The vision of Obadiah concerning Edom: the pride of your heart has beguiled you, O dweller in the clefts of the rock — for the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you; but upon mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and the kingdom shall be Hashem's.
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The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord Hashem concerning Edom: We have heard a message from Hashem, And an ambassador is sent among the nations: ‘Arise you, and let us rise up against her in battle.’
verse value 3286
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from" (מֵאֵ֤ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·us·arise" (וְנָק֥וּמָה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "vision" (חֲז֖וֹן), "Obadiah" (עֹֽבַדְיָ֑ה), "thus·said" (כֹּֽה־אָמַר֩). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יהוה ("Hashem") in Obadiah. First appearance of the root גוי ("among·the·nations") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Obadiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 15 words.
Rashi
Vision of Obadiah. What is different about Obadiah that he prophesied against Edom, and did not prophesy another prophecy? Our Sages said: Obadiah was an Edomite convert. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: From them and among them I will bring upon them [judgment]. Let Obadiah come, who dwelled between two wicked men, Ahab and Jezebel, and did not learn from their deeds, and let him take vengeance on Esau the wicked, who dwelled between two righteous people, Isaac and Rebekah, and did not learn from their deeds.
Ibn Ezra
We do not know his generation, and we cannot say that he is the one mentioned in the Book of Kings during the days of Ahab, for there it is written: “And Obadiah feared the Lord.” If this were that prophet himself, how would he be called “one who feared the Name” and not be called a prophet, since prophecy is the more exalted status? And in my opinion: “We have heard a report” refers to this prophet, as well as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Amos, who prophesied against Edom; therefore it says, “We have heard.”
And "tzir" – as if a messenger were sent among the nations, who gathered together and said to one another, "Arise."
Radak
Vision of Obadiah. We do not know in which generation this prophet prophesied, and the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory is that this is the Obadiah who was with Ahab. They further stated that Obadiah was an Edomite convert, and he prophesied evil against Edom. This is what people say: "The ladle that the carpenter carved—with it they roast mustard." The Ba'al HaErukh explained this: the craftsman who carved the ladle—that very ladle burns his mouth with strong mustard. God said: Let Obadiah come, who lived between two wicked men, Ahab and Jezebel, and did not learn from their deeds, and He will take vengeance on Esau the wicked, who lived between two righteous individuals, Isaac and Rebecca, and did not learn from their deeds. Now, all his prophecy was against Edom, and he said that with the destruction of Edom, the salvation of Israel will occur, and with this his prophecy concludes. This prophecy took place in the Second Temple period, when the children of Edom did evil to Israel during the destruction of the Second Temple, as we explained in the prophecy of Amos in the section "For three transgressions of Edom." This prophet prophesied that God will take vengeance on them in the end of days, when Israel returns from exile. The land of Edom is not today for the children of Edom, for the nations have been confused, and most of them are among the believers of Christianity and the believers of Islam, and one cannot distinguish who is from Edom, Moab, the children of Ammon, and the other nations, for they were all exiled from their land and mixed with the nations. Only the Roman Empire was initially mostly composed of the children of Edom. And what the prophets said regarding the destruction of Edom in the end of days, they said it as I explained in Isaiah in the section "Draw near, O nations, to hear." And so Jeremiah said in the Scroll of Lamentations: "Your iniquity has an end, O daughter of Zion; He will not send you into exile anymore. He will visit your iniquity, O daughter of Edom…"
"Thus said the Lord GOD to Edom." [This means] concerning Edom, as in "Say of me: 'He is my brother.'"
A report we have heard from the Lord. That the nations will say concerning Edom: “A report we have heard from the Lord.” And it is as if a herald is sent among the nations, and what is the report? That one nation will say to another nation: “Arise, and let us rise against her for war.”
"Aleha" ["against her"]. This refers to the land of Edom. Alternatively, the verse is to be understood as if inverted: Obadiah said, "A report we have heard" — I and the other prophets — for [the report is] "Thus said the Lord GOD to Edom, and an envoy is sent among the nations," as we have explained. And so the prophet Jeremiah said in his prophecy: "I have heard a report from the LORD."
Metzudat David
Vision of Obadiah. This is the prophetic vision of Obadiah:
To Edom. On Edom:
We have heard a report. This means that I and the other prophets heard a report from the Lord, that many prophets prophesied concerning the destruction of Edom.
"And an envoy." This means that as we have heard, it was indeed the case that all the nations stirred themselves to come against her for war, and they sent their messengers to one another, saying, "Arise, you, and let us also arise to go against her for war."
Metzudat Zion
And "tzir." The matter of a messenger, as it is written: "and a faithful messenger" (Proverbs 13:17):
Malbim
"A vision concerning Edom." Behold, Edom did evil to Israel during the destruction of the First Temple, for then they rejoiced over the downfall of Israel and the destruction of the Holy Temple. Afterwards, during the destruction of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans—who were called by the name Edom because the city of Rome was settled by the sons of Edom, and because afterwards their faith was established by the sons of Edom, as Abarbanel wrote in Isaiah chapter 34, with proofs—and also the sons of Edom whom Herod brought into the religion of Israel through circumcision and immersion came and assisted in the destruction and turned into enemies. Afterwards, their known faith spread, and all adherents of their religion were called by the name Edom. Under them, Israel suffered exile and countless killings over many days. In the future, all adherents of that religion will assemble to conquer the Land of Israel from the hands of the Ishmaelites, as explained in the prophecy of Ezekiel concerning the matter of Gog and Magog in chapters 32, 38, and 39, as he stated there. Then all the sons of Ishmael in the East will assemble to take vengeance for their brothers. And regarding this it says, "Behold, we have heard a rumor" (meaning, I and the other prophets, for many prophets prophesied concerning the downfall of Edom) from the Lord, Who informed of this through prophecy; and "a messenger is sent among the nations"—these are the messengers who will go among the Ishmaelites to urge one another, saying, "Arise, and let us rise against her for battle."
Behold, I make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised.
verse value 1636
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·have·made·you" (נְתַתִּ֖יךָ, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "they" (הִנֵּ֥ה), "young" (קָטֹ֛ן), "I·have·made·you" (נְתַתִּ֖יךָ). 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אתה ("you") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֥ה [they] (60) + קָטֹ֛ן [young] (159) + נְתַתִּ֖יךָ [I·have·made·you] (880) + בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם [among·the·nations] (61) + בָּז֥וּי [despised] (25) + אַתָּ֖ה [you] (406) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 1636.
Rashi
"Behold, I have made you small." In response to the fact that his father called him "his elder son" and his mother called him "her elder son," the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: "Before Me, he is small." Our Rabbis expounded "small" to mean that they had neither a script nor a language of their own.
“Despised.” This teaches that they did not appoint a king who was the son of a king.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, they are few" – for their number is small, and the land of their kingdom is not broad.
Radak
"Behold, a small one." This denotes one who is despised and lowly, as in "I have become small in all these kindnesses." And so Targum Jonathan renders it: "Behold, I have made you weak, wicked Esau, among the nations." And likewise it is said, "You are exceedingly despised," meaning that the other nations will not concern themselves if you are destroyed.
"I have set you" – like "I will give you," for in the prophets, the past tense is often used in place of the future tense.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I have made you small." At the beginning of your rule in the land of Seir, behold, you were then small among the nations and greatly despised among them, for it was a lowly kingdom.
Metzudat Zion
“Despicable.” “Despised.”
Malbim
Behold. On this he wonders: Did I not say, “I have made you a little one among the nations”? The nation of the children of Edom, who dwelt in the mountain of Seir in the days of the prophets, was a small nation, and also very despised. Why, then, would it be necessary to gather all the nations against such a small nation? And how would they be stirred up to wage war on such a despised nation? He answers:
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 32:21; Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:21
The pride of your heart has beguiled you, O you that dwell in the clefts of the rock, Your habitation on high; That say in your heart: ‘Who shall bring me down to the ground?’
verse value 2920
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·clefts·of·crag" (בְחַגְוֵי־סֶ֖לַע, 8 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "pride" (זְד֤וֹן), "your·heart" (לִבְּךָ֙), "has·beguiled·you" (הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ). The root לב appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·dwelling', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: זְד֤וֹן [pride] (67) + לִבְּךָ֙ [your·heart] (52) + הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ [has·beguiled·you] (336) + שֹׁכְנִ֥י [dweller·of] (380) + בְחַגְוֵי־סֶ֖לַע [in·clefts·of·crag] (189) + מְר֣וֹם [height] (286) + שִׁבְתּ֑וֹ [his·dwelling] (708) + אֹמֵ֣ר [saying] (241) + בְּלִבּ֔וֹ [in·his·heart] (40) + מִ֥י [who?] (50) + יוֹרִדֵ֖נִי [will·bring·me·down] (280) + אָֽרֶץ [land] (291) = 2920.
