The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. They will burn among them, and devour them. There will not be any remaining to the house of Esau.” Indeed, Yahweh has spoken.
Parallel Translations
-
The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. They will burn among them, and devour them. There will not be any remaining to the house of Esau.” Indeed, Yahweh has spoken.
-
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
-
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken.
Cross-references (17)
Passages linked to Obadiah 1:18 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Zechariah 12:6 In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 10:17 The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
- Ezekiel 37:19 tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in my hand.
- Micah 5:8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.
- Isaiah 5:24 Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have rejected the law of Yahweh of Armies, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 19:20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”
- Psalms 83:6-15 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.” My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm.
- Isaiah 31:9 His rock will pass away by reason of terror, and his princes will be afraid of the banner,” says Yahweh, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they are like stubble. The fire will burn them. They won’t deliver themselves from the power of the flame. It won’t be a coal to warm at or a fire to sit by.
- Ezekiel 37:16 “You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions.’ Then take another stick, and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.’
- Joel 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains, they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array.
- Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
- Amos 6:6 who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
- Obadiah 1:16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. Yes, they will drink, swallow down, and will be as though they had not been.
- Nahum 1:10 For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly like dry stubble.
- 1 Corinthians 3:12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble,
- Obadiah 1:9-10 Your mighty men, Teman, will be dismayed, to the end that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter. For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain Here again the Prophet meets a doubt, which might…
Here again the Prophet meets a doubt, which might come into the mind of each of them; for the Idumeans were flourishing, and their condition was independent, when the Israelites as well as the Jews were led into exile, and Jerusalem with its temple was destroyed. They might under such circumstances despair; but the Prophet shows, that though for a time the house of Jacob seemed to be dead, yet a fire would be kindled, which would consume the Idumeans, though they were then proud of their power and their wealth, and also of the prosperous issue of the victory over the Jews, for they had been enriched, and well as the Assyrians, by the overthrow of their brethren. A similar mode of speaking Isaiah also adopts; though he directs his discourse, not to the Idumeans, but to others, yet his manner of speaking is the same when he says, that God, the light of Israel, would be a fire and a flame to consume the wicked, (Isaiah 29:6.)
But this was fulfilled, when the Lord avenged the cruelty of Edom, though the Jews were then in exile and could not move a finger, when they were without arms, yea, when they were miserable slaves: the Idumeans were even then consumed, by what fire? how was this burning kindled? Even then the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph were like a fire and a flame The cause of this ruin, it is true, did not immediately appear to the Idumeans: but we must here look to the purpose of God. Why did God with so much severity punish the Idemeans? Because he intended by this example to show how much he loved his Church. Since then their cruelty was the cause of ruin to the Idumeans, rightly does the prophet say, that the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph would be like a fire and a flame to consume the Idumeans. And it was not a small solace to the miserable exiles, when they understood, that they were still regarded by God in their depressed condition. Inasmuch then as they were exposed to the reproach and ridicule of all, it pleased God to testify that they were the objects of his care, and that he would, for their sake, destroy whole nations even those who then gloried in their power. We now then see why the Prophet adopted this figurative language. By the house of Joseph, he means as we have said elsewhere the kingdom of Israel; he mentions a part for the whole. It follows —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain God attributeth this power, to consume his enemies, to…
God attributeth this power, to consume his enemies, to his Church, which power is only proper to himself, as Isa. 10:17; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be…
Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].
