with fire; the day of the, Lord will burn like an oven, and all the wicked will be as stubble, which will be burnt by it, root and branch, so that none will remain; see Re 17:16; compare with Zec 12:6. Kimchi, on Am 9:12, says this shall be in the days of the Messiah, the Edomites shall be all consumed, and the Israelites shall inherit their land:
for the Lord hath spoken [it]; and therefore it shall most certainly be accomplished; what God has said shall be done, he will not alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; heaven and earth shall sooner pass away than one word of his.
d Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 5. c. 5. e Herodot. Urania, sive l. 8. c. 6. f De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 630. g Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“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 consume them, and there will not be one left to the house of Esau, for Jehovah hath spoken.” This verse not only resumes the discussion of the retribution, so that it corresponds to Oba 1:15, but it also affirms, as an appendix to Oba 1:17, that Edom is to be utterly destroyed. By the “house of Jacob” Judah is intended, as the co-ordination of the house of Joseph, i.e., of the ten tribes, clearly shows. The assumption that “house of Jacob” signifies all Israel, in connection with which that portion is also especially mentioned, which might be supposed to be excluded (Rosenmller, Hengstenberg, and others), is at variance with such passages as Isa 46:3, “the house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel,” where the reason assigned for the co-ordination is not applicable. Obadiah uses the name Jacob for Judah because ever since the division of the kingdoms Judah alone has represented the people of God, the ten tribes having fallen away from the kingdom of God for a time. In the future, however, Judah and Israel are to be united again (vid., Hos 2:2; Eze 37:16; Jer 31:18), and unitedly to attack and overcome their foes (Isa 11:13-14). Obadiah distinctly mentions the house of Joseph, i.e., of the ten tribes, in this passage and in this alone, for the purpose of guarding against the idea that the ten tribes are to be shut out from the future salvation. For the figure of the flame of fire which consumes stubble, see Isa 5:24 and Isa 10:17. For the expression, “for Jehovah hath spoken,” compare Joe 3:8.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Here again the Prophet meets a doubt, which might come into the mind of each of them; for the Idumeans were flourishing, and their condition was independent, when the Israelites as well as the Jews were led into exile, and Jerusalem with its temple was destroyed. They might under such circumstances despair; but the Prophet shows, that though for a time the house of Jacob seemed to be dead, yet a fire would be kindled, which would consume the Idumeans, though they were then proud of their power and their wealth, and also of the prosperous issue of the victory over the Jews, for they had been enriched, and well as the Assyrians, by the overthrow of their brethren. A similar mode of speaking Isaiah also adopts; though he directs his discourse, not to the Idumeans, but to others, yet his manner of speaking is the same when he says, that God, the light of Israel, would be a fire and a flame to consume the wicked, (Isa 29:6.)
But this was fulfilled, when the Lord avenged the cruelty of Edom, though the Jews were then in exile and could not move a finger, when they were without arms, yea, when they were miserable slaves: the Idumeans were even then consumed, by what fire? how was this burning kindled? Even then the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph were like a fire and a flame The cause of this ruin, it is true, did not immediately appear to the Idumeans: but we must here look to the purpose of God. Why did God with so much severity punish the Idemeans? Because he intended by this example to show how much he loved his Church. Since then their cruelty was the cause of ruin to the Idumeans, rightly does the prophet say, that the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph would be like a fire and a flame to consume the Idumeans. And it was not a small solace to the miserable exiles, when they understood, that they were still regarded by God in their depressed condition. Inasmuch then as they were exposed to the reproach and ridicule of all, it pleased God to testify that they were the objects of his care, and that he would, for their sake, destroy whole nations even those who then gloried in their power. We now then see why the Prophet adopted this figurative language. By the house of Joseph, he means as we have said elsewhere the kingdom of Israel; he mentions a part for the whole. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
18. The restored exiles will execute vengeance upon Edom. Several times the prophet has made it plain that Jehovah will destroy Edom; but, if the above suggested interpretation of Oba 1:1 is correct, he has failed to state thus far how it is to be accomplished. This lack he supplies in Oba 1:18, where he names the executors of the divine purpose.
House of Jacob house of Joseph Though common usage may be urged against it, the context seems to require that the former should be interpreted as referring to the southern kingdom, the latter to the kingdom of the ten tribes. The two will become reunited at the time of the restoration (Hos 1:11; Eze 37:15 ff.; Isa 11:13-14), and will be used by Jehovah as instruments of judgment (Zec 9:13).
