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Obadiah

God’s Judgment on Edom

¹The vision^[a] that Obadiah^[b] saw.^[c]
The Sovereign Lord^[d] says this concerning^[e] Edom:^[f]

Edom’s Approaching Destruction

We have heard a report from the Lord.
An envoy was sent among the nations, saying,^[g]
“Arise! Let us make war against Edom!”^[h]
²The Lord says,^[i] “Look! I will^[j] make you a weak nation;^[k]
you will be greatly despised!
³Your presumptuous heart^[l] has deceived you—
you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs,^[m]
whose home is high in the mountains.^[n]
You think to yourself,^[o]
‘No one can^[p] bring me down to the ground!’^[q]
⁴Even if you were to soar high like an eagle,^[r]
even if you^[s] were to make your nest among the stars,
I can bring you down even from there!” says the Lord.
⁵“If thieves came to rob you^[t] during the night,^[u]

they would steal only as much as they wanted.^[v]
If grape pickers came to harvest your vineyards,^[w]
they would leave some behind for the poor.^[x]
But you will be totally destroyed!^[y]
⁶How the people of Esau^[z] will be thoroughly plundered!^[aa]
Their^[ab] hidden valuables will be ransacked!^[ac]
⁷All your allies^[ad] will force^[ae] you from your homeland!^[af]
Your treaty partners^[ag] will deceive you and overpower you.
Your trusted friends^[ah] will set an ambush^[ai] for^[aj] you
that will take you by surprise!^[ak]
⁸At that time,”^[al] the Lord says,

“I will destroy the wise sages of Edom,^[am]
the advisers^[an] from Esau’s mountain.
⁹Your warriors will be shattered, O Teman,^[ao]
so that^[ap] everyone^[aq] will be destroyed^[ar] from Esau’s mountain!

Edom’s Treachery Against Judah

¹⁰“Because^[as] you violently slaughtered^[at] your relatives,^[au] the people of Jacob,^[av]
shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed^[aw] forever.
¹¹You stood aloof^[ax] while strangers took his army^[ay] captive,
and foreigners advanced to his gates.^[az]
When they cast lots^[ba] over Jerusalem,
you behaved as though you were in league^[bb] with them.
¹²You should not^[bc] have gloated^[bd] when your relatives^[be] suffered calamity.^[bf]
You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed.^[bg]
You should not have boasted^[bh] when they suffered adversity.^[bi]
¹³You should not have entered the city^[bj] of my people when they experienced distress.^[bk]
You should not have joined^[bl] in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress.^[bm]
You should not have looted^[bn] their wealth when they endured distress.^[bo]
¹⁴You should not have stood at the fork in the road^[bp] to slaughter^[bq] those trying to escape.^[br]
You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity.^[bs]

The Coming Day of the Lord

¹⁵“For the day of the Lord^[bt] is approaching^[bu] for all the nations!^[bv]
Just as you have done, so it will be done to you.
You will get exactly what your deeds deserve.^[bw]
¹⁶For just as you^[bx] have drunk^[by] on my holy mountain,
so all the nations will drink continually.^[bz]
They will drink, and they will gulp down;
they will be as though they had never been.
¹⁷But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape,^[ca]
and it will be a holy place once again.
The descendants^[cb] of Jacob will conquer^[cc]
those who had conquered them.^[cd]
¹⁸The descendants of Jacob will be a fire,
and the descendants of Joseph a flame.
The descendants of Esau will be like stubble.
They will burn them up and devour them.
There will not be a single survivor^[ce] of the descendants of Esau!”
Indeed, the Lord has spoken it.
¹⁹The people of the Negev^[cf] will take possession^[cg] of Esau’s mountain,
and the people of the foothills^[ch] will take
possession^[ci] of the land of^[cj] the Philistines.
They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
and the people of Benjamin will take possession^[ck] of Gilead.^[cl]
²⁰The exiles of this fortress^[cm] of the people of Israel
will take possession^[cn] of what belongs to
the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath,^[co]
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad^[cp]
will take possession of the towns of the Negev.
²¹Those who have been delivered^[cq] will go up on Mount Zion
in order to rule over^[cr] Esau’s mountain.
Then the Lord will reign as King!^[cs]