Ver. 18. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, &c.] The house of Jacob are the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; the house of Joseph are the ten tribes of Israel, whereof Ephraim was the head. The sense is this, those two tribes, together with such of the ten as joined themselves to them, either before or after the captivity, shall invade Idumea, burn it, aud subdue it, as fire doth stubble fully dry. This was done by Hircanus and Judas Maccabeus, who compelled the Edomites to be circumcised; and so wholly possessed those parts, that there were not any relics of them remaining; no, not so much as one πυροφορος (as the Septuagint render it), or, πυρφορος (as some read them), any to carry grain after the camp or fire before it, according to the custom of the Greeks and Easterlings; which torchbearer might as little be violated as an ambassador; but here, he should be cut off with the rest, and not so much as a messenger left, to relate the overthrow. The Edomites were so utterly rooted out by Hircanus, that they thenceforth ceased to be Edomites, and became Jews. Those of them that were converted by the preaching of the gospel, ceased to be either Edomites or Jews, and became Christians. The apostles, burning with the zeal of God’s glory and love to men’s souls, devoured and wasted the infidelity, idols, and vices of the Gentiles wherever they came preaching, Hence Chrysostom saith, Peter was a man made all of fire, walking among stubble; Paul was insatiabilis Dei cultor, an insatiable servant of Christ. And to the like purpose it was, that to one that desired to know what kind of man Basil was, it is said, that was presented in a dream, a pillar of fire, with this motto, Talis est Basilius, Such a one is Basil. And old Latimer, when he was demanded the reason why so little powerful preaching? answered, Deest ignis, the spark of the spirit is wanting. Howbeit this prophecy, as it began to be fulfilled at first by the apostles, and the apostolic persons that came after them; so it is daily, and shall be continually to the world’s end, fulfilled by the faithful preachers of God’s holy word, who are clothed with a spirit "of judgment and of burning," Isa 4:4, and out of whose mouth proceedeth fire, Rev 11:5; to purge the gold, and to consume the stubble.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Besides what Nebuchadnezzar shall do upon his particular quarrel…
Besides what Nebuchadnezzar shall do upon his particular quarrel against Edom, bringing them to a very desolate condition, there shall, (though it be not owned,) intermixed, be the quarrel of God for Israel’s sake, which the Chaldeans shall avenge; or else, after the return out of captivity, and some settled state in their own land, Israel himself shall destroy the remnant of Edom, Joe 3:16, with Joe 3:19; Eze 25:14.
The house of Jacob; either the kingdom of the two tribes, or else the whole twelve tribes, the residue of the ten tribes joined with the two in their return from Babylon.
Read full note →
The house of Joseph; the ten tribes, particularly here mentioned to comfort them. and assure them that they should not be cast off, though they were more notoriously guilty of idolatry, and a long apostacy.
The house of Esau for stubble; as unable to resist or secure themselves as stubble is to resist the flame.
They shall kindle in them: this was fulfilled in part by Hyrcanus and the Maccabees, 1Ma 5:3; but more fully to be accomplished in the mystical sense, when the Lord shall make his church as a fire to all its enemies, and Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all nations.
Devour them; as flame eats up the stubble.
There shall not be any; no considerable number or body of them, or none shall continue Edomites, but turn Jews, and be circumcised, be added to the church.
For the Lord hath spoken it; however or whenever this is done, it shall be done, because the Lord hath spoken it; this assures us of the thing.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the house of Jacob shall be a fire,…
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, since all the tribes will be united, and become one people, at the time the prophecy refers to: the meaning is, that the people of Judah and Israel shall have strength and power to conquer and destroy their enemies, with as much ease, as flames of fire consume chaff or stubble, or any such combustible matter they light upon, as it follows:
and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; that is, the Israelites shall fall upon the Edomites, who will be no more able to withstand them than stubble can stand before devouring flames of fire, and shall utterly waste and destroy them:
Read full note →
and there shall not be any remaining of the house or Esau; they shall all be cut off by, or swallowed up among, the Jews; not so much as a torch bearer left, one that carries the lights before an army, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions; which versions, and the custom alluded to, serve very much to illustrate the passage. It was a custom with the Greeks, as we are told (d), when armies were about to engage, that before the first ensigns stood a prophet or priest, bearing branches of laurels and garlands, who was called "pyrophorus", or the "torch bearer", because he held a lamp or torch; and it was accounted a most criminal thing to do him any hurt, seeing he performed the office of an ambassador; for those sort of men were priests of Mars, and sacred to him, so that those that were conquerors always spared them: hence, when a total destruction of an army, place, or people, was hyperbolically expressed, it used to be said, not so much as a torch bearer or fire carrier escaped (e); hence this phrase was proverbially used of the most entire defeat of an army, or ruin of a people. So Philo (f) the Jew, speaking of the destruction of Pharaoh and his host at the Red sea, says, there was not so much as a torch bearer left, to declare the calamity to the Egyptians; and thus here, so general should be the destruction of the Edomites, that not one should be left, no, nor a person in such a post and office as described. The Targum of the whole is,
"and they of the house of Jacob shall be strong as fire, and they of the house of Joseph strong like a; flame, but they of the house of Esau shall be weak as stubble; and they shall have power over them, and kill them, and there shall be none left of the: house of Esau.''