Fire, flame The figure is based upon devastation wrought by prairie and forest fires, which are not uncommon in Palestine during the dry season (see on Joe 1:19; compare Isa 5:24; Isa 10:17).
Stubble Which is readily devoured by the flames. The destruction will be so complete that no one will survive.
Jehovah hath spoken it Therefore nothing can prevent the carrying out of the threat (Joe 3:8).
The remaining verses of Obadiah present grave difficulties, and the details of interpretation are more or less uncertain. However, the general thought seems to be that Israel, having destroyed Edom, will enter upon an era of prosperity and territorial expansion. This expansion is made necessary by the large number of restored exiles. The old territory of Judah cannot hold them; they overflow in every direction. Lack of space forbids the consideration of the different translations, emendations, and interpretations proposed; all that can be done here is to point the way to the most probable interpretation.
An examination of Oba 1:19 and a comparison of it with LXX. and with Jos 15:20 ff., where the divisions of the territory occupied by Judah are named, leads to the following observations: 1. The verbs in Oba 1:19 are in the plural, while the nouns that are ordinarily considered the subjects are in the singular. This creates apparently a difficulty; but construction according to the sense rather than according to strict grammatical rules is not uncommon in the Old Testament (G.-K., 145b), especially when a noun expresses a collective idea. Hence the English translators are undoubtedly correct in making neghebh the subject and rendering it “they of the south,” the inhabitants of the Negeb. 2. The first verb is followed immediately by its subject; after the second verb the subject of the first must be supplied, which results in an unusually heavy and somewhat awkward sentence. 3. LXX. reads after the second verb , “the mount,” which may be taken as subject in the Greek, and it omits the first, “the field of.” 4. In Jos 15:20 ff., the territory of Judah is divided into three sections (or four, but the fourth is very small); the first is called “South” or “Negeb” (Oba 1:21), the second “Lowland” (33), the third “Hill Country” (48), Hebrews har, which corresponds to the Greek . Bearing in mind these considerations it seems legitimate to emend the text of Oba 1:19 so that it will read: “And the Negeb (the inhabitants of the Negeb) shall possess Mount Esau, and the Lowland (shall possess) the Philistines; the Hill Country shall possess (the field of) Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin (shall possess) Gilead.”
Negeb Commonly translated “south.” A geographical term, denoting the southern section of the Central Range of Palestine. It is generally spoken of as extending from south of Beer-sheba to the wilderness of Tih; the Old Testament, however, places its northern border near Hebron. The new inhabitants of this district will expand eastward and occupy the territory of Edom (see on Oba 1:18).
Lowland Hebrews shephelah. Also a geographical term, denoting the low foothills between the Central Range and the Philistine Plain; the inhabitants of this region will spread to the west and southwest and occupy Philistia.
Hill country That portion of the territory of Judah which covered the Central Range, between the Shephelah and the Jordan valley or the Dead Sea. Its inhabitants will reach northward and claim the territory south of the Plain of Esdraelon, which before 721 had belonged to the northern kingdom, and part of which seems to have fallen to Judah after the deportation of the northern tribes (2Ki 23:15). Nearly the entire territory here promised to Judah is allotted in Joshua 15 to that tribe. During its national existence Judah never possessed all this territory; here the prophet promises that subsequent to the day of Jehovah it will surely enter upon its possessions; yea, in the south at least, it will go even beyond its ideal borders (compare Gen 28:14).
Benjamin shall possess Gilead The popular impression is that Benjamin joined Judah after the division subsequent to the death of Solomon, though 1Ki 12:20, says, “There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.” In reality the border line ran through the territory of Benjamin, the greater part belonging to the northern kingdom. Obadiah’s promise is for those Benjamites who allied themselves with Judah. They will share the prosperity of Judah; and while the latter will possess the territory west of the Jordan as far north as the Plain of Esdraelon, the former will receive the entire territory east of the Jordan.
Oba 1:20 is another exceedingly difficult verse; it perplexed the English translators, as may be seen from the marginal notes in R.V. Nowack considers the text “hopelessly corrupt,” and his opinion is shared by other commentators. The most probable rendering of the present Hebrew text is offered in R.V. margin, “And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South (or Negeb).” In Oba 1:19 the prophet seems to have in mind the great body of exiles in the far east; but we know that many Jews took refuge among the neighboring nations (Jer 40:11-12). Of two colonies made up of these fugitives the prophet seems to speak in Oba 1:20.