Rashi
“Dwellers in the recesses of the rock.” He relies on the support of his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac, yet they will not be of assistance to him. The word *chagoy* is like the word in (Isaiah 19), “And the land of Judah shall become a terror to Egypt” — *vreitaine* in the vernacular [Old French, i.e., “fright”]. Do not be astonished at the vav in *chagoy*, for it is like the vav in *katzoy* (Psalms 65) and like the vav in *kematchoy* (Genesis 21:16), where the root of the word consists only of the letters tet and chet.
Ibn Ezra
"Zadon." The word "shokhnei" is spelled without a kaf, implying: "For you thought that Mount Seir would save you, like the inhabitants of the rock's crevices."
Radak
"Your arrogant heart has seduced you." [I.e.,] to open your mouth wide and to broaden your nostrils against your brother Jacob.
"[You] who dwell in the clefts of the rock." When you dwelt in Mount Seir, you thought that you were exalted there and that there was none who could bring you down from it.
"The height of his dwelling." The height of his dwelling was in the clefts of the rock, and that is Mount Seir. And in Jeremiah, [it says] "the height of a hill" — "shokhni" is like "shokhen" (dweller), and the yod is added. And likewise, "you who hew your grave on the height," "[you] who dwell in the heavens," and the like.
"Bechagvei" [in the clefts]. Like "the circle of the earth" [Isaiah 40:22] — "chag" and "chug" are one and the same concept — meaning around the rock, namely the top of the rock, which is the tower built upon it.
Metzudat David
"Your arrogant heart has seduced you." This is as if to say: "Behold, now that you have grown great to rule over a great dominion, when you came to Mount Seir, etc.; therefore, the arrogance of your heart incited you to boast excessively."
You who dwell. It is as if you were dwelling in the clefts of the rock, so that no one could approach you, and it is as if his dwelling place were in a high and exalted place, he says in his heart. Therefore, he considers in his heart: Who is there who can bring me down to the depths of the earth?
Metzudat Zion
"Has enticed you." The matter of enticement, as in [the serpent's words]: "The serpent enticed me" (Genesis 3:13).
Shoknei. The yod is superfluous:
"Upon the clefts of the rock." The matter of "cleft" and "chasm" is like [the verse]: "My dove is in the clefts of the rock" (Song of Songs 2:14).
Malbim
"Your arrogant heart has seduced you." Through the arrogance of your heart, whereby you acted arrogantly in matters of faith, speaking falsely about the Lord and attributing to Him contemptible characteristics, this arrogance seduced you to the point that you dwell in the clefts of the lofty rock, having risen to sit in the heights of the world, and saying in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the earth?" That is to say, through the widespread dissemination of this faith, the kingdom of Edom will be exalted in the end of days to such an extent that it will not fear any human being. And the Lord responds to it: Know that even so...
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, And though you set it among the stars, I will bring you down from thence, says Hashem.
verse value 2496
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 2496 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "set" (שִׂ֣ים, 3 letters) and the longest is "though·you·soar·high" (אִם־תַּגְבִּ֣יהַּ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "though·you·soar·high" (אִם־תַּגְבִּ֣יהַּ), "like·the·eagle" (כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁר), "and·if·between" (וְאִם־בֵּ֥ין). 9 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·nest', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִם־תַּגְבִּ֣יהַּ [though·you·soar·high] (461) + כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁר [like·the·eagle] (570) + וְאִם־בֵּ֥ין [and·if·between] (109) + כּֽוֹכָבִ֖ים [stars] (98) + שִׂ֣ים [set] (350) + קִנֶּ֑ךָ [your·nest] (170) + מִשָּׁ֥ם [from·there] (380) + אוֹרִֽידְךָ֖ [I·will·bring·you·down] (241) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 2496.
Ibn Ezra
"If you soar like an eagle" – [this is] a transitive verb, and its object is elided, and it is 'the place of your dwelling'; and so too: 'who is enthroned on high [to dwell]' (Psalms 113:5), which I have already explained. The meaning is: 'you will raise' — the place of your dwelling — like an eagle.
Radak
"If you soar like the eagle." If you raise your dwelling high, just as the eagle flies higher than all the other birds.
"Sim" [place] is like "tasim" [you shall place]. And likewise, "go up and die on the mountain" [Deuteronomy 32:50] — "vamot" is like "tamut" [you shall die].
Metzudat David
"If you soar like the eagle": Even if you rise up to dwell like an eagle that makes its nest in a high place, and even if you place your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down to the earth, and you will be handed over into the hands of the nations.
Metzudat Zion
"Qinnekha." From the word "qen" (nest), which is the dwelling place of birds.
Malbim
"If you soar high as the eagle, and even if you soar among the stars, I say to you: Place your nest there! So that from there I will bring you down, says the Lord." For one who falls from a low place is not so endangered; therefore, I command you to place your nest among the stars so that your downfall may be magnified, like one who wishes to overthrow his enemy and raises him to a high place so that he may be cast from there into the depths and his neck be broken. And this prophecy is destined to occur in the end of days, when the kingdom of Edom will grow great and lift up its head on high, and from there the Lord will bring it down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
If thieves came to you, if robbers by night— How are you cut off!— Would they not steal till they had enough? If grape-gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
verse value 2899
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. Verse gematria: 2899 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·thieves" (אִם־גַּנָּבִ֤ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 42: not, not. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "if·thieves" (אִם־גַּנָּבִ֤ים), "came·to·you" (בָּאֽוּ־לְךָ֙), "if·robbers·of" (אִם־שׁ֣וֹדְדֵי). The root גנב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root בוא ("came·to·you") in Obadiah. First appearance of the root לא ("not") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·enough', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
Come to you. Upon you:
"How were you destroyed?" Why did you fall asleep, lying silent, until they stole everything they desired?
Would not vintagers leave gleanings behind? But these will leave you nothing, for they will search you out, uncover [you], and seek out your hidden treasures.
Ibn Ezra
"If thieves" - [this refers to those who steal] in secret.
"Night marauders, you have been cut off" – [meaning] annihilated, as in: "Samaria has been cut off" (Hosea 10:7).
Radak
"If thieves." He said this in a tone of astonishment, so that those who witness the destruction of Edom will be amazed and say, "What happened to you? Were you plundered by thieves at night while you were asleep and did not perceive them, so as to stop them and rise up against them?"
"Would they not steal their fill?" For the way of thieves is to steal only their fill, meaning that they take only as much as they can carry and leave the rest.
"If vintagers came to you"—meaning, if robbers have come to you by day, like vintagers who would harvest the vineyard and return again and again to harvest, as it is said, "Return your hand like a vintager over the baskets"—nevertheless, it is impossible that they would not leave behind gleanings, which are not visible to them due to their smallness, and they are hidden beneath the leaves of the vine. But you—how thoroughly you were rifled, that the robbers left you nothing at all, not even hidden treasures! "Thieves" and "night robbers" are one and the same matter, repeated in different words, for most thieves steal at night.
"How were you likened?" [I.e.,] you were cut off, as it is said: "My people were destroyed for lack of knowledge," and "The king of Israel was cut off." And the Targum renders it: "How were you sleeping, until their wealth was stolen?" That is to say: How were you asleep?
Metzudat David
“Come to you.” “Come upon you.”
"Night robbers." These are those who are afraid to rob during the day and therefore rob at night.
"How you have been destroyed!" How you were utterly cut off. (He spoke in the past tense, as is the manner of many prophecies, for the prophet saw it as if it had already occurred.)
"Would they not steal only enough for themselves?" This means: Is it not their custom to steal only enough to suffice them, and leave the remainder? And why, then, were they cut off completely, without any remnant?
"If vintagers." "If vintagers came to your vineyards."
Do they not leave gleanings? And why did they not leave you anything at all?
Metzudat Zion
"Robbers." The matter of robbery and oppression:
"You are destroyed." The matter of cutting off and destruction, as in [the verse]: "Ar of Moab is laid waste" (Isaiah 15:1).
"Enough." The word "enough" (dai) implies sufficiency, as in the verse: "And the work was enough" (Exodus 36:7).
"Gathering." So too, those who pluck the grapes of a vineyard are called "gatherers," as it is stated: "When you have gathered in the fruit of your vineyard" (Deuteronomy 24:21).
Olelot. These are the small, inferior grapes, as in the verse "You shall not glean" (ibid., Deuteronomy 24:21):
Malbim
If. After he began to prophesy about the future that will befall Edom in the end of days, he returns to inform also of what will happen to them at an earlier time, when enemies came into their land and plundered and pillaged it. And I have already explained (Isaiah ch. 21 and Jeremiah ch. 49) that he depicted the matter of their downfall then: the men of his alliance enticed him to go to war outside his land against his neighbors, and while he was outside his land, enemies entered his country and destroyed everything. Accordingly he likens the enemies to thieves who enter in secret without the homeowner's knowledge, and he asks: if thieves came to you, how did you lie still and sleep [through it]? And more than that, if night raiders came to you — for raiders make more noise than thieves — how did you lie still asleep and not sense it? Would they not steal only what suffices them? And why did you not wake from your sleep to drive them off? He adds, saying: 'If grape-harvesters (vintagers) came to you' — who come into a field where the homeowner is not present, just as you were not in the place the raiders came — I ask: would they not leave gleanings, since they fear lest the homeowner come and so they not harvest it all? And so I ask.