This was fulfilled literally, either by Judas Maccabeus, when he went against the children of Esau in Idumea, and smote them, and took their spoil, in the Apocrypha:
"34 Then the host of Timotheus, knowing that it was Maccabeus, fled from him: wherefore he smote them with a great slaughter; so that there were killed of them that day about eight thousand men. 35 This done, Judas turned aside to Maspha; and after he had assaulted it he took and slew all the males therein, and received the spoils thereof and burnt it with fire.'' (1 Maccabees 5)
or rather by Hyrcanus, who took the cities of Idumea, subdued all the Edomites, but permitted them to live in their own country, provided they would be circumcised, and conform to the Jewish laws; which they did, as Josephus says (g), and coalesced and became the people with them, and were reckoned as Jews, and no more as Edomites. But this prophecy had its accomplishment spiritually, either in the first times of the Gospel, when the apostles, who were Jews and Israelites, went forth into the Gentile world, and among the enemies of Christ, preaching the word, which is like fire; and, when attended with the spirit of judgment and of burning, enlightens the consciences of men, melts their hearts, consumes their lusts, and is as a refiner's fire to them, for, their purification; or, if not, it irritates, provokes, torments, and distresses, as fire does; and is either the savour of life unto life, or the savour of death unto death; see Isa 4:4 Jer 23:29; or rather it will have its full and final accomplishment in the destruction of antichrist, here signified by Esau and Edom, which will be by burning mystical Babylon, the whore of Rome; the beast and false prophet will be burnt with fire; the day of the, Lord will burn like an oven, and all the wicked will be as stubble, which will be burnt by it, root and branch, so that none will remain; see Rev 17:16; compare with Zac 12:6. Kimchi, on Amo 9:12, says this shall be in the days of the Messiah, the Edomites shall be all consumed, and the Israelites shall inherit their land:
for the Lord hath spoken it; and therefore it shall most certainly be accomplished; what God has said shall be done, he will not alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; heaven and earth shall sooner pass away than one word of his.
(d) Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 5. c. 5. (e) Herodot. Urania, sive l. 8. c. 6. (f) De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 630. (g) Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Shall kindle - This was fulfilled in part by…
Shall kindle - This was fulfilled in part by Hyrcanus and the Maccabees, 1Macc v, 3, but will be more fully accomplished, when the Lord shall make his church as a fire to all its enemies.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 18. The house of Jacob shall be a…
Verse 18. The house of Jacob shall be a fire] After their return from captivity, the Jews, called here the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph, did break out as a flame upon the Idumeans; they reduced them into slavery; and obliged them to receive circumcision, and practise the rites of the Jewish religion. See 1Macc 5:3, c. 2Macc 10:15-23; and Joseph. Antiq., lib. xiii. c. 17.
There shall not be any remaining] As a people and a nation they shall be totally destroyed. This is the meaning; it does not signify that every individual shall be destroyed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Having given, in summary, the restoration and expansion of…
Having given, in summary, the restoration and expansion of Judah, Obadiah, in more detail, first mentions a further chastisement of Edom, quite distinct from the former. In the first, for which God summoned the pagan, there is no mention of Judah, the desolation of whose holy City, Jerusalem, for the time, and their own captivity is presupposed. In the second, which follows on the restoration of its remnant, there is no mention of pagan. Obadiah, whose mission was to Judah, gives to it the name of the whole, “the house of Jacob.” It alone had the true worship of God, and His promises. Apart from it, there was no oneness with the faith of the fathers, no foreshadowing sacrifice for sin. Does the “house of Joseph” express the same in other words? or does it mean, that, after that first destruction of Jerusalem, Ephraim should be again united with Judah? Asaph unites, as one, “the sons of Jacob and Joseph” Psa 77:15, Israel and Joseph Psa 80:1; Israel, Jacob, Joseph Psa 81:4-5.
