Obadiah: Obadiah 10-Edom Will Be Covered with Shame and Destroyed as a Nation Because of the Violence She Committed Against Judah Lesson # 10

Obadiah 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. (ESV)

“Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob” is composed of the following: (1) preposition min (מִן), “because” (2) noun ḥāmās (חָמָס), “the violence” (3) noun ʾāḥ (אָח), “brother” (4) pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h) (אַתָּה), “your” (5) proper name yǎ·ʿǎqōḇ (יַעֲקֹב), “Jacob.”

The noun ḥāmās means “violence” since it pertains to a strong, fierce, destructive force resulting in acts that maim, destroy or kill often implying lawlessness, terror and lack of moral restraint.

Here the word is used with reference to sinful violence committed by the Edomites against the southern kingdom of Judah during the Babylonian invasions in the sixth century B.C.

This noun is the object of the preposition min which means “because” since it is functioning as a marker of cause.

This would indicate that the sinful violence committed by the Edomites against the southern kingdom of Judah during the Babylonian invasions of the sixth century B.C. is the reason why the God of Israel will cover this nation with shame and destroy them as a national entity.

The construct state of the noun ḥāmās means that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾāḥ, which means “relative.”

This word pertains to a person in close clan association who is not necessarily a direct blood relation.

Here it refers to the biological relation between the descendants of Jacob whose name was changed by God to Israel and the descendants of Esau who were the Edomites.

The genitive relation between these two words is an objective genitive which means that the noun ʾāḥ is receiving the action implied by the noun ḥāmās.

This is expressing the idea that this violence committed by the Edomites was against the Israelites who were the descendants of Jacob.

The construct state of this noun ʾāḥ means that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the second person masculine singular form of the pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h), which means “your” referring to the Edomite people.

The masculine singular proper name yǎ·ʿǎqōḇ, “Jacob” means, “heel catcher.”

This name implies someone who is a deceiver and a supplanter, which is a person who takes the place of another by force, scheming or strategy.

Here it is not used of Jacob the person but rather it is used with reference to his biological descendants who were the Israelites and specifically the Jews of the southern kingdom of Judah living during the sixth century B.C.

“Shame shall cover you” is composed of the following: (1) verb kā∙sā(h) (כָּסָה), “shall cover” (2) pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h) (אַתָּה), “you” (3) noun bû·šā(h) (בּוּשָׁה), “shame.”

The feminine singular form of the noun bû·šā(h) means “shame” since the word pertains to the state of disgrace and low status and dishonor.

This word “seems as though the meaning of ‘shame’ always has to do with a negative condition or experience as a result of a relationship in which perceived codes of conduct, honor, position, or expectations are not fully met or are violated.”[1]

Here the word refers to the negative condition of the Edomites as a result of violating a universal code of conduct which pertains to one’s relatives.

It speaks of the dishonor and shame experienced by the Edomites as a result of committing violence against their relatives, the Israelites.

The third person feminine singular piel active imperfect form of the verb kā∙sā(h) means “to cover” and the second person masculine singular form of the pronominal suffix ʾǎt·tā(h) means “you” referring to the nation of Edom as a corporate unit.

“And you shall be cut off forever” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w (וְ), “and” (2) verb kārat (כָּרַת), “you shall be cut off” (3) preposition l (לְ), “forever” (4) noun ʿô·lām (עוֹלָם), “forever.”

The conjunction w means “indeed, in fact” since the word is advancing upon the prophetic declaration recorded in Obadiah 9, which predicts the Edomite people will be violently executed like criminals because of the slaughter as a result of their wise men being killed and their mighty warriors experience dismay because of this.

The second person masculine singular niphal passive perfect form of the verb kārat means “to cut off” but in the sense of being excluded from an association or membership.

Here it is expressing the idea that the God of Israel will cut off the Edomite people from the membership of the nations of the earth and all association with these nations.

The noun ʿô·lām means “forever” since it pertains to an unlimited duration of time with emphasis upon the future and is the object of the preposition lĕ which functions as a temporal marker and specifically as a marker of temporal duration indicating the length of time something will take place.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that the nation of Edom will be cut off from the nations of the earth “forever” or in other words, “for all of eternity.”

Obadiah 10 “You will be covered with shame because of the sinful violence committed against your relative, the descendants of Jacob. Indeed, you will certainly be cut off forever.” (My translation)

Obadiah 10 begins a section in this tiny book which ends in Obadiah 14.

This paragraph presents the God of Israel presenting the indictments against the nation of Edom.

In other words, these verses present the reason why the God of Israel will judge this nation.

In fact, verse 10 summarizes what verses 11-14 detail in the same way verse 1 did in relation to verses 2-9.[2]

Furthermore, Obadiah 10-14 fills in some of the blanks of Jeremiah 52 and 2 Kings 25.

In other words, they give us information regarding the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and reveals the nation of Edom’s role in this destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

Verse 10 contains two prophetic declarations which reveal that God will destroy this nation because they sinfully committed violence against the descendants of Jacob who were the Israelites.

Specifically, they committed violence against the southern kingdom of Judah during the Babylonian invasions of Judah which took place in the sixth century B.C.

The first prophetic declaration asserts that the nation of Edom will be covered with shame because of the sinful violence they committed against their relative, who were the descendants of Jacob.

The second advances upon the prophetic declaration recorded in Obadiah 9, which predicts the Edomite people will be violently executed like criminals because of the slaughter as a result of their wise men being killed and their mighty warriors experience dismay because of this.

When God says that they will be cut off, He means that He will cause them to be cut off from the nations of the earth.

In other words, they will no longer be a national entity with geographical boundaries because of God judging them for their sinful treatment of the southern kingdom of Judah in the sixth century B.C.

These two prophetic declarations express God’s wrath or righteous indignation against the nation of Edom for their sinful treatment of their relatives, the Israelites and they also express His sovereignty over the nation of Edom and the nations of the earth.

They also express the fact that the God of Israel is the judge of every Gentile nation on the earth.

The violence that the Edomites committed against the people of the southern kingdom of Judah was during the last of three Babylonian invasions of Judah in 587/586 B.C.

They raided villages in Judah.

They sent prisoners to the Babylonians and also invaded southern Judah.

These prophetic declarations recorded in Obadiah 10, like all of the prophecies recorded in Obadiah, were fulfilled in history since Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon was able to capture the city of Petra and take the citizens of Edom into captivity as they did the citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Arabian tribes moved into Edom during the sixth century B.C., which forced the remnant of Edomites to migrate west.

They became a province of the Persian Empire.

They were no longer a national entity.

They were ultimately reduced by John Hyrcanus of the Maccabean dynasty and lost their national existence under the Romans.

They were cut off forever as a nation, though the land would again be populated.

[1] VanGemeren, W. (Ed.). (1997). New international dictionary of Old Testament theology & exegesis (Vol. 1, p. 622). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

[2] Constable, Thomas L., Notes on Obadiah-2012 Edition, pages 11, copyright 2012; Published by Sonic Light: http://www.soniclight.com/