How is Esau searched out! How are his hidden places sought out!
verse value 1255
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "how?" (אֵ֚יךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·hidden·treasures" (מַצְפֻּנָֽיו, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "they·were·searched" (נֶחְפְּשׂ֣וּ), "they·were·sought·out" (נִבְע֖וּ), "his·hidden·treasures" (מַצְפֻּנָֽיו). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root עשו ("Esau") in Obadiah. Full calculation: אֵ֚יךְ [how?] (31) + נֶחְפְּשׂ֣וּ [they·were·searched] (444) + עֵשָׂ֔ו [Esau] (376) + נִבְע֖וּ [they·were·sought·out] (128) + מַצְפֻּנָֽיו [his·hidden·treasures] (276) = 1255.
Rashi
"נבעו." The Targum Yonatan renders it, "were revealed." And in the Aramaic language, נבעו means "were sought." And similarly, "If you would inquire, inquire!" (Isaiah 21:12).
Ibn Ezra
"How," "they were searched out" – as in: "If you would inquire, inquire" (Isaiah 21:12).
Radak
"How is Esau searched?" Explanation: [that is,] the hidden treasures of Esau, as it is said, "His hidden things are laid bare." And the matter is repeated in different words: [the root] נבעו corresponds to the Targum's rendering of ויבקש ("and he sought") as ובעא; and likewise, "If you would inquire, inquire" [uses the same root].
Metzudat David
How will Esau be searched? How will the houses of Esau be searched to take everything, and how will his hidden places be sought and investigated to take all that is found? This is a repetition of the same idea in different words:
Metzudat Zion
"נחפשו" – from the root meaning to search and investigate, as it is written, "From there I will search" (Amos 9:3).
"נבעו" – The meaning is inquiry and searching. A similar usage is "אם תבעיון בעיו" (Isaiah 21:12), which conveys the sense of inquiring through a question. Just as the word "בקשה" (request) is used for both asking a question and searching, so too the word "בעה" is used for both meanings.
"His hidden things." The word is derived from [the roots meaning] "hidden" and "concealed."
Malbim
How was Esau searched? The sense of the verse is: "Esau!" (this is a vocative) — how were his hidden things searched out, exposed, and revealed? For indeed those who come to steal do not have time to search out all the hiding places without fear — so how was it that the enemies had no fear at all that the sons of Edom would come and stand against them?
All the men of your confederacy Have conducted you to the border; The men that were at peace with you Have beguiled you, and prevailed against you; They that eat your bread lay a snare under you, In whom there is no discernment.
verse value 4823
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. Verse gematria: 4823 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "until·the·border" (עַֽד־הַגְּב֣וּל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 361: man, man. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "until·the·border" (עַֽד־הַגְּב֣וּל), "have·sent·you" (שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ), "all" (כֹּ֚ל). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
"To the border they have sent you." Those who had promised you assistance came with you and accompanied you to the border of your land, to the frontier, where they came against you in battle; and by this they deceived you and prevailed.
They prevailed over you by enticing you to go out, and then they turned back from following you [and abandoned you].
"They shall place your bread as a malady beneath you." Even your food, your brother Jacob set for you as a malady, when he gave you bread and a pottage of lentils, and through it you despised the birthright.
"Mazor." Sickness.
Ibn Ezra
"Until" – your covenant allies were unable to save you; rather, they sent you away to the very end of your border, when your refugees went into captivity.
“Your bread” – when you were in your place, that was your “underneath.”
"Your men of peace" – those who feed you, who place a wound in your bread, and you did not perceive it.
"And 'mazor'" – like "his wound." And the comparative kaf is elided from the word "ein" [there is not] – [meaning:] like a man who has no understanding in him. And similarly: "and to him who has no might, He increases strength" (cf. Isaiah 40:29), and [as if it said] "to a man who has no strength." And Rabbi Marinus said: "in it" [בו] is like "from it" [ממנו], and [as in] "no uncircumcised person shall eat of it" (Exodus 12:48) – you did not understand from it.
Radak
"Until the boundary." The men of your covenant and those who eat your bread, in whom you trusted, have exiled you and sent you away to the boundary of your enemies, who plunder you, as though they wail and weep over your exile—yet they are the very ones who aided your enemies against you. And you did not perceive, nor did you understand, that on that day your wisdom and your might would be lost.
Your bread. Explanation: Those who eat your bread:
Mazor. Explanation: It means illness and wound, as it is stated, "And Ephraim saw his illness, and Judah his mazor."
"Under you." In secret, for they concealed their counsel from you and appeared to you as though they were your friends. And similarly, "in his stead," as it says, "...in his stead, saying, Whose is the land?"—meaning, secretly.
"There is no understanding in him." This refers to Esau, who did not understand what his allies were doing to him. And so too is the manner of Scripture to speak in a single verse both in the second person and not in the second person [i.e., in the third person].
Metzudat David
“Until the border...” – When he went out to war against the non-Jews, all the people with whom he had made a covenant accompanied him. They accompanied him up to the very edge of the border of his land, and from there they returned and did not go to war to be his help, thereby deceiving him, for they had promised to go with him.
"Hishi'ukha." The people with whom you were at peace incited you to go to war, and they were able to harm you because you heeded them and went.
“Your bread.” Those who eat your bread, who take a stipend from you, they will place a blow beneath you. That is to say, in your place they prepared for you destruction and ruin, for they devised evil against you, and he [Edom] had no understanding to perceive the matter, so as to guard himself against them.
Metzudat Zion
"Shelachokh." The matter is one of escorting, as it is written: "And Abraham went with them to set them on their way" (Genesis 18:16).
"Hisi'ukha." The matter of incitement:
They were able. A term denoting ability and victory:
"Your bread." This means: those who eat your bread.
Mazor. The term refers to a wound, and it is called so because healing spices are sprinkled upon it. Likewise, it is written: "and he cannot heal your wound" (Hosea 5:13).
"Under you." In your place:
Malbim
Until. He replies that this was by a scheme: that all the men of your covenant sent you off and accompanied you to the border, so that you would go out from the border of your land to fight the enemy, and they went with you to help you (since they are men of the covenant who are obligated to help you in war); but they did not help you in the war, only that they went with you to the border and there they left you to fight alone. And your men of peace are the ones who enticed you, who removed the fear from your heart so that you would be occupied with the war, and thereby they overcame you. And your [men of] bread — namely those who eat your bread — are the ones who placed a plaster beneath you, as if they wanted to heal the wound, so that the plaster would stand in your place and would be there instead of you, to save your land from the adversary; but there is no wisdom in this plaster.
Shall I not in that day, says Hashem, Destroy the wise men out of Edom, And discernment out of the mount of Esau?
verse value 1961
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "from·mount·of" (מֵהַ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "that" (הַה֖וּא), "and·I·will·cause·to·perish" (וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֤י), "wise" (חֲכָמִים֙). 10 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יום ("in·the·day") in Obadiah. First appearance of the root הר ("from·mount·of") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: הֲל֛וֹא [not] (42) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·cause·to·perish] (428) + חֲכָמִים֙ [wise] (118) + מֵֽאֱד֔וֹם [from·Edom] (91) + וּתְבוּנָ֖ה [and·understanding] (469) + מֵהַ֥ר [from·mount·of] (245) + עֵשָֽׂו [Esau] (376) = 1961.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, your wise men will not avail you to save you, nor your mighty men."
Radak
Is it not so? In Edom there were sages, and when they were broken, their wisdom was lost. And similarly it is said in Jeremiah: "Their counsel has rotted away, and their wisdom is gone." And there were also mighty men among them, as in Isaac's blessing: "By your sword you shall live." And on the day they were broken, it is said: "Your mighty men, Teman, shall be dismayed."
Metzudat David
"On that day." On the day of the coming of the calamity:
"And I will destroy the wise men." They shall not be wise in devising strategies of war to save their lives:
"And understanding," etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Malbim
Behold. After having set forth what will befall Edom before the final days destined for its destruction arrive — such as the destruction of Edom by Nebuchadnezzar and by Herod and the like — he says that all of this will not compare to what will happen on that day mentioned above, in the verse, "We have heard a report from the LORD," which is at the time of the end, for "on that day!" 'I will destroy the wise from Edom' — for in all the destructions that befall it in the intervening periods, wise men will still be found in Edom, and on Mount Esau (which figuratively refers to the capital city) understanding men will be found, and throughout the whole land of Edom mighty warriors will be found; but on that destined day, the wise will perish from the whole of Edom, and understanding will perish from Mount Esau, which is the seat city of the head of Edom, that is, Rome the lesser.