Footnotes

Obadiah 1:1 sn The date of the book of Obadiah is very difficult to determine. Since there is no direct indication of chronological setting clearly suggested by the book itself, and since the historical identity of the author is uncertain as well, a possible date for the book can be arrived at only on the basis of internal evidence. When did the hostile actions of Edom against Judah that are described in this book take place? Many nineteenth-century scholars linked the events of the book to a historical note found in 2 Kgs 8:20 (cf. 2 Chr 21:16-17): “In [Jehoram’s] days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and established a king over themselves.” If this is the backdrop against which Obadiah should be read, it would suggest a ninth-century b.c. date for the book, since Jehoram reigned ca. 852-841 b.c. But the evidence presented for this view is not entirely convincing, and most contemporary Old Testament scholars reject a ninth-century scenario. A more popular view, held by many biblical scholars from Luther to the present, understands the historical situation presupposed in the book to be the Babylonian invasion of Judah in the sixth century (cf. Ps 137:7; Lam 4:18-22; Ezek 25:12-14; 35:1-15). Understood in this way, Obadiah would be describing a situation in which the Edomites assisted in the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem. Although it must be admitted that a sixth-century setting for the book of Obadiah cannot be proven, the details of the book fit reasonably well into such a context. Other views on the dating of the book, such as an eighth-century date in the time of Ahaz (ca. 732-716 b.c.) or a fifth-century date in the postexilic period, are less convincing. Parallels between the book of Obadiah and Jer 49:1-22 clearly suggest some kind of literary dependence, but it is not entirely clear whether Jeremiah drew on Obadiah or whether Obadiah drew upon Jeremiah, In any case, the close relationship between Obadiah and Jer 49 might suggest the sixth-century setting.
Obadiah 1:1 sn The name Obadiah in Hebrew means “servant of the Lord.” A dozen or so individuals in the OT have this name, none of whom may be safely identified with the author of this book. In reality we know very little about this prophet with regard to his exact identity or historical circumstances.
Obadiah 1:1 tn Heb “the vision of Obadiah” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. TEV “This is the prophecy of Obadiah.”
Obadiah 1:1 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (ʾadonay y^ehvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (cf. NIV, TEV, NLT “Sovereign Lord”).
Obadiah 1:1 tn The Hebrew preposition לְ (l^e) is better translated here as “concerning” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “about” (so NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV) Edom than as “to” Edom, although much of the book does speak directly to Edom.
Obadiah 1:1 sn The name Edom derives from a Hebrew root that means “red.” Edom was located to the south of the Dead Sea in an area with numerous rocky crags that provided ideal military advantages for protection. Much of the sandstone of this area has a reddish color. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Gen 25:19-26).
Obadiah 1:1 tn Although the word “saying” is not in the Hebrew text, it has been supplied in the translation because what follows seems to be the content of the envoy’s message (cf. ASV, NASB, NCV “saying,” and NIV, NLT “to say.”
Obadiah 1:1 tn Heb “Arise, and let us arise against her in battle!” The term “Edom” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to specify the otherwise ambiguous referent of the term “her.”
Obadiah 1:2 tn The introductory phrase “the Lord says” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the identity of the speaker.
Obadiah 1:2 tn The Hebrew perfect verb form used here usually describes past events. However, here and several times in the following verses it is best understood as portraying certain fulfillment of events that at the time of writing were still future. It is the perfect of certitude. See GKC 312-13 §106.n; Joüon 2:363 §112.h.
Obadiah 1:2 sn Heb “I will make you small among the nations” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); cf. NRSV “least among the nations,” NCV “the smallest of nations.”
Obadiah 1:3 tn Heb “the presumption of your heart”; cf. NAB, NIV “the pride of your heart,” NASB “arrogance of your heart.”
Obadiah 1:3 tn Heb “in the concealed places of the rock”; cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “in the clefts of the rock”; NCV “the hollow places of the cliff”; CEV “a mountain fortress.” sn The word rock in Hebrew (סֶלַע, selaʿ) is a wordplay on Sela, the name of a prominent Edomite city. Its impregnability was a cause for arrogance on the part of its ancient inhabitants.
Obadiah 1:3 tn Heb “on high (is) his dwelling”; cf. NASB “in the loftiness of your dwelling place,” NRSV “whose dwelling (NAB “abode”) is in the heights.”
Obadiah 1:3 tn Heb “the one who says in his heart.”