Zechariah Zec 10:6 after the captivity, speaks of “the house of Judah” and “the house of Joseph,” as together forming one whole. Amos, about this same time, twice speaks of Ephraim Amo 5:15; Amo 6:6 under the name of Joseph. And although Asaph uses the name of Joseph, as Obadiah does, to designate Israel, including Ephraim, it does not seem likely that it should be used of Israel, excluding those whose special name it was. While then Hosea and Amos foretold the entire destruction of the “kingdom” of Israel, Obadiah foretells that some should be there, after the destruction of Jerusalem also, united with them. And after the destruction of Samaria, there did remain in Israel, of the poor people, many who returned to the worship of God. Hezekiah invited Ephraim and Manasseh to the Passover 2Ch 30:1 from Beersheba to Dan 2Ch 30:5 addressing them as “the remnant, that are escaped out of the hands of the kings of Assyria” 2Ch 30:6.
Read full note →
The more part mocked 2Ch 30:10; yet, “divers of Asher, Manasseh and Zabulon 2Ch 30:11 came from the first, and afterward many of “Ephraim and Issachar” as well as “Manasseh and Zabulon” 2Ch 30:18. Josiah destroyed all the places of idolatry in Bethel 2Ki 23:15 and “the cities of Samaria” 2Ki 23:19, “of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon even unto Naphtali” 2Ch 34:6, “Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the remnant of Israel” gave money for the repair of the temple, and this was “gathered” by “the Levites who kept the doors” 2Ch 34:9. After the renewal of the covenant to keep the law, “Josiah removed all the abominations out of all the countries, that” pertained “to the children of Israel and made all found in Israel to serve the Lord their God” 2Ch 34:33.
The pagan colonists were placed “by the king of Assyria in Samaria and the cities thereof” 2Ki 17:24, probably to hold the people in the country in check. The remnant of “the house of Joseph” dwelt in the open country and the villages.
And the house of Esau for stubble - At some time after the first desolation by Nebuchadnezzar, Esau fulfilled the boast which Malachi records, “we will return and build up the desolate places” Mal 1:4. Probably during the oppression of Judah by Antiochus Epiphanes, they possessed themselves of the South of Judah, bordering on their own country, and of Hebron (1 Macc. 5:65), 22 miles from Jerusalem , where Judah had dwelt in the time of Nehemiah Neh 11:25. Judas Maccabaeus was reduced to (1 Macc. 4:61) “fortify Bethzur,” literally “house of the rock,” (20 miles only from Jerusalem) (Eusebius), “that the people might have a defense against Idumaea.” Maresha and Adoraim, 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem, near the road to Gaza, were cities of Idumaea. (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 15. 4.) The whole of Simeon was absorbed in it. (Josephus, Ant. v. 1. 22.) Edom was still on the aggressive, when Judas Maccabaeus smote them at Arrabatene. It was (1 Macc. 5:3) “because they beset Israel round about,” that “Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea at Arrabatene and gave them a great overthow.”
His second battle against them was in Judaea itself. He (1 Macc. 5:65.) “fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the South, where he smote Hebron and her daughters, and pulled down its fortress and burned the towns thereof round about.” About 20 years afterward, Simon had again to recover Bethzur (1 Macc. 11:65, 66), and again to fortify it, as still lying on the borders of Judah. (1 Macc. 14:33). Twenty years later, John Hyrcanus, son of Simon, (1 Macc. 13:53). (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 9, 1) “subdued all the Edomites, and permitted them to remain in the country, on condition that they would receive circumcision, and adopt the laws of the Jews.” This they did, continues Josephus; “and henceforth became Jews.” Outwardly they appear to have given up their idolatry. For although Josephus says , “the Edomites “account” (not, accounted) Koze a god,” he relates that, after this forced adoption of Jewish customs, Herod made Costobar, of the sacerdotal family, prefect of Idumaea and Gaza. Their character remained unchanged.
The Jewish historian, who knew them well, describes them as “a tumultuous disorderly race, ever alive to commotions, delighting in change, who went to engagements as to a feast” : “by nature most savage for slaughter.” 3, b.c. they took part in the sedition against the Romans , using, as a pretext probably, the Feast of Pentecost, to which they went up with those of Galilee, Jericho, the country beyond Jordan, and “the Jews themselves.” Just before the last siege of Jerusalem, the Zealots sent for them, on pretext that the city was betrayed to the Romans. “All took arms, as if in defense of their metropolis, and, 20,000 in number, went to Jerusalem” . After massacres, of which, when told that they had been deceived, they themselves repented, they returned; and were, in turn, wasted by Simon the Gerasene . Simon took it. “He not only destroyed cities and villages, but wasted the whole country. For as you may see wood wholly bared by locusts, so the army of Simon left the country behind them, a desert. Some things they burnt, others they razed.”