And your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, To the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.
verse value 3092
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "from·mount·of" (מֵהַ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "may·be·cut·off·every·man" (יִכָּֽרֶת־אִ֛ישׁ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·they·will·be·shattered" (וְחַתּ֥וּ), "mighty·of" (גִבּוֹרֶ֖יךָ), "Teman" (תֵּימָ֑ן). 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root כרת ("may·be·cut·off·every·man") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Teman', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְחַתּ֥וּ [and·they·will·be·shattered] (420) + גִבּוֹרֶ֖יךָ [mighty·of] (241) + תֵּימָ֑ן [Teman] (500) + לְמַ֧עַן [so·that] (190) + יִכָּֽרֶת־אִ֛ישׁ [may·be·cut·off·every·man] (941) + מֵהַ֥ר [from·mount·of] (245) + עֵשָׂ֖ו [Esau] (376) + מִקָּֽטֶל [by·slaughter] (179) = 3092.
Rashi
"Your mighty ones shall be dismayed, O Teman." They shall be dismayed and fearful, [as they attempt] to flee to the land of Ishmael. And the Targum: "Your strong men, who dwell in the southland, shall be broken."
"So that he shall be cut off" – [meaning] every mighty man.
"From Esau's mount, from the slaughter." Because of the abundance of killing that will come upon you.
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall be dismayed," "Teman" – perhaps he mentioned it [Teman] to strengthen [the description of] your mighty men, [noting] that they are from Teman, for he [Teman] is among the descendants of Edom.
"That a man may be cut off" – due to the multitude of killings, so that no survivor remains.
And the meaning of "so that" is connected to "and I will destroy."
Radak
"And your mighty men shall be afraid, Teman" – he is one of the sons of Eliphaz, son of Esau; and the Targum: "the inhabitants of the south."
"For that a man may be cut off from the mountain of Esau, from slaughter." God, may He be blessed, will instill terror in them, so that a man may be cut off from the mountain of Esau, from slaughter—because of the great killing that they will kill among them, every man of them will be cut off. And the Targum translates "הרג" (kill) as "קטול." And likewise, "O that You would slay the wicked, O God!" and "Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him." And the Targum [renders it]: "so that the capable man [lit. the man in whom is need/worth] will be destroyed."
Metzudat David
And your mighty men shall be dismayed, Teman. You, whose quarry is from Edom, which dwells in the south of the Land of Israel—behold, they shall be broken in battle.
"So that he shall be cut off" – In such a manner that a man from those whose dwelling place is Mount Seir shall be cut off; that is to say, not a single man of them shall remain.
“makatel.” This means that the destruction will be through the killing that they will inflict upon them, rather than that they will die peacefully in their beds.
Metzudat Zion
"Ve-chattu." The meaning is "breaking," as in: "And I will break Elam" (Jeremiah 49:37).
"Teman." This is Edom, which dwells in Mount Seir, in the south of the Land of Israel.
"makattel." The meaning is "to kill," as in "for He will slay me" (Job 13:15).
Malbim
"And they shall be dismayed." The sense of the verse is: "Your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teiman, from the slaughter" — meaning that faintheartedness shall fall into the hearts of its mighty men, and thereby a man shall be cut off from the mountain of Esau, for they shall have neither counsel nor might for war.
For the violence done to your brother Jacob shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off for ever.
verse value 2034
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 2034 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "from·violence·of" (מֵחֲמַ֛ס, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·be·cut" (וְנִכְרַ֖תָּ, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "from·violence·of" (מֵחֲמַ֛ס), "your·brother" (אָחִ֥יךָ), "shall·cover·you" (תְּכַסְּךָ֣). 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יעקב ("Jacob") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shame', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: מֵחֲמַ֛ס [from·violence·of] (148) + אָחִ֥יךָ [your·brother] (39) + יַעֲקֹ֖ב [Jacob] (182) + תְּכַסְּךָ֣ [shall·cover·you] (500) + בוּשָׁ֑ה [shame] (313) + וְנִכְרַ֖תָּ [and·you·will·be·cut] (676) + לְעוֹלָֽם [to·ever] (176) = 2034.
Rashi
"Because of the violence against your brother Jacob"—on account of the violence that you committed against Jacob.
Ibn Ezra
"From the violence" — these verses indicate that this prophecy concerning Edom is after the exile of Jerusalem to Babylonia. And so said the eulogist: "Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, who said to the Babylonians, 'Raze it, raze it, down to its foundations.'" And it is written: "The end of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, has come; He will no longer carry you into exile. He will visit the iniquity of the daughter of Edom." Nebuchadnezzar devastated Edom, and their land became a desolation. So too does Ezekiel prophesy, for Jerusalem returned after the Babylonian exile, but Edom did not return. And it was already explained in the Book of Daniel that Israel is not in the exile of Edom. And the interpretation of the words of the ancients is: the kingdom of Greece.
And behold, the meaning of "from robbery" is because of the robbery that Greece committed against Israel on the day of Jerusalem.
Radak
From the word "chamas" (violence). We have already explained that during the destruction of the Second Temple, the Edomites did evil to Israel, and the prophet prophesied that they are destined to do evil to Israel in the Second Temple period, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will take vengeance on them in the end of days, when He will destroy them from the world. And the sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explained this matter in reference to the destruction of the First Temple, that the sons of Edom were doing evil to Israel in their exile through Nebuchadnezzar.
Metzudat David
"Because of the injustice you committed against your brother Jacob": On account of the injustice that you perpetrated against your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever, and you will not rise again.
Metzudat Zion
"From violence." The matter of oppression:
Malbim
Regarding the word "chamas" (violence): He explains that all of this will befall them as a result of the violence they committed against Jacob. Through this, shame shall cover you on account of the destructions that have already occurred, and in the end you shall be cut off forever in the future destruction, which will be eternal.
In the day that you did stand aloof, In the day that strangers carried away his substance, And foreigners entered into his gates, And cast lots upon Jerusalem, Even you were as one of them.
verse value 3795
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֣אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·Jerusalem" (וְעַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: in·day·of, in·day·of. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "you·stood" (עֲמׇֽדְךָ֣), "from·opposite" (מִנֶּ֔גֶד), "captivity" (שְׁב֥וֹת). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·substance', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
"On the day you stood aloof" — meaning that you did not come to help him.
Even you are considered as one of them. I will hold you accountable as if you were among those who came upon them.
Ibn Ezra
"On that day" – to see and to take vengeance.
Radak
"On the day that you stood aloof." The mem of 'amodekha' is pointed with a ga'ya. And according to our interpretation, the meaning of the verse is as follows: even though Titus and his army who destroyed the Temple were Edomites — most of them were sons of Edom and still dwelled in their land, the land of Edom — nevertheless the kingship did not belong to them, for it belonged to Rome, and the Romans ruled over all of them; it was only that the kings of Rome were Edomites. And when Titus besieged Jerusalem, the sons of Edom were rejoicing at their [Israel's] misfortune and doing them harm in their land, whenever they were able to hand over the fugitives among them to the Romans; and they stood aloof and rejoiced over their destruction. And it would have been fitting for them to help them, for they were their brothers; and God, blessed be He, had prevented Israel, when they passed through the wilderness, from harming them, for the sake of the brotherhood.
"On the day that strangers carried off his goods." 'Shevot' is an infinitive from the Kal of the root 'shavah' [to take captive], meaning: on the day that strangers carried off his property and possessions.
"They cast a lot." Possibly its root is 'yadad,' on the pattern of 'ravu' from 'arbeh' [to increase], or its root is 'yadah,' from [the phrase] 'to cast down the horns of the nations' [cf. Zech. 2:4], and its rule would be 'yiddu' with two yods, with the firm [radical] letter taking the dagesh. And when they dropped the root yod because of the difficulty of pronouncing two yods, they placed the vowel of the root yod, which is a patach, on the yod of the firm [radical] letter to indicate it. He said that they cast lots over the captives of Jerusalem, dividing them among the officers of the enemy army.
You too are like one of them. The Edomites who came with the Romans:
Metzudat David
“On the day you stood opposite.” Now he explains what the injustice was that he committed, and he said: “Behold, on the day that you stood opposite,” at the time when the foreign nations seized Jacob’s wealth—and concerning Nebuchadnezzar it speaks, the destroyer of the First Temple—he [Edom] saw this and stood aloof, and did not help his brother Jacob.
“His gates.” Of Jacob:
“They cast lots.” They cast lots and divided it among themselves into portions:
“Even you.” This means: Since you stood by and did not help Israel, I count it against you as if you were also one of those who fought and looted, and this is the robbery.
Metzudat Zion
From opposite. From a distance:
Shevot. From the word shevi:
Strangers. From the term "stranger" and "foreigner":
"Cheilo." The meaning is wealth, as it is said: "But their wealth shall depart to others" (Psalms 49:11).