Israel, Jerusalem Most commentators think that the prophet distinguishes here between the descendants of the exiles coming from the northern kingdom, Israel, and those coming from the south, Judah, called here by the name of its capital, Jerusalem. It is better, however, to understand “Israel” as synonymous with “Jacob” (Oba 1:18), denoting the people of Judah; and in distinction from “Jerusalem” the rural population, which scattered before the Chaldean armies. The one company addressed by the prophet is made up of these people, and the other is composed of former inhabitants of the capital.
This host The force of this is not quite clear, unless we assume that Obadiah is speaking of and to a company of which he himself is a member. To know that the prophet himself was an exile would add interest to his utterances. It has been explained also by assuming that he was addressing a definite company which he desired to comfort on its way into exile.
The land of the Canaanites Palestine, the prophet seems to think, however, especially of the northern portion, including a part of Phoenicia. There is nothing impossible or improbable in the thought that some of the Jews fled to these regions when they saw the Chaldeans approaching.
Zarephath In Luk 4:26, R.V. margin, “Sarepta” (compare 1Ki 17:9-24). At one time a city of considerable size; now an Arabic village called Sarafend, about midway between Tyre and Sidon.
Sepharad The Targum of Onkelos and many Jewish authorities take Sepharad to mean Spain; hence the name of Spanish Jews, Sephardim, as distinguished from German Jews, who are called Ashkenazim. Keil thinks of Sparta. Most modern commentators identify it with a region in Asia Minor, mentioned several times in Persian inscriptions; Winckler understands the name to be a designation of the whole of Asia Minor. The latter, however, was not subject to the Chaldeans; it was first conquered by Cyrus, and was organized into a satrapy by Darius Hystaspis. If the last-mentioned interpretation is correct the name points to a date subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem; and it is the presence of this name that has led many commentators to give a very late date to the prophecy in its present form. Others identify it with a Shaparda in Media, mentioned in the annals of Sargon. Until new information is brought to light the place mentioned in Obadiah cannot be identified with absolute certainty; nor is it wise to base upon the presence of the name any conclusions as to the date of the prophecy. This uncertainty, however, does not affect the general sense of the utterance, which is that not only the exiles in Babylon but also those scattered throughout other portions of the world shall be brought back to their old homes in the south, from which the invasion of the Chaldeans had driven them. If this is the right interpretation of Oba 1:20 its logical position would be before Oba 1:18.
An entirely different meaning is given to the verse by the translators of A.V., which agrees, in part at least, with R.V. They give to it the meaning that the first company of exiles named will come into possession of northern Palestine, including a part of Phoenicia, while the second will occupy the southern portion, the two together the entire promised land. Certainty cannot be had; the probability is that the text has suffered.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. (19) And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. (20) And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. (21) And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.”
This scripture, like the pillar of tire to the children of Israel and Egypt, hath a double aspect. Glory to the Church, ruin to her enemies. Certainly this scripture is looking into gospel days, and perhaps as far as to the final consummation of all things. And all speak the language of the Prophet: Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him. Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him. In the LORD, and in the LORD CHRIST alone, shall all the house of Israel be justified, and shall glory, Isa_3:10-11; Isa_45:25 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].
Ver. 18. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, &c. ] The house of Jacob are the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; the house of Joseph are the ten tribes of Israel, whereof Ephraim was the head. The sense is this, those two tribes, together with such of the ten as joined themselves to them, either before or after the captivity, shall invade Idumea, burn it, aud subdue it, as fire doth stubble fully dry. This was done by Hircanus and Judas Maccabeus, who compelled the Edomites to be circumcised; and so wholly possessed those parts, that there were not any relics of them remaining; no, not so much as one (as the Septuagint render it), or, (as some read them), any to carry grain after the camp or fire before it, according to the custom of the Greeks and Easterlings; which torchbearer might as little be violated as an ambassador; but here, he should be cut off with the rest, and not so much as a messenger left, to relate the overthrow. The Edomites were so utterly rooted out by Hircanus, that they thenceforth ceased to be Edomites, and became Jews. Those of them that were converted by the preaching of the gospel, ceased to be either Edomites or Jews, and became Christians. The apostles, burning with the zeal of God’s glory and love to men’s souls, devoured and wasted the infidelity, idols, and vices of the Gentiles wherever they came preaching, Hence Chrysostom saith, Peter was a man made all of fire, walking among stubble; Paul was insatiabilis Dei cultor, an insatiable servant of Christ. And to the like purpose it was, that to one that desired to know what kind of man Basil was, it is said, that was presented in a dream, a pillar of fire, with this motto, Talis est Basilius, Such a one is Basil. And old Latimer, when he was demanded the reason why so little powerful preaching? answered, Deest ignis, the spark of the spirit is wanting. Howbeit this prophecy, as it began to be fulfilled at first by the apostles, and the apostolic persons that came after them; so it is daily, and shall be continually to the world’s end, fulfilled by the faithful preachers of God’s holy word, who are clothed with a spirit “of judgment and of burning,” Isa 4:4 , and out of whose mouth proceedeth fire, Rev 11:5 ; to purge the gold, and to consume the stubble.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
there shall not be. Compare verses: Oba 1:9-10, Oba 1:9, Oba 1:16.
