Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Obadiah 1:8
Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
8. destroy the wise men ] i.e. so deprive them of their wisdom that they shall cease to be wise men. Comp. Jer 49:7, “Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?” There is perhaps a reference to wisdom as a special characteristic of the Edomites. “Eliphaz, the chief of Job’s friends, the representative of human wisdom, was a Temanite.” (Pusey, see Job 2:11.) In the Book of Baruch the Edomites are referred to as types of wisdom. “It hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman. The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors of fables, and searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remember her paths.” Bar 3:22-23 .
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8, 9. Though thus shamefully betrayed and utterly spoiled, the Edomites might yet possibly have recovered themselves, if those inherent qualities in which the strength of nations as of individuals consists, had still been left to them. But the judgment of God would deprive them of these, and so render their case hopeless. Wisdom and courage, the two great resources of a nation in adversity, would alike fail them. Comp. Jer 49:7; Jer 49:22.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Shall I not in that day even destroy the wise out of Edom? – It was then no common, no recoverable, loss of wisdom, for God, the Author of wisdom, had destroyed it. The pagan had a proverb, whom God willeth to destroy, he first dements. So Isaiah foretells of Judah Isa 29:14, The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid. Edom was celebrated of old for its wisdom. Eliphaz, the chief of Jobs friends, the representative of human wisdom, was a Temanite Job 4:1. A vestige of the name of the Shuhites, from where came another of his friends, probably still lingers among the mountains of Edom. Edom is doubtless included among the sons of the East 1Ki 4:30 whose wisdom is set as a counterpart to that of Egypt, the highest human wisdom of that period, by which that of Solomon would be measured. Solomons wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the East country and all the wisdom of Egypt. In Baruch, they are still mentioned among the chief types of human wisdom (Bar. 3:22, 23). It (wisdom) hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman. The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors of fables and searchers-out of understanding, none of these have known, the way of wisdom, or remember her paths.
Whence, Jeremiah Jer 49:7, in using, these words of Obadiah, says: Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished? He speaks, as though Edom were a known abode of human wisdom, so that it was strange that it was found there no more. He speaks of the Edomites as prudent, discriminating , full of judgment, and wonders that counsel should have perished from them. They had it eminently then, before it perished. They thought themselves wise; they were thought so; but God took it away at their utmost need. So He says of Egypt Isa 19:3, Isa 19:11-12. I will destroy the counsel thereof. The counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish. How say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are they? Who are thy wise? And let them tell thee now, and let them know, what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. And of Judah Jer 19:7. I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place.
The people of the world think that they hold their wisdom and all Gods natural gifts, independently of the Giver (God). God, by the events of His natural Providence, as here by His word, shows, through some sudden withdrawal of their wisdom, that it is His, not theirs! People wonder at the sudden failure, the flaw in the well-arranged plan, the one over-confident act which ruins the whole scheme, the over-shrewdness which betrays itself, or the unaccountable oversight. They are amazed that one so shrewd should overlook this or that, and think not that He, in whose hands are our powers of thought, supplied not just that insight, Whereon the whole depended.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Oba 1:8
Shall I not in that day . . . even destroy the wise men out of Edom.
Pride in our wisdom
But we are warned by these words that if we excel in understanding we are not to abuse this singular gift of God, as we see the case to be with the ungodly, who turn to cunning whatever wisdom the Lord has bestowed on them. There is hardly one in a hundred to be found who does not seek to be crafty and deceitful if he excels in understanding. This is a very wretched thing. What a great treasure is wisdom! Yet we see that the world perverts this excellent gift of God; the more reason there is for us to labour, that our wisdom should be found in true simplicity. This is one thing. Then we must also beware of trusting in our own understanding, and of despising our enemies, and of thinking that we can ward off any evil that may impend over us; but let us ever seek from the Lord, that we may be favoured at all times with the spirit of wisdom, that it may guide us to the end of life: for He can at any moment take from us whatever He has given us, and thus expose us to shame and reproach. (John Calvin.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. Shall I not – destroy the wise men] It appears, from Jer 49:7, that the Edomites were remarkable for wisdom, counsel, and prudence. See on the above place.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shall I not? this interrogation is a strong assertion, I certainly will.
In that day, of war and desolation of Edom, when Nebuchadnezzar with his armies shall invade Idumea.
Destroy; either by war or sicknesses take the wise men out of Edom, they shall die; or deprive them of places of trust where they might help to save Edom; or else turn their wisdom into foolishness, as Ahithophels was.
The wise men; men of sound counsel and good conduct in the affairs of peace and war.