"[They] cast [lots]." The matter of casting and casting away, like "shoot at her" (Jeremiah 50):
Malbim
"On that day." This explains that initially, during the First Destruction, they were not the ones who destroyed; rather, they stood by on the day that foreign troops plundered it. And it refers to the troops of Nebuchadnezzar as "foreigners" (zarim), in contrast to the Romans, whom it calls "non-Jews" (nokhrim), for a "non-Jew" is more distant than a "foreigner" and comes from another land. Thus, the Romans were "non-Jews" relative to the Chaldeans, who were closer to the Land of Israel. And when the "non-Jews" came to its gates—that is, during the Second Destruction, which was carried out by the Romans—regarding Jerusalem, they cast lots to determine who would be the one to demolish the walls of the Temple. At that time, you too were among them, for then the children of Edom, who had initially entered into the religion of Israel in the days of Herod, turned against them as besiegers and stood against Israel.
But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother In the day of his disaster, Neither should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah In the day of their destruction; Neither should you have spoken proudly In the day of distress.
verse value 3018
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "your·mouth" (פִּ֖יךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·sons·of·Judah" (לִבְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֖ה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: in·day·of, in·day·of, in·day·of. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·do·not·gaze" (וְאַל־תֵּ֤רֶא), "in·day·of·your·brother" (בְיוֹם־אָחִ֙יךָ֙), "his·disaster" (נׇכְר֔וֹ). The root יום appears 4 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'perish', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַל־תֵּ֤רֶא [and·do·not·gaze] (638) + בְיוֹם־אָחִ֙יךָ֙ [in·day·of·your·brother] (97) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + נׇכְר֔וֹ [his·disaster] (276) + וְאַל־תִּשְׂמַ֥ח [and·do·not·rejoice] (785) + לִבְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֖ה [to·sons·of·Judah] (122) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + אׇבְדָ֑ם [perish] (47) + וְאַל־תַּגְדֵּ֥ל [and·do·not·enlarge] (474) + פִּ֖יךָ [your·mouth] (110) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + צָרָֽה [trouble] (295) = 3018.
Rashi
"And do not gaze on the day of your brother." It was not your place [to look] and to stand aloof.
"On the day he was given over." On the day he was handed over into the hand of the enemy, namely the Babylonians. And similarly it is said regarding Saul (1 Samuel 23:7): "God has given him over into my hand" — [meaning] He delivered him into my hand.
Ibn Ezra
"And do not [gaze]" – It was not fitting for you to look upon the day of your brother's calamity, that is, his day of disaster, for it was extraordinary in his eyes, since he had not known a day like it among [all his] days.
Radak
"And do not gaze on the day of your brother." You should not have looked on the day of your brother's distress. And afterward it explains: 'on the day of your brother' — this is 'on the day of his misfortune.' The meaning of 'his misfortune' is that he became estranged from his land and was like a foreigner who had been expelled from it. And there are those who explain it as the day he was handed over into the hand of his enemies, from [the verse] 'God has delivered him into my hand' [1 Samuel 23:7], which means 'handed over.'
"And do not enlarge your mouth." [This refers to] laughing or other matters, and so did Jonathan render it: "and that you increased to speak boastful things."
Metzudat David
And do not look. It was not fitting for you to look on the day of your brother’s distress, at the time when he was alienated from his land and driven out of it; and even if your hand did not find it possible to help him, at least you should have remained indoors and not gazed at his shame, thereby humiliating him.
“And do not rejoice.” This means: all the more so, you should not have rejoiced over the children of Judah at the time they were destroyed and annihilated.
And do not enlarge your mouth. All the more so, you should not have enlarged your mouth and hurled words of mockery at them on the day their distress came, as if to say, "Behold, indeed you have done all these things," and so it shall be counted as robbery.
Metzudat Zion
"His calamity." The word is derived from "nekher" and "zar," meaning stranger and foreigner:
Malbim
"And do not look." Now he reckons the wrong that they did, level by level: Was it not fitting that you should not gaze [with satisfaction] on the day of your brother, on the day of his estrangement? On the day your brother became like a stranger to you and you violated the covenant of brothers, it was fitting that you restrain yourself from looking on that day. And in any case, it was fitting that you not rejoice over the children of Judah. And in any case, it was fitting that you not open your mouth wide, nor bring the joy that was in your heart out to your mouth to speak mockery and contempt. And all this speaks of what they did at the destruction of the First Temple, when they rejoiced and mocked over the downfall of Israel, and boasted with their mouths about the destruction, as it is written: "They said, 'Raze it, raze it, to its foundation'" (Psalms 137:7).
You should not have entered into the gate of My people In the day of their calamity; Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction In the day of their calamity, Nor have laid hands on their substance In the day of their calamity.
verse value 4048
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "in·day·of" (בְּי֣וֹם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·send" (וְאַל־תִּשְׁלַ֥חְנָה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: in·day·of, in·day·of, in·day·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "do·not·enter" (אַל־תָּב֤וֹא), "in·gate·of·my·people" (בְשַֽׁעַר־עַמִּי֙), "their·calamity" (אֵידָ֔ם). The root יום appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root איד ("their·calamity") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·calamity', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַל־תָּב֤וֹא [do·not·enter] (440) + בְשַֽׁעַר־עַמִּי֙ [in·gate·of·my·people] (692) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + אֵידָ֔ם [their·calamity] (55) + אַל־תֵּ֧רֶא [do·not·gaze] (632) + גַם־אַתָּ֛ה [also·you] (449) + בְּרָעָת֖וֹ [in·his·evil] (678) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + אֵיד֑וֹ [his·calamity] (21) + וְאַל־תִּשְׁלַ֥חְנָה [and·do·not·send] (830) + בְחֵיל֖וֹ [in·his·valor] (56) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + אֵידֽוֹ [his·calamity] (21) = 4048.
Rashi
"And do not lay [your hand] on his wealth." Do not extend your hand against his property. This is how Targum Jonathan renders it, and the verse is elliptical, requiring the addition of "your hand" to it.
Ibn Ezra
"Al" – Because Edom was forever under the dominion of Judah, therefore it was hard for us [to bear] Edom's rejoicing over its [Judah's] distress.
"And let them not be sent forth" – a terse manner of expression. And the meaning [i.e., the implied subject] is: "your hands." And likewise, [compare] "they shall dig" — "his feet, in the valley."
Radak
Do not look, you too. Like the others who were strangers, and you are a brother:
"And do not send forth." The meaning is: do not extend your hands into his property. And so did Jonathan render it: "and that you extended your hand into his property on the day of his ruin."
Metzudat David
"Do not come." And all the more so, it was not fitting for you to enter through the gates of My cities on the day that their disaster came upon them; that is to say, it was not proper for you to enter the gates of the cities to conquer them, as you did during the destruction of the Second Temple.
"Do not look, you too." This is stated regarding the children of the nations who dwell in Mount Seir, the neighbors of Israel, for on the day that Jerusalem was conquered, they also came and extended their hands to plunder the spoil and to despoil the booty, as is mentioned in Sefer Yosippon. Therefore it is said, "And do not look, you too," etc., meaning: just as it was not fitting for them to enter its gates to conquer them, so too it was not fitting for you, who dwell in Seir, to gaze upon the misfortune of Israel on the day that the calamity befell them, for it is not proper to gaze upon another's shame in order to humiliate him.
"And do not send them forth." And all the more so, you should not have stretched out your hand to seize his wealth, to plunder it for yourself, on the day that the calamity befell him.
Metzudat Zion
Their calamity. The matter of distress and misfortune, as it is written: "Is not destruction [aid] for the wicked?" (Job 31:3).
"In his wealth." In his riches:
Malbim
“Do not enter.” Now, he reflects on what occurred in the Second Temple, which was inferior to the former one, in that the people themselves came and assisted in its destruction. And when the gentiles entered its gates—namely, the Romans—it was fitting that you, too, should not enter through the gates of My people together with the destroyers. And even if you did enter, it was fitting that you should not also see its evil, in order to recall their wickedness and their sins and to render a verdict of guilt against them. And in any case, it was fitting that you should not extend your hand to its plunder, to loot their spoils.
Neither should you have stood in the crossway, To cut off those of his that escape; Neither should you have delivered up those of his That did remain in the day of distress.
verse value 3830
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "trouble" (צָרָֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·fugitives" (אֶת־פְּלִיטָ֑יו, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·do·not·stop" (וְאַֽל־תַּעֲמֹד֙), "upon·the·parting·of·ways" (עַל־הַפֶּ֔רֶק), "to·cut·off" (לְהַכְרִ֖ית). 8 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·fugitives', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַֽל־תַּעֲמֹד֙ [and·do·not·stop] (551) + עַל־הַפֶּ֔רֶק [upon·the·parting·of·ways] (485) + לְהַכְרִ֖ית [to·cut·off] (665) + אֶת־פְּלִיטָ֑יו [his·fugitives] (546) + וְאַל־תַּסְגֵּ֥ר [and·do·not·deliver·up] (700) + שְׂרִידָ֖יו [his·survivors] (530) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + צָרָֽה [trouble] (295) = 3830.