Obadiah 1:3 tn The Hebrew imperfect verb used here is best understood in a modal sense (“Who can bring me down?”) rather than in the sense of a simple future (“Who will bring me down?”). So also in v. 4 (“I can bring you down”). The question is not so much whether this will happen at some time in the future, but whether it even lies in the realm of possible events. In their hubris the Edomites were boasting that no one had the capability of breaching their impregnable defenses. However, their pride caused them to fail to consider the vast capabilities of Yahweh as warrior.
Obadiah 1:3 tn Heb “Who can bring me down?” This rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “No one!”
Obadiah 1:4 sn The eagle was often used in the ancient Near East as a symbol of strength and swiftness.
Obadiah 1:4 tc The present translation follows the reading תָּשִׂים (tasim; active) rather than שִׁים (sim; passive) of the MT (cf. NAB “and your nest be set among the stars”). Cf. LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
Obadiah 1:5 sn Obadiah uses two illustrations to show the totality of Edom’s approaching destruction. Both robbers and harvesters would have left at least something behind. Such will not be the case, however, with the calamity that is about to befall Edom. A virtually identical saying appears in Jer 49:9-10.
Obadiah 1:5 tn Heb “If thieves came to you, or if plunderers of the night” (NRSV similar). The repetition here adds rhetorical emphasis.
Obadiah 1:5 tn Heb “Would they not have stolen only their sufficiency?” The rhetorical question is used to make an emphatic assertion, which is perhaps best represented by the indicative form in the translation.
Obadiah 1:5 tn Heb “If grape pickers came to you.” The phrase “to harvest your vineyards” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation to clarify the point of the entire simile that is assumed.
Obadiah 1:5 tn Heb “Would they not have left some gleanings?” The rhetorical question makes an emphatic assertion, which for the sake of clarity is represented by the indicative form in the translation. The implied answer to these rhetorical questions is “yes.” The fact that something would have remained after the imagined acts of theft or harvest stands in stark contrast to the totality of Edom’s destruction as predicted by Obadiah. Edom will be so decimated as a result of God’s judgment that nothing at all will be leftsn According to the Mosaic law, harvesters were required to leave some grain behind in the fields for the poor (Lev 19:9; 23:22; see also Ruth 2); there was a similar practice with grapes and olives (Lev 19:10; Deut 24:21). Regarding gleanings left behind from grapes, see Judg 8:2; Jer 6:9; 49:9; Mic 7:1.
Obadiah 1:5 tn Heb “O how you will be cut off.” This emotional interjection functions rhetorically as the prophet’s announcement of judgment on Edom. In Hebrew this statement actually appears between the first and second metaphors, that is, in the middle of this verse. As the point of the comparison, one would expect it to follow both of the two metaphors; however, Obadiah interrupts his own sentence to interject his emphatic exclamation that cannot wait until the end of the sentence. This emphatic sentence structure is eloquent in Hebrew but awkward in English. Since this emphatic assertion is the point of his comparison, it appears at the end of the sentence in this translation, where one normally expects to find the concluding point of a metaphorical comparison.
Obadiah 1:6 tn Heb “Esau.” The name Esau here is a synecdoche of part for whole referring to the Edomites. Cf. “Jacob” in v. 10, where the meaning is “Israelites.”
Obadiah 1:6 tn Heb “How Esau will be searched!”; cf. NAB “How they search Esau.” The Hebrew verb חָפַשׂ (khafas, “to search out”) is used metonymically here for plundering the hidden valuables of a conquered people (e.g., 1 Kgs 20:6).
Obadiah 1:6 tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); this is singular agreeing with “Esau” in the previous line.
Obadiah 1:6 tn Heb “searched out” (so NASB, NRSV); cf. NIV “pillaged,” TEV “looted,” NLT “found and taken.” This pictures the violent action of conquering warriors ransacking the city in order to loot and plunder its valuables.
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “All the men of your covenant”; cf. KJV, ASV “the men of thy confederacy.” In Hebrew “they will send you unto the border” and “all the men of your covenant” appear in two separate poetic lines (cf. NAB “To the border they drive you—all your allies”). Since the second is a noun clause functioning as the subject of the first clause, the two are rendered as a single sentence in the translation.
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “send”; cf. NASB “send you forth,” NAB “drive,” NIV “force.”
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “to the border” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “the men of your peace.” This expression refers to a political/military alliance or covenant of friendship.
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “your bread,” which makes little sense in the context. The Hebrew word can be revocalized to read, “those who eat bread with you,” i.e., “your friends” (cf. KJV “they that eat thy bread,” NIV “those who eat your bread,” TEV “Those friends who ate with you”).