After a short space, “he returned to the remnant of Edom, and, chasing the people on all sides, constrained the many to flee to Jerusalem” . There they took part against the Zealots , “were a great part of the war” against the Romans, and perished , “rivals in phrensy” with the worst Jews in the thee of that extreme, superhuman, wickedness. Thenceforth, their name disappears from history. The “greater part” of the remmant of the nation had perished in that dreadful exterminating siege; if any still survived, they retained no known national existence. Arabian tradition preserves the memory of three Jewish Arab tribes, none of the Edomites.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Stubble. The Jews often attacked Edom, and at last…
Stubble. The Jews often attacked Edom, and at last forced them to submit to the law of circumcision. --- Remains. Septuagint copies vary; "corn fire or carrier." (Haydock) --- Those who escaped alone from battle had the former title. (Hesychius, Greek: purphoros.) (Calmet) --- Priests went with fire before the armies engaged. If they were slain, it was a sign, that no quarter was given, as these were accounted sacred. (Grabe, Prol.) (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain fire--See the same figure, ; ; .
fire--See the same figure, ; ; .
house of Jacob . . . Joseph--that is, the two kingdoms, Judah and Ephraim or Israel [JEROME]. The two shall form one kingdom, their former feuds being laid aside (; ; ; ). The Jews returned with some of the Israelites from Babylon; and, under John Hyrcanus, so subdued and, compelling them to be circumcised, incorporated the Idumeans with themselves that they formed part of the nation [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 13.17; 12.11]. This was but an earnest of the future union of Israel and Judah in the possession of the enlarged land as one kingdom (, &c.).
Read full note →
stubble-- ().
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 18. The restored exiles will execute vengeance upon Edom.…
18. The restored exiles will execute vengeance upon Edom. Several times the prophet has made it plain that Jehovah will destroy Edom; but, if the above suggested interpretation of Oba_1:1 is correct, he has failed to state thus far how it is to be accomplished. This lack he supplies in Oba_1:18, where he names the executors of the divine purpose.
House of Jacob… house of Joseph — Though common usage may be urged against it, the context seems to require that the former should be interpreted as referring to the southern kingdom, the latter to the kingdom of the ten tribes. The two will become reunited at the time of the restoration (Hos_1:11; Eze_37:15 ff.; Isa_11:13-14), and will be used by Jehovah as instruments of judgment (Zec_9:13).
Read full note →
Fire,… flame — The figure is based upon devastation wrought by prairie and forest fires, which are not uncommon in Palestine during the dry season (see on Joe_1:19; compare Isa_5:24; Isa_10:17).
Stubble — Which is readily devoured by the flames. The destruction will be so complete that no one will survive.
Jehovah hath spoken it — Therefore nothing can prevent the carrying out of the threat (Joe_3:8).
The remaining verses of Obadiah present grave difficulties, and the details of interpretation are more or less uncertain. However, the general thought seems to be that Israel, having destroyed Edom, will enter upon an era of prosperity and territorial expansion. This expansion is made necessary by the large number of restored exiles. The old territory of Judah cannot hold them; they overflow in every direction. Lack of space forbids the consideration of the different translations, emendations, and interpretations proposed; all that can be done here is to point the way to the most probable interpretation.
An examination of Oba_1:19 and a comparison of it with LXX. and with Jos_15:20 ff., where the divisions of the territory occupied by Judah are named, leads to the following observations: 1. The verbs in Oba_1:19 are in the plural, while the nouns that are ordinarily considered the subjects are in the singular. This creates apparently a difficulty; but construction according to the sense rather than according to strict grammatical rules is not uncommon in the Old Testament (G.-K., 145b), especially when a noun expresses a collective idea. Hence the English translators are undoubtedly correct in making neghebh the subject and rendering it “they of the south,” the inhabitants of the Negeb. 2. The first verb is followed immediately by its subject; after the second verb the subject of the first must be supplied, which results in an unusually heavy and somewhat awkward sentence. 3. LXX. reads after the second verb το ορος, “the mount,” which may be taken as subject in the Greek, and it omits the first, “the field of.” 4. In Jos_15:20 ff., the territory of Judah is divided into three sections (or four, but the fourth is very small); the first is called “South” or “Negeb” (Oba_1:21), the second “Lowland” (33), the third “Hill Country” (48), Hebrews har, which corresponds to the Greek ορος. Bearing in mind these considerations it seems legitimate to emend the text of Oba_1:19 so that it will read: “And the Negeb (the inhabitants of the Negeb) shall possess Mount Esau, and the Lowland (shall possess) the Philistines; the Hill Country shall possess (the field of) Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin (shall possess) Gilead.”