Rashi
"And do not stand at the pass." A place from which those fleeing go out to escape, and in the vernacular they call it "trogh" ([Gloss:] "Do not stand at the pass" — from here [we learn] that it is forbidden to interrupt the Shema between one section and the next; gloss of Rabbi Akiva):
Ibn Ezra
And "al ha-perek" ("at the crossroads"): A place from which the roads diverge, to say to the Babylonians: "Which road did the fugitive take?"
“And do not shut up its remnant” – [this means] to hand over, as if you were shutting it up.
Radak
And do not stand at the crossroads (the 'perek'). It is [what is called] the 'mother of the road' — a place where the roads split, one this way and one that way — and the Edomites were standing at the crossroads so that no one of Israel could flee without being captured; they were guarding the roads against them.
“His survivors.” With a hireq, like “his remnants.”
Metzudat David
"And do not stand at the passes." This is said regarding the men of Titus who exiled Israel, and it means: at any rate, you should not have stood firm and strengthened yourself upon the breach to utterly destroy its remnants. That is to say: at any rate, while in exile, you should not have destroyed and eradicated the remainder of the survivors, just as you destroyed and eradicated them in every generation.
"And do not shut it up." You should not have imprisoned them in confinement, as You have done in every generation and generation.
Metzudat Zion
“Stand.” Its meaning is to strengthen oneself regarding the matter and to exert effort toward it. A similar usage is found in: “But Jonathan and... stood firm upon this” (Ezra 10:15).
"The crossroads." [Its meaning relates to] the matter of breaking, like "and he shall tear off their hooves" (Zechariah 11:16). "Its fugitives." The matter of a remnant, like "a fugitive and a survivor" (Lamentations 2):
"You shall hand over." That is to say, deliver up into confinement. "Its survivors." A matter of remnant:
Malbim
"And [do] not." Nevertheless, it was fitting that you not stand at the crossroads to cut off the remnants; and at the very least, that you not hand over its survivors who survived among them in your land — just as [one is commanded], "You shall not hand over to his master a slave who escapes to you from his master's people." Furthermore, this alludes to the fact that after the Destruction, they initially gazed with satisfaction at the misfortunes of Israel and brought accusations against them. Later, when the Edomites grew powerful and their faith spread, they began to plunder the wealth of Israel on every occasion. Subsequently, they began to eradicate the refugees through decrees, expulsions, and persecutions. Finally, they killed those who had been forced to convert and survived among them, and handed them over to imprisonment and judgment, subjecting them to severe afflictions.
For the day of Hashem is near upon all the nations; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your dealing shall return upon your own head. .
verse value 3304
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָּ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·all·the·nations" (עַל־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "for·near" (כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב), "the·day·of·Hashem" (יוֹם־יְהֹוָ֖ה), "upon·all·the·nations" (עַל־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אשר ("as") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·all·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב [for·near] (338) + יוֹם־יְהֹוָ֖ה [the·day·of·Hashem] (82) + עַל־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם [upon·all·the·nations] (214) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (521) + עָשִׂ֙יתָ֙ [you·did] (780) + יֵעָ֣שֶׂה [will·be·done] (385) + לָּ֔ךְ [to·you] (50) + גְּמֻלְךָ֖ [your·recompense] (93) + יָשׁ֥וּב [he·will·return] (318) + בְּרֹאשֶֽׁךָ [in·your·head] (523) = 3304.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – The meaning is that it will happen swiftly to everyone, even to you, like this incident.
Radak
"For it is near." Even though it was distant from the day of the prophecy.
“Over all the nations.” For on the day of the redemption of Israel, that day will be as if it were near, since God said that it should be considered as near.
Metzudat David
"For the day of the Lord is near." This means: You should have considered that the day of reckoning from the Lord, which is destined to bring upon all the nations who did evil to Israel, is near and prepared before Him to be brought about; and just as you have done to Israel, so shall He do to you.
Your reward. The reward due to you shall return upon your head.
Metzudat Zion
"Near." This means that it is ready and prepared before Him. And similarly, "For the day of their calamity is near" (Deuteronomy 32:35).
Malbim
"For it is near." The day appointed by the Lord upon all the nations to recompense them for their evil is near, and then you will receive double recompense: 1) for the deeds, as it is said, "As you have done, it shall be done to you"; 2) according to the measure of the recompense, for the nature of the recompense is the reflexive quality of hostility and jealousy by virtue of which you performed the deed, as it is said, "Your recompense shall return upon your own head," as stated in Ezekiel 35: "I will do according to your anger and according to your jealousy which you showed because of your hatred toward them."
For as you have drunk upon My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually, Indeed, they shall drink, and swallow down, And shall be as though they had not been.
verse value 4633
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·nations" (כׇֽל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "you·drank" (שְׁתִיתֶם֙), "upon·hill" (עַל־הַ֣ר), "My·holy" (קׇדְשִׁ֔י). The root שתה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root שתה ("you·drank") in Obadiah. First appearance of the root היה ("and·they·shall·be") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'continually', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֗י [for] (30) + כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (521) + שְׁתִיתֶם֙ [you·drank] (1150) + עַל־הַ֣ר [upon·hill] (305) + קׇדְשִׁ֔י [My·holy] (414) + יִשְׁתּ֥וּ [they·will·drink] (716) + כׇֽל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם [all·the·nations] (114) + תָּמִ֑יד [continually] (454) + וְשָׁת֣וּ [and·they·will·drink] (712) + וְלָע֔וּ [and·they·will·swallow] (112) + וְהָי֖וּ [and·they·shall·be] (27) + כְּל֥וֹא [as·not] (57) + הָיֽוּ [were] (21) = 4633.
Rashi
"As you drank on My holy mountain." As its Targum [renders]: "Just as you rejoiced concerning the destruction of My holy mountain."
"And they shall reel." As its Targum [renders]: "veyistal'amun" — a term denoting tumult, desolation, and confusion of mind; in the vernacular, "ishtordishun."
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – it speaks to Israel: Just as you drank [from] the cup, so shall all the nations drink.
"Ve-la'u" ("and they shall swallow") – like [the word yala in] "יָלַע קֹדֶשׁ" [Proverbs 20:25]. And the meaning is: swallowing, except that it lacks a bet [i.e., it is a variant of the root ב-ל-ע, "to swallow"]. And Yefet said: Just as the nations drank and rejoiced upon My holy mountain, so shall they drink upon the mountain of Esau.
Radak
"For just as you drank. You made a feast and rejoiced over the destruction of My holy mountain, so shall you drink the cup of staggering, you and all the nations."
"They shall drink, all the nations, continually." The meaning of 'continually' is without ceasing, until the wicked among them who did evil to Israel are consumed. And so did Jonathan render it: "Just as you rejoiced over the smiting of My holy mountain, so shall all the peoples drink the cup of their punishment continually."
"And they drank and swallowed." They shall swallow, like "blurts out a holy [vow]" (Proverbs 20:25).
"And they shall be as though they had not been." And they shall be ruined, until they will not recognize their place, as if they had not existed.
Metzudat David
"For as you drank." He says this to Judah: Just as you drank from the cup of staggering on My holy mountain, so too the Babylonians, who did evil to you, shall always drink the cup of staggering until they are finished.
"And they will drink and stagger." And when they drink the cup, they will be ruined and confused; this is a figure of speech, meaning: they will be confused by the calamity, as if they had drunk a cup of an intoxicating drink that stupefies and confuses.
"And they shall be as though they had never been." This means: they shall be consumed, as if they had never existed at all.
Metzudat Zion
"And they shall rave." The matter of corruption and confusion, and likewise, "therefore my words are rash" (Job 6:3):
Malbim
"Ki" (For): This refers to the phrase of Jeremiah (chapter 25), "Take this cup of the wine of wrath, and give all the nations to drink of it," and he stated (there, chapter 49) concerning the downfall of Edom: "Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink the cup shall indeed drink it; and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for you shall surely drink." And this is what is meant: "For as you drank on My holy mountain" — for it was there that the prophet gave them the cup of wrath to drink — "so shall all the nations drink continually," for many destructions shall pass over them through the ages, continually, until in the end of days they shall drink and swallow, and be as though they had never been, for their existence shall be utterly abolished.
But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, And it shall be holy; And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
verse value 3471
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָ֣יָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3471 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "holiness" (קֹ֑דֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·possessions" (מוֹרָֽשֵׁיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·in·mountain·of" (וּבְהַ֥ר), "it·will·be" (תִּהְיֶ֥ה), "escape" (פְלֵיטָ֖ה). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ירש ("and·they·shall·possess") in Obadiah. First appearance of the root בית ("house·of") in Obadiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'holiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Their possessions." [Targum:] The property of the nations that they had possessed for themselves.