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “set a trap” (so NIV, NRSV). The meaning of the Hebrew word מָזוֹר (mazor; here translated “ambush”) is uncertain; it occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. The word probably refers to something “spread out” for purposes of entrapment, such as a net. Other possibilities include “trap,” “fetter,” or “stumbling block.”
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “beneath” (so NAB).
Obadiah 1:7 tn Heb “there is no understanding in him.”
Obadiah 1:8 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV, NIV); cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “on that day.”
Obadiah 1:8 tn Heb “Will I not destroy those who are wise from Edom?” The rhetorical question functions as an emphatic affirmation. For the sake of clarity this has been represented by the emphatic indicative in the translation.
Obadiah 1:8 tn Heb “understanding”; cf. NIV “men of understanding.” This undoubtedly refers to members of the royal court who offered political and military advice to the Edomite kings. In the ancient Near East, such men of wisdom were often associated with divination and occultic practices (cf. Isa 3:3; 47:10, 13). The Edomites were also renowned in the ancient Near East as a center of traditional sagacity and wisdom; perhaps that is referred to here (cf. Jer 49:7).
Obadiah 1:9 sn Teman, like Sela, was a prominent city of Edom. The name Teman is derived from the name of a grandson of Esau (cf. Gen 36:11). Here it is a synecdoche of part for whole, standing for all of Edom.
Obadiah 1:9 tn The Hebrew word used here (לְמַעַן, l^emaʿan) usually expresses purpose. The sense in this context, however, is more likely that of result.
Obadiah 1:9 tn Heb “a man,” meaning “every single person” here; cf. KJV “every one.”
Obadiah 1:9 tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); cf. NIV, NLT “cut down,” CEV “wiped out.”
Obadiah 1:10 tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a causal sense.
Obadiah 1:10 tn Heb “because of the slaughter and because of the violence.” These two expressions form a hendiadys meaning “because of the violent slaughter.” Traditional understanding connects the first phrase “because of the slaughter” with the end of v. 9 (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). It is preferable, however, to regard it as parallel to the reference to violence at the beginning of v. 11. Both the parallel linguistic structure of the two phrases and the metrical structure of the verse favor connecting this phrase with the beginning of v. 10 (cf. NRSV, TEV).
Obadiah 1:10 tn Heb “the violence of your brother.” The genitive construction is to be understood as an objective genitive. The meaning is not that Jacob has perpetrated violence (= subjective genitive) but that violence has been committed against him (= objective genitive).
Obadiah 1:10 tn Heb “your brother Jacob” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NCV “your relatives, the Israelites.”
Obadiah 1:10 tn Heb “be cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
Obadiah 1:11 tn Heb “in the day of your standing”; cf. NAB “On the day when you stood by.”
Obadiah 1:11 tn Or perhaps, “wealth” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The Hebrew word is somewhat ambiguous here. This word also appears in v. 13, where it clearly refers to wealth.
Obadiah 1:11 tc The present translation follows the Qere, which reads the plural (“gates”) rather than the singular.
Obadiah 1:11 sn Casting lots seems to be a way of deciding who would gain control over material possessions and enslaved peoples following a military victory.
Obadiah 1:11 tn Heb “like one from them”; cf. NASB “You too were as one of them.”
Obadiah 1:12 tn In vv. 12-14 there are eight prohibitions that summarize the nature of the Lord’s complaint against Edom. Each prohibition alludes to something Edom did to Judah that should not have been done by one “brother” to another. It is because of these violations that the Lord has initiated judgment against Edom. In the Hebrew text these prohibitions are expressed by אַל (ʾal, “not”) plus the jussive form of the verb, which is common in negative commands of immediate urgency. Such constructions would normally have the sense of prohibiting something either not yet begun (i.e., “do not start to…”) or something already in process at the time of speaking (i.e., “stop…”). Here, however, it seems more likely that the prohibitions refer to a situation in past rather than future time (i.e., “you should not have…”). If so, the verbs are being used in a rhetorical fashion, as though the prophet were vividly projecting himself back into the events that he is describing and urging the Edomites not to do what in fact they have already done.
Obadiah 1:12 tn The Hebrew expression “to look upon” often has the sense of “to feast the eyes upon” or “to gloat over” (cf. v. 13).
Obadiah 1:12 tn Heb “your brother” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NCV “your brother Israel.”
Obadiah 1:12 tn Heb “in the day of your brother, in the day of his calamity.” This expression is probably a hendiadys meaning, “in the day of your brother’s calamity.” The Hebrew word נָכְרוֹ (nokhro, “his calamity”)_is probably a word-play on נָכְרִים (nokhrim, “foreigners”) in v. 11.
Obadiah 1:12 tn Heb “in the day of their destruction” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); cf. NAB, NRSV “on the day of their ruin.”