Negeb — Commonly translated “south.” A geographical term, denoting the southern section of the Central Range of Palestine. It is generally spoken of as extending from south of Beer-sheba to the wilderness of Tih; the Old Testament, however, places its northern border near Hebron. The new inhabitants of this district will expand eastward and occupy the territory of Edom (see on Oba_1:18).
Lowland — Hebrews shephelah. Also a geographical term, denoting the low foothills between the Central Range and the Philistine Plain; the inhabitants of this region will spread to the west and southwest and occupy Philistia.
Hill country — That portion of the territory of Judah which covered the Central Range, between the Shephelah and the Jordan valley or the Dead Sea. Its inhabitants will reach northward and claim the territory south of the Plain of Esdraelon, which before 721 had belonged to the northern kingdom, and part of which seems to have fallen to Judah after the deportation of the northern tribes (2Ki_23:15). Nearly the entire territory here promised to Judah is allotted in Joshua 15 to that tribe. During its national existence Judah never possessed all this territory; here the prophet promises that subsequent to the day of Jehovah it will surely enter upon its possessions; yea, in the south at least, it will go even beyond its ideal borders (compare Gen_28:14).
Benjamin shall possess Gilead — The popular impression is that Benjamin joined Judah after the division subsequent to the death of Solomon, though 1Ki_12:20, says, “There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.” In reality the border line ran through the territory of Benjamin, the greater part belonging to the northern kingdom. Obadiah’s promise is for those Benjamites who allied themselves with Judah. They will share the prosperity of Judah; and while the latter will possess the territory west of the Jordan as far north as the Plain of Esdraelon, the former will receive the entire territory east of the Jordan.
Oba_1:20 is another exceedingly difficult verse; it perplexed the English translators, as may be seen from the marginal notes in R.V. Nowack considers the text “hopelessly corrupt,” and his opinion is shared by other commentators. The most probable rendering of the present Hebrew text is offered in R.V. margin, “And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South (or Negeb).” In Oba_1:19 the prophet seems to have in mind the great body of exiles in the far east; but we know that many Jews took refuge among the neighboring nations (Jer_40:11-12). Of two colonies made up of these fugitives the prophet seems to speak in Oba_1:20.
Israel,… Jerusalem — Most commentators think that the prophet distinguishes here between the descendants of the exiles coming from the northern kingdom, Israel, and those coming from the south, Judah, called here by the name of its capital, Jerusalem. It is better, however, to understand “Israel” as synonymous with “Jacob” (Oba_1:18), denoting the people of Judah; and in distinction from “Jerusalem” the rural population, which scattered before the Chaldean armies. The one company addressed by the prophet is made up of these people, and the other is composed of former inhabitants of the capital.
This host — The force of this is not quite clear, unless we assume that Obadiah is speaking of and to a company of which he himself is a member. To know that the prophet himself was an exile would add interest to his utterances. It has been explained also by assuming that he was addressing a definite company which he desired to comfort on its way into exile.
The land of the Canaanites — Palestine, the prophet seems to think, however, especially of the northern portion, including a part of Phoenicia. There is nothing impossible or improbable in the thought that some of the Jews fled to these regions when they saw the Chaldeans approaching.
Zarephath — In Luk_4:26, R.V. margin, “Sarepta” (compare 1Ki_17:9-24). At one time a city of considerable size; now an Arabic village called Sarafend, about midway between Tyre and Sidon.
