Obadiah 1:1-15

Obadiah 1:1 b. The Deserved Downfall of Edom. The prophet declares that interpretation of current events which Yahweh has revealed to him. Other nations are combining against Edom (Obadiah 1:1) and Yahweh will make their combination successful (Obadiah 1:2; the perfect tenses are prophetic). Edom has been confident in the inaccessibility of his mountainous land (Obadiah 1:3; see Intro. and read with VSS making high his habitation), but vainly does he build (his nest) on high (for the eagle, see on Jeremiah 4:13). This is no passing raid, for the work of the foe will be thorough (insert only after steal in Obadiah 1:5, to bring out the contrast; for the reference to the gleaning, perhaps suggested by the number of Edomite vineyards, cf. Deuteronomy 24:21). The secret treasures stored in mountain caves will be stolen (Obadiah 1:6, which may be a gloss from Jeremiah 49:10; note change of person). The trusted allies (see Intro.) will drive the Edomites from their land (Obadiah 1:7 mg.; prophetic perfect). The last two clauses of Obadiah 1:7 yield no sense here, the Heb. of the former being thy bread they put a net; Obadiah 1:8 f. seems to have been added, with the appendix, to unite the earlier prophecy with the idea of the Day of Yahweh prominent in the later (for Teman, see on Jeremiah 49:7, possibly the source of Obadiah 1:8). These Edomite disasters are a penalty for the conduct of the Edomites when Jerusalem was destroyed (Obadiah 1:10, see Intro.). Edom stood aloof (Obadiah 1:11 mg.), nay, even laid hands on Judah's property, and intercepted fugitives (Obadiah 1:12). Hence retribution (Obadiah 1:15 b).