Obadiah 1:9

9 Your great heroes will desert you, Teman. There'll be nobody left in Esau's mountains.

Obadiah 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

Obadiah 1:9

And thy mighty [men], O Teman, shall be dismayed
Teman was one part of the country of Edom, so called from Teman, a son of Eliphaz, and grandson of Esau, ( Genesis 36:11 ) ; and which it seems had been famous for men of might and courage: it abounded with brave officers, and courageous soldiers, who should now be quite dispirited, and have no heart to go out against the enemy; and, instead of defending their country, should throw away their arms, and run away in a fright. The Targum and Vulgate Latin version render it,

``thy mighty men that inhabit the south;''
or are on the south, the southern part of Edom, and so lay farthest off from the Chaldeans, who came from the north; yet these should be at once intimidated upon the rumour of their approach and invasion: to the end that even one of the mount of Esau may be cut by slaughter;
that so there might be none to resist and stop the enemy, or defend their country; but that all might fall by the sword of the enemy, and none be left, even every mighty man, as Jarchi interprets it, through the greatness of the slaughter that should be made.

Obadiah 1:9 In-Context

7 All your old partners will drive you to the edge. Your old friends will lie to your face. Your old drinking buddies will stab you in the back. Your world will collapse. You won't know what hit you.
8 So don't be surprised" - it's God's sure Word! - "when I wipe out all sages from Edom and rid the Esau mountains of its famous wise men.
9 Your great heroes will desert you, Teman. There'll be nobody left in Esau's mountains.
10 Because of the murderous history compiled against your brother Jacob, You will be looked down on by everyone. You'll lose your place in history.
11 On that day you stood there and didn't do anything. Strangers took your brother's army into exile. Godless foreigners invaded and pillaged Jerusalem. You stood there and watched. You were as bad as they were.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.