Sepharad — The Targum of Onkelos and many Jewish authorities take Sepharad to mean Spain; hence the name of Spanish Jews, Sephardim, as distinguished from German Jews, who are called Ashkenazim. Keil thinks of Sparta. Most modern commentators identify it with a region in Asia Minor, mentioned several times in Persian inscriptions; Winckler understands the name to be a designation of the whole of Asia Minor. The latter, however, was not subject to the Chaldeans; it was first conquered by Cyrus, and was organized into a satrapy by Darius Hystaspis. If the last-mentioned interpretation is correct the name points to a date subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem; and it is the presence of this name that has led many commentators to give a very late date to the prophecy in its present form. Others identify it with a Shaparda in Media, mentioned in the annals of Sargon. Until new information is brought to light the place mentioned in Obadiah cannot be identified with absolute certainty; nor is it wise to base upon the presence of the name any conclusions as to the date of the prophecy. This uncertainty, however, does not affect the general sense of the utterance, which is that not only the exiles in Babylon but also those scattered throughout other portions of the world shall be brought back to their old homes in the south, from which the invasion of the Chaldeans had driven them. If this is the right interpretation of Oba_1:20 its logical position would be before Oba_1:18.
An entirely different meaning is given to the verse by the translators of A.V., which agrees, in part at least, with R.V. They give to it the meaning that the first company of exiles named will come into possession of northern Palestine, including a part of Phoenicia, while the second will occupy the southern portion, the two together the entire promised land. Certainty cannot be had; the probability is that the text has suffered.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 18. The house of Jacob … the house of…
18. The house of Jacob … the house of Joseph] Both are mentioned to shew that the remnant of the whole nation, not only of the two tribes, but of the ten, is included. The same names are used to describe the entire nation in Psa_77:15 [Heb. 16]; Psa_80:1 [Hebrews 2]; Psa_81:4-5 [Hebrews 5, 6].
any remaining] “a survivor.” The punishment here denounced against Edom is quite distinct from that earlier punishment, of which the nations are summoned to be the instruments (Oba_1:1-2). It is that final destruction, which they suffered at the hands of Jews only, first of Judas Maccabæus, and then, in their total extermination, of John Hyrcanus. See Introduction, § III.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The last clause of the preceding verse is here…
The last clause of the preceding verse is here expanded and more fully explained. The house of Jacob... the house of Joseph. The kingdoms of Judah and Israel, the two and the ten tribes united once more, Psa_77:15 the whole people are called "the sons of Jacob and Joseph." So elsewhere. The reunion of the tribes is mentioned in Eze_37:19 Zec_10:6. The future salvation is to be for all. For stubble, which the Israelites used rather than wood for lighting fires and heating ovens. (Mat_6:30) (For the image of fire consuming the ungodly as stubble, see Exo_15:7 Isa_5:24 Nah_1:10) They shall kindle in them. This may mean, the Israelites "shall burn among" the Edomites; but more probably is merely a repetition of what has gone before: the Jews shall consume the Edomites. There shall not be any remaining. This refers to the total annihilation of the Edomites under John Hyrcauus (Josephus, "Ant.," 12:8. 6; 13:9, 1), and is a punishment quite distinct from their defeat at the hands of the Nabathaeans predicted in vers. 1-9 (see Introduction, The LXX gives, ouk estai puroforov (turforov , Alex.); St. Jerome reads, puroforov , which he translated frumentarius. Many of the Fathers read, purforov : thus, too, the Arabic and Coptic Versions. Schleusner, sub voce, thinks that the LXX had in view the Greek proverb, oude purforov , which is used to express the idea that not even a single survivor remains (see Herod., 8:6). For the Lord hath spoken it. (Joe_3:8)
Truth triumphant.
Read full note →
"And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.
I WHAT IS HERE PROMISED CONCERNING GOD"S HERITAGE APPLIES TO THE WHOLE CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN. Truth may appear to lose many a battle, but in the end it will assuredly prevail. Edom, long hostile to God"s ancient Israel, is likened to stubble before the flames. Happy the people who are on the conqueror"s side. When Israel was in Egypt, captive and down trodden, it seemed impossible that they could ever march forth to liberty and Canaan. But the time came when they sang of victory, and Pharaoh and his captains were as stubble before the flame. When Asa found the vast hoses of the Ethiopians coming against him, it might have appeared impossible to subdue them. But Asa knew the secret of power. The Ethiopians were soon as stubble before the flame. When the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites were confederate against Jehoshaphat, it seemed as if the might and greatness were on the side of the enemy, but good King Jehoshaphat gave himself to prayer and praise believing prayer, and joyous and confiding praise. The enemies were soon as the stubble before the flame. And so in the end truth itself shall prevail. Foes may be mighty and gospel doctrines may seem to make slow progress, but the time must come when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." That was a wondrous vision once seen by St. John: war in heaven Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels, and the dragon was cast out, and his angels with him. "So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love thee be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." The Church of God has often been likened to a worm, yet it is to thresh the mountain, and is seen in sacred song as "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners." Thus weakness is girt about with strength, because God himself fights his people"s battles, and is one with them. "He that seeketh thy life seeketh my life;" "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye." All-conquering oneness. This secret of conquest may be seen by comparing our text with Isa_10:17. In our text the word is, "The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble;" but the word in Isaiah is, "The light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day." Thus the Lord espouses the cause of his people; so that in all things they are more than conquerors through him who loved them.