Ibn Ezra
"And upon Mount Zion there shall be those who escape" – all the nations shall be as if they had never existed, and there shall be no survivors among them; but upon Mount Zion there shall be survivors. Yefet said: This refers to the future. Rabbi Moshe said: It refers to the days of Hezekiah. Rabbi Yeshua said: It refers to the Second Temple period.
Radak
"And there shall be a remnant on Mount Zion." Even though many of Israel have perished in exile, a great remnant will still be left for them on Mount Zion, from which they were exiled.
"And it shall be holy." Israel shall be holy to the Lord, that they shall be holy; there shall no longer be among them an uncircumcised man or one who is ritually impure.
"And the house of Jacob shall possess their inheritances." Just as they inherited [the Land of Israel] at the outset, so too shall they inherit [it] again, and furthermore, they shall inherit the lands of their neighbors: the land of Edom, Moab, and the land of the Philistines.
Metzudat David
"And on Mount Zion." But on Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and a remnant; that is to say, its inhabitants shall remain.
"And it shall be holy." For no uncircumcised or ritually impure person shall ever again enter into it.
"Those who dispossessed them." This refers to the non-Jews who dispossessed them from that time onward.
Metzudat Zion
"Their possessions." [This is] from the language of inheritance.
Malbim
“And on Mount Zion.” After many nations that were among the destroyers of the Land have been subdued and their memory has perished, then there will be a remnant on Mount Zion, and the outcasts of Israel will gather there little by little, as stated in the commentary on Isaiah, chapter 65, regarding “before she travailed, she gave birth.”
"And it shall be holy." And the house of Jacob shall inherit their inheritance.
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 Hashem has spoken.
verse value 4718
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֩) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֜שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·Jacob" (בֵית־יַעֲקֹ֨ב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 418: and·the·house·of, and·the·house·of. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "the·house·of·Jacob" (בֵית־יַעֲקֹ֨ב), "fire" (אֵ֜שׁ), "Joseph" (יוֹסֵ֣ף). The root בית appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·will·eat·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
“For the Lord has spoken.” And where did He speak? “And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant, etc.” (Numbers 24:19).
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be, and the house of Joseph" – the meaning is twofold, and Joseph is mentioned in parallel to Jacob and Joseph.
Radak
"And it shall be." Like fire consumes stubble, so shall it consume and devour them. And the reason that the text mentions "the house of Jacob" and "the house of Joseph" is that it repeats the same idea in different words, for "the house of Jacob" is called "the house of Joseph" from the time the kingdom was divided. But in the future, they will return to being one. And our Sages of blessed memory derived that Joseph is mentioned because the seed of Esau will fall only into the hand of Joseph or into the hand of Joseph’s seed.
Metzudat David
Fire. "They shall burn as fire":
"And the House of Joseph, flame." It is a repetition of the matter in what was said.
Regarding the word "to straw": The Chaldeans will be like straw that is burned quickly.
“And they shall set them on fire.” Israel shall set fire to the house of the Chaldeans and burn them; that is to say, they shall bring about their complete destruction, and there shall be no remnant left of them.
For the Lord has spoken. And surely it shall be so:
Metzudat Zion
"Flame." [Synonymous with] blaze:
“Lekesh.” It is fine straw.
“and they shall burn.” This refers to the matter of burning and kindling.
Malbim
“And it shall be.” Then there will be the war of Gog and Magog, and then the House of Jacob will be like a fire burning from near, and the House of Joseph will be like a flame burning from farther away than the fire, because the Messiah son of Joseph will perform mighty deeds then; or because the Ten Tribes will not yet all be in the Land of Israel and will still be from afar. And the House of Esau will be like chaff, which, when it smells the fire, one piece of chaff consumes its companion; so too will they destroy one another in the war of Gog, as has been explained in Ezekiel 38, until there will be no remnant left for the House of Esau.
Cross-references: Genesis 30:25; Numbers 24:19; Daniel 7:11
And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, And they of the Lowland the Philistines; And they shall possess the field of Ephraim, And the field of Samaria; And Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
verse value 6797
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "Esau" (עֵשָׂ֗ו, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 522: and·they·shall·possess, and·they·shall·possess. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·the·lowland" (וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה֙), "Philistine" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים), "field" (אֶת־שְׂדֵ֣ה). The root ירש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְיָרְשׁ֨וּ [and·they·shall·possess] (522) + הַנֶּ֜גֶב [south-country] (60) + אֶת־הַ֣ר [hill] (606) + עֵשָׂ֗ו [Esau] (376) + וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה֙ [and·the·lowland] (426) + אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistine] (1261) + וְיָרְשׁוּ֙ [and·they·shall·possess] (522) + אֶת־שְׂדֵ֣ה [field] (710) + אֶפְרַ֔יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + שְׂדֵ֣ה [field] (309) + שֹׁמְר֑וֹן [Samaria] (596) + וּבִנְיָמִ֖ן [and·Benjamin] (158) + אֶת־הַגִּלְעָֽד [Gilead] (513) = 6797.
Rashi
"And they took possession of the Negeb." Israel, who dwelt in the south of the Land of Israel, took possession of the mountain of Esau, which is on the southern border; and the inhabitants of the Shephelah took possession of the land of the Philistines, and the mountain of Ephraim, and the mountain of Samaria.
"And Benjamin [shall possess] the Gilead." And the sons of Manasseh, whose land was Gilead, would extend beyond the borders of the Land of Israel, to its east.
Ibn Ezra
"And they possessed" – "the Negev" [refers to] the men of the Negev; it is a place name. Or, [it refers to] the Negev of the Land of Israel and those dwelling in the lowlands (Shephelah), as it is stated: "In the Arabah, in the mountains, in the lowlands, and in the Negev."
And Benjamin: He shall inherit Gilead, which is on the other side of the Jordan.
Radak
"And the Negev shall inherit Mount Esau." From Mount Esau they shall inherit the Negev, which is the land of the plain, for Mount Esau shall be desolation, a ruin forever.
"And the Shephelah [shall possess] the Philistines." [This means] they will inherit the lowland from the land of the Philistines, for they will not need to ascend to the heights to dwell there, nor to sow there, unless they wish to, for the lowland and the Negev will suffice for them.
"And they inherited the field of Ephraim and the field of Shomron." [This teaches that] initially they dwelled on the mountain of Ephraim and on the mountain of Shomron, and then they would no longer need the mountains, neither for dwelling nor for sowing, but rather the fields, which are the plains.
"And Benjamin [shall possess] the Gilead." Likewise, Benjamin, whose border was at the Jordan, shall possess from there onward the plain in the land of Gilead, which is beyond the Jordan, for his border will expand to include all the plain of Gilead that is adjacent to his inheritance. For Manasseh, who had the land of Gilead, his border will extend from there onward into the land of Moab and the children of Ammon. And Targum Yonatan renders "the Negev shall possess [Mount Esau]" as: "the inhabitants of the south shall possess the mountain of Esau"—that is to say, the inhabitants of the south of the Land of Israel shall possess Mount Esau, which is adjacent to them, since it is to the south of the Land of Israel; and the inhabitants of the lowland of the Land of Israel shall possess Philistia, which is adjacent to them. And Targum Yonatan renders: "and they shall possess the cities of Ephraim and the cities of Samaria, and [those] of the house of Benjamin who dwell in the land of Gilead."
Metzudat David
"And they shall inherit the Negev." The House of Jacob mentioned in the preceding verse is the one that shall inherit the Negev, and it returns to explain Mount Esau, which is in the south of the Land of Israel.
And the lowland. They shall also possess the lowland, and he goes back and explains "the Philistines," for the land of the Philistines was in the lowland.
“the field of Ephraim.” For in the days of Joshua, they inherited only Mount Ephraim, and they were unable to dispossess the valley, because it had iron chariots, as it is stated there. Therefore, it is said that they should also inherit the fields of the valley.
"And the field of Samaria." Elsewhere it is stated that Omri, king of Israel, purchased the mountain of Samaria; and it says that in the future they shall inherit all of it, even the fields.
“And Benjamin [took] Gilead.” Benjamin will inherit the land of Gilead. And this is in addition to the strip of land allotted to him in the Land of Israel west of the Jordan, as it is stated at the end of Ezekiel: “The sons of Manasseh who dwell in Gilead will stand in their inheritance west of the Jordan, they shall be the heirs,” and it says there: “The sons of the exile of this host of the children of Israel, who are with all the tribes,” as it is stated there.