any remaining = him that remaineth. Twenty-four centuries ago this prophecy was written, and to-day no Edomites can he identified. Compare Oba 1:14, and Num 24:19 (the same word). There will be a restored Edom, “in that day”, or Isa 63:1-6. Jer 49:7-22 could not be fulfilled.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall be: Isa 10:17, Isa 31:9, Mic 5:8, Zec 12:6
the house of Joseph: 2Sa 19:20, Eze 37:16, Eze 37:19, Amo 5:15, Amo 6:6
for stubble: Psa 83:6-15, Isa 5:24, Isa 47:14, Joe 2:5, Nah 1:10, 1Co 3:12
and there: Oba 1:9, Oba 1:10, Oba 1:16
Reciprocal: Exo 5:12 – stubble Jos 10:39 – he left none Psa 137:7 – the children Isa 11:14 – them of the east Jer 25:21 – Edom Jer 49:13 – a desolation Amo 9:12 – possess Zec 10:6 – I will strengthen Zec 12:3 – in that Mal 1:3 – laid Mal 4:1 – and all the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Oba 1:18. Fire and flame are used figuratively of the glowing recovery of the people of God from their depressed state, and of the downfall of their old enemy, the house of Esau which means the Edomites. This nation was to be utterly overthrown as a separate ruling power as already predicted in this book.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be {n} a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].
(n) God attributes this power to consume his enemies to his Church, which power properly belongs only to himself; Isa 10:17, De 4:24, Heb 12:29 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Israelites would then consume the Edomites, as a fire burns up stubble (cf. Exo 15:7; Isa 10:17; Joe 2:5; Zec 12:6; Mal 4:1; Mat 3:12; Luk 3:17). Fire is often a tool of divine judgment in Scripture (cf. Deu 28:24; Deu 32:22). There would be no Edomites left (cf. Deu 32:8-9; Num 24:18; Isa 11:13-14; Eze 25:13-14; Amo 9:12), though Israelites would escape from Jerusalem (Oba 1:17).
"Obadiah distinctly mentions the house of Joseph, i.e. of the ten tribes, in this passage and in this alone, for the purpose of guarding against the idea that the ten tribes are to be shut out from the future salvation." [Note: Keil, 1:370.]
The house of Jacob, in contrast, refers to the Southern Kingdom. This prediction will find ultimate fulfillment during the judgment of the nations after the Second Coming and before the messianic rule of Christ in the Millennium begins. Yahweh again guaranteed the accuracy of this prophecy with His own word (cf. Amo 9:4; Amo 9:8).
"Some passages, like Oba 1:18, speak of a military participation by Israel in the judgment of the nations just prior to the Millennium (Zec 12:1-9; Mal 4:3 [MT 3:21]), while others depict the Lord carrying out the judgment on behalf of His people (Joe 3:12 [Mat 4:12]; Zec 14:3-5; cf. Mat 25:31-46). It is difficult to reconstruct the precise order of events. In any case much of the material is evidently not strictly chronological." [Note: Finley, p. 373.]
The Edomites’ fortunes ebbed and flowed for centuries following Obadiah’s prophecy. The Herods, including Herod the Great (Mat 2:1-17), Herod Antipas (Luk 13:31-32; Luk 23:7-12), and Herod Agrippa I (Act 12:1-11; Act 12:23) were all of Edomite descent. But in the second century B.C. the Jews and other enemies virtually consumed the Edomites. It was then that the Edomites lost their national identity and autonomy, which they never regained. So the final destruction of the nation of Edom by Israel took place long before the eschaton.
". . . one could speak of a partial fulfillment of Obadiah’s oracles when the Maccabeans and Hasmoneans reclaimed these areas for Israel." [Note: Ibid., p. 374.]
This took place in the second century B.C. However, Obadiah spoke of the nations as well as Edom. He foresaw the destruction of all Gentile powers that dominated the Israelites. Had the Jews accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah, He would have begun to rule shortly after His crucifixion and resurrection. Since they rejected Him, the final judgment of the nations that the prophets predicted is still future.