II WHAT IS THREATENED IN OUR TEXT RESPECTING ESAU APPLIES TO ALL THE ENEMIES OF GOD. As it is said that the house of Esau shall be as stubble consumed by the flame, so in New Testament language the ungodly are likened to chaff which shall be burned with unquenchable fire. It is a dreadful thing to be found amongst the enemies of God. St. Paul, we read, wept because there were men who were enemies of the cross of Christ. A man who is hostile to the atonement of the Saviour shows he refuses to be reconciled to God. The message of reconciliation has come to us. The way of peace is proclaimed to us. The gospel of God"s grace is sot before us. The path of life is revealed. Salvation is offered without money and without price. When we were enemies Christ died for us. Now, the promise is, "peace by the blood of the cross." And some spurn the cross. The apostle might well weep. Angels might well weep. The Saviour himself wept over such. There cannot be hope for a man who remains an enemy of the cross of Christ. The house of Esau shall be as stubble. The ungodly are as the chaff. There cometh One "whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner, but burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." And not only is this part of our text applicable to all the enemies of God; it reminds us of the overthrow of all that is evil. Every plant that the Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Truth shall prevail over error. Light shall conquer darkness. Eternal day shall chase away the shades of night. Goodness shall prove stronger than sin. The Seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent"s head. All things shall be subdued unto Christ. "He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Ere a little, and the song shall be heard, "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Voices as of many waters, voices as of mighty thunders, voices loud and strong, voices of angels, voices of the redeemed of men, joyous coronation voices, shall soon unite in proclaiming the once despised Man of sorrows "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And he shall reign forever." "For the Lord hath spoken it. A.C.T.
The true Church; or, the community of the good: 2. A consuming power.
"And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it." There is a fire in the true Church. Notice
I THE CHARACTERISTIC WHICH THIS FIRE DISPLAYS. What is the fire? The fire of truth, that burns up error; the fire of right, that burns up wickedness; the fire of love, that burns up selfishness. "I am come," said Christ, "to kindle a fire upon the earth." "Is not my Word like a fire?
1. The fire in the Church is a strong fire. It has burnt an enormous amount of wickedness in every form, age, and land. It has burnt through the fiercest storms of centuries.
2. It is an extending fire. Its flames are ever advancing, they reach further today than ever. The most splendid systems of men, ethical, theological, and philosophic, however brilliant, have been but sparks compared to this; they have burnt on a little and gone out in darkness.
3. It is a steady fire. It does not flare and flash, but burns its way silently wherever it goes.
4. It is an unquenchable fire. Men have tried to put it out, oceans of infidelity and depravity have been poured upon it, but it burns on.
II THE MATERIALS WHICH THIS FIRE CONSUMES. "Stubble." What is moral depravity in all its forms theoretical and practical, religious, social, political? What is it, however old, however decorated with worldly power and grandeur? What is it? "Stubble." It is not a rock, that stands fixed amidst the surges of time; not a tree, that has roots that may grow forever; it is mere stubble, dry, sapless, worthless "stubble," ready for the fire. Error to truth, wrong to right, malice to love, is but stubble to fire.
CONCLUSION. God speed this fire until the whole world of wickedness shall be destroyed, until its heavens be dissolved, its earth burnt up, and its elements melt with fervent heat, and there come out of it "a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness"! D.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:18 The principle of retribution is expressed in the…
1:18 The principle of retribution is expressed in the vivid image of a raging fire burning Edom to extinction. Edomite cities were burned by Babylonian king Nabonidus in 553 BC.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.