Obadiah 1:12 tn Or “boasted with your mouth.” The Hebrew text includes the phrase “with your mouth,” which is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
Obadiah 1:12 tn Heb “in the day of adversity”; cf. NASB “in the day of their distress.”
Obadiah 1:13 tn Heb “the gate.” The term “gate” here functions as a synecdoche for the city as a whole, which the Edomites plundered.
Obadiah 1:13 tn Heb “in the day of their distress.” The phrase is used three times in this verse; the Hebrew word translated “distress” (אֵידָם, ʾedam) is a wordplay on the name Edom. For stylistic reasons and to avoid monotony, in the present translation this phrase is rendered, “when they experienced distress,” “when they suffered distress,” and “when they endured distress.”
Obadiah 1:13 tn Heb “you, also you.”
Obadiah 1:13 tn Heb “in the day of his distress.” In this and the following phrase at the end of v. 13 the suffix is third person masculine singular. As collective singulars both occurrences have been translated as plurals (“they suffered distress…endured distress,” rather than, “he suffered distress…endured distress”).
Obadiah 1:13 tc In the MT the verb is feminine plural, but the antecedent is unclear. The Hebrew phrase תִּשְׁלַחְנָה (tishlakhnah) here should probably be emended to read תִּשְׁלַח יָד (tishlakh yad), although yad (“hand”) is not absolutely essential to this idiom.
Obadiah 1:13 tn See the note on the phrase “suffered distress” in the previous line.
Obadiah 1:14 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word פֶּרֶק (pereq; here translated “fork in the road”) is uncertain. The word is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in Nah 3:1, where it means “plunder.” In the present context it seems to refer to a strategic intersection or fork in a road where bands of Edomites apprehended Israelites who were fleeing from the attack on Jerusalem (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT “crossroads,” NRSV “crossings”).
Obadiah 1:14 tn Heb “to cut off” (so KJV, NRSV); cf. NASB, NIV “to cut down.”
Obadiah 1:14 tn Heb “his fugitives”; cf. NAB, CEV “refugees.”
Obadiah 1:14 tn Heb “in the day of distress” (so KJV, ASV).
Obadiah 1:15 sn The term יוֹם (yom, “day”) is repeated ten times in vv. 11-14, referring to the time period when Judah/Jerusalem suffered calamity that Edom exploited for its own sinful gain. In each of those cases יוֹם was qualified by a following genitive to describe Judah’s plight, e.g., “in the day of your brother’s calamity” (v. 12). Here it appears again but now followed by the divine name to describe the time of God’s judgment against Edom for its crimes against humanity: “the day of the Lord.” In the present translation, the expression בְּיוֹם (b^eyom; literally, “In the day of”) appears as “When…” in vv. 11-14. However, here it is translated more literally because the expression “the day of the Lord” is a well-known technical expression for a time of divine intervention in judgment. While this expression sometimes refers to the final eschatological day of God’s judgment, it may also refer occasionally to historical acts of judgment.
Obadiah 1:15 tn Heb “near” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. NCV “is coming soon.”
Obadiah 1:15 sn God’s judgment would not be confined to Edom. Edom would certainly be punished in just measure for its wrongdoing, but “the day of the Lord” would also encompass judgment of the nations (v. 15).
Obadiah 1:15 tn Heb “your deed will return on your own head.” Verses 15 and 16 provide an example of ironic reversal, whereby the tables are turned and poetic justice is served. This is a motif that is common in prophetic oracles against foreign nations.
Obadiah 1:16 tn The identification of the referent of “you” in v. 16a is uncertain. There are three major options. First, on the surface, it would appear to be Edom, which is addressed in v. 15b and throughout the prophecy. However, when Edom is addressed, second person singular forms are normally used in the Hebrew. In v. 16a the Hebrew verb “you drank” is a plural form שְׁתִיתֶם (sh^etitem), perhaps suggesting that Edom is no longer addressed, at least solely. Perhaps Edom and the nations, mentioned in v. 15a, are both addressed in v. 16a. However, since the nations are referred to in the third person in v. 16b, it seems unlikely that they are addressed here. A second option is to take the final mem (ם) on the Hebrew verb form (שְׁתִיתֶם) as an enclitic particle and revocalize the form as a singular verb (שָׁתִיתָ, shatita) addressed to Edom. In this case v. 16a would allude to the time when Edom celebrated Jerusalem’s defeat on Mount Zion, God’s “holy hill.” Verse 16b would then make the ironic point that just as Edom once drank in victory, so the nations (Edom included) would someday drink the cup of judgment. However, this interpretation is problematic for it necessitates taking the drinking metaphor in different ways (as signifying celebration and then judgment) within the same verse. A third option is that the exiled people of Judah are addressed. Just as God’s people were forced to drink the intoxicating wine of divine judgment, so the nations, including those who humiliated Judah, would be forced to drink this same wine. However, the problem here is that God’s people are never addressed elsewhere in the prophecy, making this approach problematic as well.