Metzudat Zion
And the lowland. The valley:
Malbim
"And the Negev shall possess Mount Esau." On the southern side of the Land of Israel, they will take as an inheritance Mount Esau, which was located south of the Land of Israel, and now the Land of Israel will expand on its southern side, as I explained in Ezekiel, chapter 47, that the land of Edom, Ammon, and Moab will be included within the borders of the land. And on the side of the lowland, they will inherit the Philistines, which is in the west of the Land of Israel; the gates of the Philistines were in the lowland, as explained in Joshua, chapter 15. And they will inherit the field of Ephraim on the eastern side; the border will expand beyond the Jordan further east. This is called the "field of Ephraim" because the term "field" implies all that is outside the settled areas. And the region beyond the Jordan bordered opposite Ephraim, as explained in Joshua, chapter 16, and it is explained (in II Samuel 18) that the Forest of Ephraim extended as far as the eastern side of the Jordan, where the men of David fought with the men of Absalom; see there.
“And Benjamin shall inherit Gilead.” It is explained in Ezekiel that Benjamin then inherited the region to the north of present-day Jerusalem, and their portion will extend eastward across the Jordan, so that Gilead will fall to their share.
And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel, That are among the Canaanites, even to Zarephath, And the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad, Shall possess the cities of the South.
verse value 5846
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·Canaanite" (אֲשֶֽׁר־כְּנַעֲנִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 439: and·bowl, and·bowl. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "the·host·this" (הַֽחֵל־הַ֠זֶּ֠ה), "to·sons·of" (לִבְנֵ֨י), "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל). The root גלה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Sepharad', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words.
Rashi
And this exile of the "chel." Targum Yonatan renders it "this people," [taking] "chel" in the sense of "cheil" (army), as in (Isaiah 36:2): "And he came to Jerusalem with a heavy army" — that of Rabshakeh — except that this word lacks a yod. It may also be interpreted: "this exile of this valley."
To the children of Israel, [the land] that is of the Canaanites, up to France. The exile that is from the children of Israel who were exiled from the Ten Tribes to the land of the Canaanites up to France:
And the exile of Jerusalem that is in Spain. They are from the children of Judah who were exiled to Spain; they will inherit the cities of the Negev in the south of the Land of Israel. And those who interpret say that "Tzarfat" is the kingdom called "France" in the foreign language. "Spain" is translated by Jonathan as "Aspamia."
Ibn Ezra
"And exile" – Rabbi Moses said: The exile with which they began to be exiled. And Rabbi Marinos said: "Hachel" is like "and the rampart and wall mourned," and the meaning is that the city was captured and those within it were killed, and even the fleeing ones did not escape, except for a few who were at the rampart.
"[That] which [belongs to] the Canaanites": We heard from the mouths of great men that the land of Almanyah is the land of the Canaanites who fled before the children of Israel when they entered the land. Similarly, Tzarefat is Parnsyah. And the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel [renders]: "Sepharad" [as] "Aspamia," and this is the exile of Titus, and this prophecy is for the future. Not as Rabbi Moses said, that they were scattered [at the time of] the First Temple.
Radak
"And this exile of the force is for the Children of Israel." [The word] "ha-chel" is written defectively, without a yod, and it is like [the word] "cheil" (force/company). And even though it is vocalized with a tzere, behold, it is comparable to "unto King Hezekiah with a force [be-cheil]" (2 Kings 18:17). And the meaning of "this exile of the force is for the Children of Israel" is that they, the Children of Israel, are the ones scattered in exile.
"Which are the Canaanites." That is to say, those who were exiled and are among the Canaanites, as far as Zarephath.
And the exiles of Jerusalem who were in Spain will inherit the cities of the Negev. And these are the cities of Judah, for the portion of Judah was in the south of the Land of Israel. And so it says concerning them in Jeremiah: “The cities of the Negev shall be shut up, and there shall be none to open.” And it says “inherit” concerning the exiles of Jerusalem, who were from the tribe of Judah, meaning that they will return to their land and their cities. Or perhaps it says “inherit” concerning all of them, on account of Jerusalem, which was in the portion of Judah, and all the tribes of Israel will have a share in Jerusalem, as it is written in the prophecy of Ezekiel.
And this initial exile: it is the exile of Titus, who exiled them to the lands, and these are the nations: the lands of Almanyah, Ashkelonia, and Tzarfat, which they call "France," and the lands of Spain, which they call "Spain." The children of Jerusalem are those who were exiled to Spain, while others were exiled to the other aforementioned lands that were under their control, and they spread throughout the lands. And from these lands, those who were in the lands of Ishmael exiled themselves voluntarily. And they say in tradition that the people of the land of Almanyah were Canaanites, for when the Canaanite fled before Joshua, as we wrote in the Book of Joshua, they went for themselves to the land of Almanyah and Ashkelonia, which they call the land of Ashkenaz. And even today they call them Canaanites. And Jonathan translated the verse thus: "And the exile of this people, the children of Israel, etc."
Metzudat David
"And the exile of this force, etc." In the preceding verse it is stated, "The House of Jacob shall inherit the Negev," and so on; and now it explains who among them will be the heirs. It says: The children of the exile of this force, of the children of Israel, who dwelt among the Canaanites who had fled from their land in the days of Joshua, whose place of residence extended as far as Zarephath, and also the children of the exile of Jerusalem who dwelt in Spain — they shall inherit the cities of the Negev, which is Mount Esau, the land of Edom. (But the land of the Philistines, the fields of Ephraim, and Samaria are within the borders of the Land of Israel, and they will be divided later, as stated at the end of the Book of Ezekiel.)
Metzudat Zion
"Ha-chel." Like "ha-chil," with the yod falling away.
Malbim
And the exile of the beginning. It was explained in Ezekiel, chapter 47, that the tribe of Dan will inherit Tyre and Sidon in the future, which will be added to the Land of Israel. And the tribe of Dan was exiled before all the other tribes, because they dwelled outside the Land of Israel; therefore, they are called "the exile of the beginning." They will inherit what belonged to the Canaanites, namely Tyre and Sidon, as it is stated: "The Lord commanded concerning Canaan" (Isaiah 23:11), referring to Tyre, "as far as Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon" (1 Kings 21).
"And the exiles of Jerusalem shall inherit the cities of the Negev." These are the portions of Judah and Benjamin, which they will inherit in their place, as is explained in Ezekiel, chapters 47 and 48, that Judah and Benjamin will take [their portion] from the Negev of the Land of Israel, and they were the exiles of Jerusalem, and they subsequently settled in Spain.
And saviours shall come up on mount Zion To judge the mount of Esau; And the kingdom shall be Hashem’S.
verse value 2930
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "saviors" (מֽוֹשִׁעִים֙, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Obadiah. Unique to this verse in Obadiah (hapax): "and·shall·come·up" (וְעָל֤וּ), "saviors" (מֽוֹשִׁעִים֙), "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֣ר). 9 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Esau', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעָל֤וּ [and·shall·come·up] (112) + מֽוֹשִׁעִים֙ [saviors] (466) + בְּהַ֣ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + צִיּ֔וֹן [Zion] (156) + לִשְׁפֹּ֖ט [to·judge] (419) + אֶת־הַ֣ר [hill] (606) + עֵשָׂ֑ו [Esau] (376) + וְהָיְתָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + הַמְּלוּכָֽה [kingship] (106) = 2930.
Rashi
"And they went up." The princes of Israel will save on Mount Zion.
"To judge the mountain of Esau." [This means] to take vengeance from the mountain of Esau, for what Esau did to Israel. To judge; "yoshtitzi'ir" in the vernacular.
"Mount Esau." Targum Yonatan [renders this]: "the great city of Esau."
"And the kingdom shall be the Lord's." This teaches you that His kingdom is not complete until He takes vengeance upon Amalek.
Ibn Ezra
"And saviors shall go up" – these are the judges of Israel, to judge the remnant on Mount Esau. Then the kingship will be for the Name in a revealed manner, as it is said: "And the Lord will be King over all the earth," which refers to the future time.
Radak
"And saviors shall ascend." The King Messiah and his companions, the seven shepherds and the eight princes of men.
"To judge Mount Esau." To take justice for Israel from them for all the evil they did to them, and Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: "And saviors shall ascend from the mountain of Zion to judge the great city of Esau."
"And dominion shall be the LORD's." And then the kingship will belong to the Lord alone, for all the nations will acknowledge His sovereignty, as it is said in the prophecy of Zechariah: "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be One, and His Name One." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "And the kingship of the Lord will be revealed in the near future over all the inhabitants of the earth, and the kingship of the Lord will be forever and ever."
Metzudat David
“And saviors shall ascend upon Mount Zion.” This means that the saviors who are on Mount Zion are the King Messiah and his princes, when they will ascend upon Mount Seir to execute judgment upon them for the evil they did to Israel. Then “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s,” meaning that then all will acknowledge His kingship and accept Him as God.
Malbim
“And liberators shall go up.” And then the war of Gog and Magog will begin, and the two Messiahs, the son of Joseph and the son of David, will be revealed, along with the seven shepherds who will save Israel. They will ascend to judge the mountain of Esau, and then “the Lord will be king,” and all will accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven speedily in our days.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim