INTRODUCTION TO OBADIAH 1 This prophecy of Obadiah is the least of the minor prophets, consisting but of one chapter; the subject of it is Edom, whose destruction is foretold, and is to be considered as a type of the enemies of Christ and his kingdom, and especially of the Roman antichrist. After t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VISION OF OBADIAH,.... Or the prophecy, as the Targum; which was delivered unto him by the Lord in a vision; it was not what he fancied or dreamed of, but what he saw, what he had a clear discovery and revelation of made unto his mind; hence prophets are sometimes called "seers". This was a sing... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, I HAVE MADE THEE SMALL AMONG THE HEATHEN,.... Or "a little one", or "thing" o; their number few, and their country not large, as Aben Ezra, especially in comparison of other nations; and therefore had no reason to be so proud, insolent, and secure, as they are afterwards said to be; or rathe... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRIDE OF THINE HEART HATH DECEIVED THEE,.... The Edomites were proud of their wealth and riches, which they had by robberies amassed together; and of their military skill and courage, and of their friends and allies; and especially of their fortresses and fastnesses, both natural and artificial;... [ Continue Reading ]
THOUGH THOU EXALTEST [THYSELF] AS THE EAGLE,.... That soars aloft, flies on high, even out of sight, higher than any other bird does: or, "exaltest thy habitation"; and makest it as high as the eagle's nest; see Jeremiah 49:16; AND THOUGH THOU SET THY NEST AMONG THE STARS; even higher than the eagl... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THIEVES CAME TO THEE, IF ROBBERS BY NIGHT,.... Whether the one came by day, and the other by night, or both by night, the same being meant by different words, whose intent is to plunder and steal, and carry off what they can; thy condition would not be worse, nor so bad as now it is: for HOW ART... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW ARE [THE THINGS] OF ESAU SEARCHED OUT!.... Or how are the Esauites, the posterity of Esau, sought out! though they dwelt in the clefts of the rocks, and hid themselves in caves and dens, yet their enemies searched them, and found there, and plucked them out from thence, so that none escaped: [H... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE MEN OF THY CONFEDERACY HAVE BROUGHT THEE [EVEN] TO THE BORDER,.... Or of "thy covenant" r; that are in league with thee; thine allies, even all of them, prove treacherous to thee, in whom thou trustedst; when they sent their ambassadors to them, they received them kindly, promised great thin... [ Continue Reading ]
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 s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THY MIGHTY [MEN], O TEMAN, SHALL BE DISMAYED,.... Teman was one part of the country of Edom, so called from Teman, a son of Eliphaz, and grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:11; and which it seems had been famous for men of might and courage: it abounded with brave officers, and courageous soldiers, who... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR [THY] VIOLENCE AGAINST THY BROTHER JACOB,.... Which is aggravated: by being against Jacob, an honest plain hearted man, and whom the Lord loved; his brother, his own brother, a twin brother, yea, his only brother; yet this is to be understood, not so much of the violence of Esau against Jacob pe... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE DAY THOU STOODEST ON THE OTHER SIDE,.... Aloof off, as a spectator of the ruin of Jerusalem, and that with delight and pleasure; when they should, as brethren and neighbours, have assisted against the common enemy; but instead of this they stood at a distance; or they went over to the other s... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOU SHOULDEST NOT HAVE LOOKED ON THE DAY OF THY BROTHER,.... The day of his calamity, distress, and destruction, as afterwards explained; that is, with delight and satisfaction, as pleased with it, and rejoicing at it; but rather should have grieved and mourned, and as fearing their turn would... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHOULDEST NOT HAVE ENTERED INTO THE GATE OF MY PEOPLE IN THE DAY OF THEIR CALAMITY,.... Or gates, as the Targum; the gates of any of their cities, and particularly those of Jerusalem; into which the Edomites entered along with the Chaldeans, exulting over the Jews, and insulting them, and joini... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER SHOULDEST THOU HAVE STOOD IN THE CROSSING,.... In a place where two or more roads met, to stop the Jews that fled, let them take which road they would: or, "in the breach" y; that is, of the walls of the city; TO CUT OFF THOSE OF HIS THAT DID ESCAPE; such of the Jews that escaped the sword... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD [IS] NEAR UPON ALL THE HEATHEN,.... That is, the time was at hand, fixed and determined by the Lord, and he had spoken of by his prophets, when he would punish all the Heathens round about for their sins; as the Egyptians, Philistines, Tyrians, Ammonites, Moabites, and others... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR AS YE HAVE DRUNK UPON MY HOLY MOUNTAIN, [SO] SHALL ALL THE HEATHEN DRINK CONTINUALLY,.... Which is either spoken to the Edomites; and the sense be, according to the Targum, "as ye have rejoiced at the blow (given unto or at the subversion and destruction) of the mountain of my holiness, all peo... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT UPON MOUNT ZION SHALL BE DELIVERANCE,.... Not only by Cyrus, at the end of the seventy years' captivity; and by the Maccabees from the Idumeans, and other enemies; but by the Messiah; for not merely temporal deliverance is here intended, unless as a shadow, type, and figure; but spiritual delive... [ Continue Reading ]
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,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND [THEY OF] THE SOUTH SHALL POSSESS THE LAND OF ESAU,.... That is, those Jews that shall dwell in the southern part of the land of Judea shall seize upon the country of Idumea, lying contiguous to them; they shall enlarge their border, and take that into their possession: AND [THEY OF] THE PLAIN... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THIS HOST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [SHALL POSSESS] THAT OF THE CANAANITES, [EVEN] UNTO ZAREPHATH,.... That is, the host or army, the great number of the children of Israel, that have been carried captive, upon their return shall possess that part of the land of Israel which was... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAVIOURS SHALL COME UPON MOUNT ZION,.... Which according to some, is to be understood literally, either of Zerubbabel and Joshua, after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, who were the restorers of, their civil and church state; or rather of Judas Maccabeus and his brethren, wh... [ Continue Reading ]