Obadiah 1:3

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? THOU THAT DWELLEST IN THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK - (Song of Solomon 2:14, "O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places the stairs;" Jeremiah 48:28, as to Moab, "Dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth"). The cities of Edom, and among them Petra (Hebrew, cela` (H5553), meaning rock, 2 Kings 14:7, margin), the capital in the Wady Musa...

The Prophet now laughs to scorn the Idumeans, because they relied on their own fortresses, and thought themselves, according to the common saying, to be beyond the reach of darts; and hence they petulantly insulted the Israelites and despised God himself. The Prophet therefore says, that the Idumeans in vain felicitated themselves, for he shows that all they promised to themselves were mere delusions. The import of what is said then is, “Whence is this your security, that ye think that enemies can do you no harm? Yea, ye despise God as well as men; whence is this haughtiness? whence also is the great confidence with which ye are puffed up? Verily, it comes only from mere delusions. _The pride of thine heart has deceived thee.” _ And yet there was not wanting a reason why the Idumeans were thus insolent, as the Prophet also states: but he at the same time shows that they had deceived them...

1-16 This prophecy is against Edom. Its destruction seems to have been typical, as their father Esau's rejection; and to refer to the destruction of the enemies of the gospel church. See the prediction of the success of that war; Edom shall be spoiled, and brought down. All the enemies of God's church shall be disappointed in the things they stay themselves on. God can easily lay those low who magnify and exalt themselves; and will do it. Carnal security ripens men for ruin, and makes the ruin worse when it comes. Treasures on earth cannot be so safely laid up but that thieves may break through and steal; it is therefore our wisdom to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Those that make flesh their trust, arm it against themselves. The God of our covenant will never deceive us: but if we trust men with whom we join ourselves, it may prove to us a wound and dishonour. God will justl...

Verse Obadiah 1:3. _THE PRIDE OF THINE HEART_] St. Jerome observes that all the southern part of Palestine, from Eleutheropolis to Petra and Aialath, was full of _caverns hewn out of the rocks_, and that the people had subterranean dwellings similar to ovens. Here they are said to _dwell in the clefts of the rock_, in reference to the caverns above mentioned. In these they conceived themselves to be _safe_, and thought that no power brought against them could dislodge them from those fastnesses. Some think that by סלע _sela,_ _rock, Petra_, the capital of Idumea, is intended....

THE PRIDE OF THY HEART HATH DECEIVED THEE - Not the strength of its mountain-fastnesses, strong though they were, deceived Edom, but “the pride of his heart.” That strength was but the occasion which called forth the “pride.” Yet, it was strong in its abode. God, as it were, admits it to them. “Dweller in the clefts of the rocks, the loftiness of his habitation.” “The whole southern country of the Edomites,” says Jerome, “from Eleutheropolis to Petra and Selah (which are the possessions of Esau), hath minute dwellings in caves; and on account of the oppressive heat of the sun, as being a southern province, hath under ground cottages.” Its inhabitants, whom Edom expelled Deuteronomy 2:12, were hence called Horites, i. e., dwellers in caves. Its chief city was called Selah or Petra, “rock.” It was a city single of its kind amid the works of man . “The eagle

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; and therefore thought themselves secure, and that no enemy could come at them to hurt them, and this deceived them: THOU THAT DWELLEST IN THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK; their country was called Arabia Petraea, the rocky; and their metropolis Petra, the rock: Jerom says that they that inhabited the southern part of the country dwelt in caves cut out of the rock, to screen them from the heat of the sun: or, "thou that dwellest in the circumferences of the rock" p; round about it, on the top of it, in a tower built there, as Kimchi and Ben Melech. Aben Ezra thinks that "caph", the note of similitude,...

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 f

THE CLEFTS, &C. Referring to the natural position of the Edomites. Compare 2 Kings 14:7....

_the clefts of the rock_ The word rock may here be a proper name, Selah or Petra; the reference would then be to the rock-hewn dwellings of that remarkable city. Perhaps, however, the reference is more general to the "clefts of the rock" which abounded and were used as habitations throughout Edom proper. The expression which occurs here and in Jeremiah 49:16, is only found beside in Song of Solomon 2:14, where it is used of the hiding-place of a dove. Ewald renders this verse: "Thy heart's haughtiness deceived thee, who inhabiteth in rock-clefts, his proud dwelling, who saith in his heart, who shall cast me down to the earth?" "The great strength of a position such as Selah's was shewn during the war of the Independence of Greece, in the case of the monastery of Megaspelion, wh

_EDOM'S PRIDE AND PUNISHMENT -- OBADIAH 1:1-9:_ God gave Obadiah a message about Edom. The King James Version uses the word "Rumor" to describe the vision and message of Obadiah. The word means an authentic message from the Lord. It is not just some "speculation" as the word is usually used today. The message is certain, "Edom will be humbled, Thus says the Lord GOD." God's messenger had been sent out and the nations would rise against Edom in battle. The people of Edom were a doomed people because of their pride. They would become one of the smaller nations and would be looked down upon by the heathen nations. The Edomites felt safe living in Mount Seir. They said in their heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" They thought no one could attack them there, but they were mistaken. The Lord said, "I will still bring you down, even if you fly higher than an eagle or nest am