And understanding out of the mount of Esau; an elegant ingemination for illustrating and confirming the prediction. All Edom shall miserably perish, not a wise man left to foresee and prevent it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. (Isa49:7; compare Job 5:12;Job 5:13; Isa 19:3;Jer 19:7).
in that day . . . evendestroyHeretofore Edom, through its intercourse with Babylonand Egypt, and from its means of information through the manycaravans passing to and fro between Europe and India, has been famedfor knowledge; but in that day at last (“even”) Iwill destroy its wise men.
mount of Esauthat is,Idumea, which was a mountainous region.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom,…. When they shall be invaded by the enemy, and treacherously dealt with by their allies; so that there shall be no wise counsellors at court to give advice what proper methods should be taken at such a season; they should either be taken off by death, or their wisdom should be turned into folly, and they be rendered incapable of giving right counsel:
and understanding out of the mount of Esau? that is, men of understanding, as the Targum, should be destroyed out of Edom or Idumea, which was a mountainous country; such as were well versed in politics, or understood military affairs, and how to conduct at such a critical time; to form schemes, and concert measures, and wisely put them in execution; and to be deprived of all such must be a great loss at such a time, and add to their distress and calamity; see Jer 49:7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Does it not come to pass in that day, is the saying of Jehovah, that I destroy the wise men out of Edom, and discernment from the mountains of Esau? Oba 1:9. And thy heroes despair, O Teman, that every one may be cut off by murder from the mountains of Esau.” In order to give up the Edomites to destruction at that time, the Lord will take away discernment from their wise men, so that even they will not be able to help them. The destruction of the wise men is not to be understood as signifying that the wise men will all be slain, or slain before any others, but simply that they will be destroyed as wise men by the withdrawal or destruction of their wisdom. This meaning is sustained, not only by the fact that in the second clause t e bhunah only is mentioned as that which is to be destroyed, but also by the parallel passages, Jer 49:7; Isa 19:11; Isa 29:14. Jeremiah mentions here the wisdom of the Temanites in particular. That they were celebrated for their wisdom, is evident not only from this passage, but also from the fact that Eliphaz, the chief opponent of Job in argument, was a Temanite (Job 2:1, etc.). With this withdrawal of wisdom and discernment, even the brave warriors lose their courage. The heroes are dismayed ( chattu ), or fall into despair. Teman , which the Chaldee has rendered incorrectly as an appellative, viz., inhabitants of the south ( daroma’ ), is a proper name of the southern district of Idumaea (see at Amo 1:12), so called from Teman, a son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau (Gen 36:11, Gen 36:15). Gibborekha (thy heroes), with the masculine suffix, the people inhabiting the district being addressed under the name of the district itself. God inflicts this upon Edom with the intention ( l e maan , to this end) that all the Edomites should be cut off. Miqqatel , from the murdering, by murder (compare Gen 9:11, where min occurs after yikkareth in this sense); not “without conflict,” as Ewald renders it, for qetel signifies slaying, and not conflict. The thought of connecting miqqatel with what follows cannot for a moment be entertained (vid., lxx, Syr., Vulg.). It is opposed not only by the authority of the Masoretic punctuation, but still more decisively by the fact, that the stronger and more special word ( qetel ) cannot precede the weaker and more general one ( chamas ), and that the murder of certain fugitives is placed first in the list of crimes committed by Edom upon the Israelites (Oba 1:10-14).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
We must now notice what the Prophet says, Shall I not in that day destroy the wise from Edom? Though men be in many respects blind, whom God guides not by his Spirit, and on whom he shines not with his word, yet the worst blindness is, when men become inebriated with the false conceit of wisdom. When therefore any one thinks himself endued with understanding, so that he can perceive whatever is needful, and that he cannot be circumvented, his wisdom is insanity and extreme madness: it would indeed be better for us to be idiots and fools than to be thus inebriated. Since then the wise of this world are insane, the Lord declares that they will have no wisdom when the time of trial comes. God indeed permits the ungodly for a long time to felicitate themselves on account of their own acumen and counsels, as he suffered the Idumeans to go on prosperously. And there are also many at this day who felicitate themselves on their successes, and almost adore their own cunning. Who indeed can persuade the Venetians that there is anywhere consummate wisdom but among themselves, by which, forsooth, they surpass all others in deception? For no other reason do they, amidst many agitations, retain their own position, except that they seem to see farther into what is for their own advantages; nay, that kings in general stand, and continue safe amidst so many shakings, this they ascribe to their own wisdom: “Except I had looked well in this respect to my own affairs, except I had anticipated danger, and except I had foreseen it, it would have been all over as to my condition.” Thus they think within themselves: but the Lord at length infatuates them, that it may be evident, that this was not formerly said in vain to the Idumeans, Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, etc. and it was emphatically added, in that day: for the Prophet means, that it was no wonder that the Idumeans had been hitherto wary and adopted the best counsel; for it was not the Lord’s purpose to deprive them of wisdom; but when the suitable time of vengeance came, he instantly took away whatever prudence there was in them; for it is indeed in God’s hand to take away whatever there is either of understanding or of acuteness in men.
But we are warned by these words, that if we excel in understanding, we are not to abuse this singular gift of God, as we see the case to be with the ungodly, who turn to cunning whatever wisdom the Lord has bestowed on them. There is hardly one in a hundred to be found, who does not seek to be crafty and deceitful, if he excels in understanding. This is a very wretched thing. What a great treasure is wisdom? Yet we see that the world perverts this excellent gift of God; the more reason there is for us to labor, that our wisdom should be founded in true simplicity. This is one thing. Then we must also beware of trusting in our own understanding, and of despising our enemies, and of thinking that we can ward off any evil that may impend over us; but let us ever seek from the Lord, that we may be favored at all times with the spirit of wisdom, that it may guide us to the end of life: for he can at any moment take from us whatever he has given us, and thus expose us to shame and reproach.
When he says, from mount Esau, he means mount Seir, as I have already reminded you. But he meant to point out their whole country; for they were almost surrounded by mountains, and dwelt, as it is well known, in that Arabia which is called Patraea. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
In Oba 1:8 the prophet explains the lack of wisdom. Jehovah will cause the wise men to cease. This thought is expressed by a rhetorical question, equivalent to Surely I will destroy.
In that day The day in which the events recorded in Oba 1:7 will take place.
Destroy the wise men This threat is not to be understood as meaning that the wise men will suffer death, but that they will be destroyed as wise men; in other words, their wisdom and understanding will be withdrawn. As a result they will be unable to discover the schemes of “the nations,” or give counsel to their own rulers. For the sake of emphasis the same thought is repeated.
Understanding Or, discernment; the power to see and estimate things correctly.
Mount of Esau Mount Seir. After the occupation of the territory southeast of the Dead Sea by the descendants of Esau the two names came to be used interchangeably. Some commentators seem to think that the parallel passage in Jeremiah 49 shows no acquaintance with this verse. It is quite probable, however, that Jer 49:7, reflects the thought of this passage (compare Isa 19:3; Isa 19:11; Isa 29:14). Eliphaz, one of Job’s “wise” friends, was an Edomite (Job 2:11); and later traditions seem to imply that the Edomites boasted in the possession of special wisdom. In presenting a list of nations claiming extraordinary wisdom, Bar 3:22 , says, “The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and Teman, the authors of fables and the seekers out of understanding, none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remember her paths.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Oba 1:8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
Ver. 8. Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, &c. ] Edom was famous for wisdom, as appeareth by Eliphaz the Temanite, and other of Job’s friends who were Idumeans; and Rabshakeh could say that counsel and strength are of war, Isa 36:5 What a price did Agamemnon set upon Nestor and Darius upon Zophirus? Scipio did nothing without his Polybius, and ascribed most of his victories to his advice. “Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war,” saith Solomon, Pro 20:18 . Romani sedendo vincunt passed for a proverb of old. The Romans conquered by sitting in council; and Cyneas got more cities by his wisdom than Pyrebus by his puissance. But “where no counsel is the people fall,” Pro 11:14 ; and this was Edom’s case in that day, that is, at that time when their confederates betrayed them to their enemy and desolation was at next door by God destroyed their wise men; he either cut them off or infatuated them. Deus, quem destruit, demen tat. When God intends to undo a man (say the Dutch) he first puts out his eyes, and befools him. Pliny saith of the eagle that, setting upon the hart, he lights upon his horns, and there flutters up and down, filling his eyes with dust borne in her feathers; that at last he may cast himself from a rock, and become a prey. God blindeth the understanding and expectorateth the wisdom of those whom he designeth to destruction. “Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the wise counsellors of Pharaoh are become brutish, they have also seduced Egypt. The Lord hath mingled a spirit of perversities in the midst thereof,” Isa 19:11-14 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
that day: i.e. the day of the fulfillment of the prophecy. Copmare Oba 15:16, and Isa 63:1-6. Jer 49:13,
mount = hill country.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Edom
(See Scofield “Gen 36:1”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
even: Job 5:12-14, Psa 33:10, Isa 19:3, Isa 19:13, Isa 19:14, Isa 29:14, 1Co 3:19, 1Co 3:20
Reciprocal: Isa 2:11 – in that day Jer 49:7 – Is wisdom
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Oba 1:8. That day refers to the time when the overthrow- of Edom was to take place. The nation as a whole waB to be ruined, but also its wise men were to be shown to be unable to preserve the country by their leadership.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
D. The Destruction of Edom’s Leadership Oba 1:8-9
"Obadiah’s discussion nicely interweaves the themes of divine intervention and human instrumentality." [Note: Finley, p. 362.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The repetition of "declares the Lord" (cf. Oba 1:4) reemphasizes Yahweh’s initiative in this judgment. "That day" points to a specific, though undefined, day when He would surely destroy Edom.
God would destroy Edom’s famous wise men (cf. 1Ki 4:30; Job 1:1; Job 2:11; Job 4:1; Jer 49:7; Lam 4:21; Bar 3:23) and their understanding by allowing them to fail to detect the unfaithfulness of their allies (Bar 3:7). They would also overestimate their own security (Bar 3:3).
"Because of its communication with Babylon and Egypt and because of the information gleaned through the caravans going to and from Europe and India, Edom had gained an enviable reputation for wisdom." [Note: Feinberg, p. 126.]
The "mountain of Esau" is Mt. Seir, the mountain God gave Esau and his descendants to inhabit (Deu 2:5).