Obadiah 1:16 sn This reference to drinking portrays the profane activities of those who had violated Jerusalem’s sanctity. The following reference to drinking on the part of the nations portrays God’s judgment upon them. They will drink, as it were, from the cup of divine retribution.
Obadiah 1:16 sn The judgment is compared here to intoxicating wine, which the nations are forced to keep drinking (v. 16). Just as an intoxicating beverage eventually causes the one drinking it to become disoriented and to stagger, so God’s judgment would cause the panic-stricken nations to stumble around in confusion. This extended metaphor is paralleled in Jer 49:12, which describes God’s imminent judgment on Edom, “If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup of my wrath have to drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you also will certainly drink from the cup of my wrath.” There are numerous parallels between Obadiah and the oracle against Edom in Jer 49:1-22, so perhaps the latter should be used to help understand the enigmatic metaphor here in v. 16.
Obadiah 1:17 tn Heb “will be a fugitive.” This is a collective singular (cf. NCV “some will escape the judgment”).
Obadiah 1:17 tn Heb “house” (so most English versions); cf. NCV, TEV “the people of Jacob.” The word “house” also occurs four times in v. 18.
Obadiah 1:17 tn Heb “dispossess.” This root is repeated in the following line to emphasize poetic justice: The punishment will fit the crime.
Obadiah 1:17 tc The present translation follows the reading מוֹרִשֵׁיהֶם (morishehem; literally, “those dispossessing them”; cf. NAB, NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹרָשֵׁיהֶם (morashehem, “their possessions”) of the MT (cf. LXX, Syriac, and Vg, followed by KJV, ASV, NASB).
Obadiah 1:18 tn Heb “will be no survivor”; cf. NAB “none shall survive.”
Obadiah 1:19 tn Heb “the Negev”; cf. ASV “the South,” NCV, TEV “southern Judah.” The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but these words have been supplied in the translation for clarity. The place name “the Negev” functions as a synecdoche (container for contents) for the people living in the Negev. sn The Negev is a dry, hot, arid region in the southern portion of Judah.
Obadiah 1:19 sn The verb יָרַשׁ (yarash, “to take possession of [something]”), which is repeated three times in vv. 19-20 for emphasis, often implies a violent means of acquisition, such as military conquest. Obadiah here pictures a dramatic reversal: Judah’s enemies, who conquered her then looted all her valuable possessions, will soon be conquered by the Judeans, who will in turn take possession of their valuables. The punishment will fit the crime.
Obadiah 1:19 tn The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but they are supplied in the translation since “the foothills” functions as a synecdoche referring to residents of this region.sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain. In much of Old Testament times they served as a divide between the people of Judah and the Philistines, who lived in the coastal plain.
Obadiah 1:19 tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
Obadiah 1:19 tn The words “the land of” are not present in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
Obadiah 1:19 tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Obadiah 1:19 sn Gilead is a mountainous region on the eastern side of the Jordan River in what is today the country of Jordan.
Obadiah 1:20 tn Or “army” (TEV); cf. KJV, NAB, NASB “host,” NIV “company.” Some text critics suggest revocalizing MT הַחֵל (hakhel, “the fortress”) to the place- name הָלָה (halah, “Halah”; so NRSV), the location to which many of the Israelite exiles were sent in the 8th century (2 Kgs 7:6; 18:11; 1 Chr 5:26). The MT form is from הַיִל (hayil, “strength”), which is used elsewhere to refer to an army (Exod 14:17; 1 Sam 17:20; 2 Sam 8:9), a military fortress (2 Sam 20:15; 22:33), leaders (Exod 18:21) and even wealth or possessions (Obad 1:11, 13).
Obadiah 1:20 tn The Hebrew text has no verb here. The words “will possess” have been supplied from the context.
Obadiah 1:20 sn Zarephath was a Phoenician coastal city located some ten miles south of Sidon.
Obadiah 1:20 sn The exact location of Sepharad is uncertain. Suggestions include a location in Spain, or perhaps Sparta in Greece, or perhaps Sardis in Asia Minor. For inscriptional evidence that bears on this question see E. LipinÃski, “Obadiah 20, ” VT 23 (1973): 368-70. The reason for mentioning this location in v. 20 seems to be that even though it was far removed from Jerusalem, the Lord will nonetheless enable the Jewish exiles there to return and participate in the restoration of Israel that Obadiah describes.
Obadiah 1:21 tc The present translation follows the reading מוּשָׁעִים (mushaʿim, “those who have been delivered”; cf. NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹשִׁעִים (moshiʿim, “deliverers”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) of the MT (cf. LXX, Aquila, Theodotion, and Syriac).
Obadiah 1:21 tn Heb “to judge.” In this context the term does not mean “to render judgment on,” but “to rule over” (cf. NAB “to rule,” NIV “to govern”).
Obadiah 1:21 tn Heb “then the kingdom will belong to the Lord.”

Revelation 4

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4 After these things I looked, and there was^[a] a door standing open in heaven!^[b] And the first voice I had heard speaking to me^[c] like a trumpet^[d] said: “Come up here so that^[e] I can show you what must happen after these things.” ²Immediately I was in the Spirit,^[f] and^[g] a throne was standing^[h] in heaven with someone seated on it! ³And the one seated on it was like jasper^[i] and carnelian^[j] in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald^[k] encircled the throne. ⁴In^[l] a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were^[m] dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns^[n] on their heads. ⁵From^[o] the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring^[p] and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God,^[q] were burning in front of the throne ⁶and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.^[r]

In^[s] the middle of the throne^[t] and around the throne were four living creatures^[u] full of eyes in front and in back. ⁷The^[v] first living creature was like a lion, the^[w] second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. ⁸Each one of the four living creatures had six wings^[x] and was full of eyes all around and inside.^[y] They never rest day or night, saying:^[z]

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful,^[aa]
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor,^[ab] and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground^[ac] before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns^[ad] before his^[ae] throne, saying:

¹¹“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!”^[af]

Footnotes

Revelation 4:1 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Revelation 4:1 tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
Revelation 4:1 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
Revelation 4:1 sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.
Revelation 4:1 tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.
Revelation 4:2 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
Revelation 4:2 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Revelation 4:2 tn BDAG 537 s.v. κεῖμαι 2 gives the translation “stand” for the term in this verse.
Revelation 4:3 tn Grk “jasper stone.”sn Jasper was a semiprecious gemstone, probably green in color (L&N 2.30).
Revelation 4:3 sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).
Revelation 4:3 tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”
Revelation 4:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 4:4 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.
Revelation 4:4 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
Revelation 4:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 4:5 tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”
Revelation 4:5 sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 4:6 tn This could refer to rock crystal, but it is possible this refers to ice (an older meaning). See BDAG 571 s.v. κρύσταλλος.
Revelation 4:6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 4:6 tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).
Revelation 4:6 tn On the meaning of ζῴον (zōon) BDAG 431 s.v. 2 states, “Of the four peculiar beings at God’s throne, whose description Rv 4:6-9 reminds one of the ζῷα in Ezk 1:5ff, the cherubim. S. also Rv 5:6, 8, 11, 14; 6:1, 3, 5-7; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4.”
Revelation 4:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 4:7 tn Both here and before the phrase “the third,” καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
Revelation 4:8 tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.
Revelation 4:8 tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (esōthen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.
Revelation 4:8 tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”
Revelation 4:8 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”sn A quotation from (or an allusion to) Isa 6:3.
Revelation 4:9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
Revelation 4:10 tn Grk “the twenty-four elders fall down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
Revelation 4:10 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
Revelation 4:10 tn The pronoun “his” is understood from the demonstrative force of the article τοῦ (tou) before θρόνου (thronou).
Revelation 4:11 tc The past tense of “they existed” (ἦσαν, ēsan) and the order of the expression “they existed and were created” seems backwards both logically and chronologically. The text as it stands is the more difficult reading and seems to have given rise to codex A omitting the final “they were created,” 2329 replacing “they existed” (ἦσαν) with “have come into being” (ἐγένοντο, egeneto), and 046 adding οὐκ (ouk, “not”) before ἦσαν (“they did not exist, [but were created]”). Several mss (1854 2050 M^A sa) also attempt to alleviate the problem by replacing ἦσαν with “they are” (εἰσιν, eisin).

Psalm 132

Psalm 132^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

132 O Lord, for David’s sake remember
all his strenuous effort,^[c]
²and how he made a vow to the Lord,
and swore an oath to the Powerful One of Jacob.
³He said,^[d] “I will not enter my own home,^[e]
or get into my bed.^[f]
⁴I will not allow my eyes to sleep,
or my eyelids to slumber,
⁵until I find a place for the Lord,
a fine dwelling place^[g] for the Powerful One of Jacob.”^[h]
⁶Look, we heard about it^[i] in Ephrathah;^[j]
we found it in the territory of Jaar.^[k]
⁷Let us go to his dwelling place.
Let us worship^[l] before his footstool.
⁸Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength.
⁹May your priests be clothed with integrity.^[m]
May your loyal followers shout for joy.
¹⁰For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king.^[n]
¹¹The Lord made a reliable promise to David;^[o]
he will not go back on his word.^[p]
He said,^[q] “I will place one of your descendants^[r] on your throne.
¹²If your sons keep my covenant
and the rules I teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”
¹³Certainly^[s] the Lord has chosen Zion;
he decided to make it his home.^[t]
¹⁴He said,^[u] “This will be my resting place forever;
I will live here, for I have chosen it.^[v]
¹⁵I will abundantly supply what she needs;^[w]
I will give her poor all the food they need.^[x]
¹⁶I will protect her priests,^[y]
and her godly people will shout exuberantly.^[z]
¹⁷There I will make David strong;^[aa]
I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue.^[ab]
¹⁸I will humiliate his enemies,^[ac]
and his crown will shine.”

Footnotes

Psalm 132:1 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
Psalm 132:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 132:1 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (ʿanavato, “his humility”).
Psalm 132:3 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows is David’s vow.
Psalm 132:3 tn Heb “the tent of my house.”
Psalm 132:3 tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”
Psalm 132:5 tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).
Psalm 132:5 tn Or “the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Psalm 132:6 tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [ʾaron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)
Psalm 132:6 sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath Jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath Jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath Jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).
Psalm 132:6 tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (yaʿar, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat y^eʿarim, “Kiriath Jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).
Psalm 132:7 tn Or “bow down.”
Psalm 132:9 tn Or “righteousness.”
Psalm 132:10 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “the Lord swore an oath to David [in] truth.”
Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
Psalm 132:11 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.
Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
Psalm 132:13 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 132:13 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
Psalm 132:14 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.
Psalm 132:14 tn Heb “for I desired it.”
Psalm 132:15 tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
Psalm 132:15 tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”
Psalm 132:16 tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”
Psalm 132:16 tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
Psalm 132:17 tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.
Psalm 132:17 tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).
Psalm 132:18 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”

Proverbs 29:24-25

²⁴Whoever shares with a thief^[a] is his own enemy;^[b]
he hears the oath to testify,^[c] but does not talk.
²⁵The fear of people^[d] becomes^[e] a snare,^[f]
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high.^[g]

Footnotes

Proverbs 29:24 sn The expression shares with a thief describes someone who is an “accomplice” (cf. NAB, NIV) because he is willing to share in the loot without taking part in the crime.
Proverbs 29:24 tn Heb “hates his soul.” The accomplice is working against himself, for he will be punished along with the thief if he is caught.
Proverbs 29:24 tn Heb “oath” or “imprecation”; ASV “adjuration.” This amounted to an “oath” or “curse” (cf. NAB “he hears himself put under a curse”; NRSV “one hears the victim’s curse”) either by or on behalf of the victim, that any witness to the crime must testify (cf. Lev 5:1). However, in this legal setting referring to “a victim’s curse” could be misleading (cf. also KJV “he heareth cursing”), since it could be understood to refer to profanity directed against those guilty of the crime rather than an imprecation called down on a witness who refused to testify (as in the present proverb). The present translation specifies this as an “oath to testify.”sn The oath to testify was not an oath to tell the truth before a court of law in the modern sense. Instead it was a “curse” or “imprecation” expressed by the victim of the theft, or by the legal authorities, called down on any witness of the crime who kept silent or refused to testify (as here). According to Lev 5:1, if a witness does not speak up he is accountable for the crime. This person hears the adjuration, but if he speaks up he is condemned, and if he does not speak up he is guilty under the law. The proverb is an unusual one; it seems to be warning against getting mixed up in any way with the thief, for it will create a serious ethical dilemma.
Proverbs 29:25 tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.
Proverbs 29:25 tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”
Proverbs 29:25 sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap—there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.
Proverbs 29:25 sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the Lord sets people free and gives them a sense of safety and security (e.g., Prov 10:27; 12:2).

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God’s Judgment on Edom

Edom’s Approaching Destruction

Edom’s Treachery Against Judah

The Coming Day of the Lord

Footnotes

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

Footnotes

Psalm 132[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 132^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]