Obadiah 1:11

11 On {the day you stood nearby},[a] {on the day strangers took}[b] his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots over Jerusalem, you were also like one of them.

Obadiah 1:11 Meaning and Commentary

Obadiah 1:11

In the day thou stoodest on the other side
Aloof off, as a spectator of the ruin of Jerusalem, and that with delight and pleasure; when they should, as brethren and neighbours, have assisted against the common enemy; but instead of this they stood at a distance; or they went over to the other side, and joined the enemy, and stood in opposition to their brethren the Jews: in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces;
that is, at the time that the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and carried captive as many of the forces of the Jews as fell into their hands; or when

``the people spoiled his substance,''
as the Targum; plundered the city of all its wealth and riches: and foreigners entered into his gates;
the gates of their cities, particularly Jerusalem; even such who came from a far country, the Babylonians, who were aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel; whereas the Edomites were their near neighbours, and allied to them by blood, though not of the same religion; and by whom they helped against a foreign enemy, instead of being used by them as they were: and cast lots upon Jerusalem;
either to know when they should make their attack upon it; or else, having taken it, the generals of the Chaldean army cast lots upon the captives, to divide them among them, so Kimchi; see ( Joel 3:3 ) ( Nahum 3:10 ) ; or rather, the soldiers cast lots for the division of the plunder of the city, as was usual at such times: even thou [wast] as one of them;
the Edomites joined the Chaldeans, entered into the city with them, showed as much wrath, spite, and malice, as they did, and were as busy in dividing the spoil. So Aben Ezra interprets these and the following verses of the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; but Kimchi expounds them of the destruction of them by the Romans, at which he supposes many Edomites to be present, and rejoiced at it: could this be supported, the connection would be more clear and close between these words and those that follow, which respect the Gospel dispensation, beginning at ( Obadiah 1:17 ) ; but the Edomites were not in being then; and that there were many of them in the Roman army, and that Titus himself was one, is all fabulous.

Obadiah 1:11 In-Context

9 And your warriors will be shattered, [O] Teman, so that {everyone} from the mountain of Esau will be cut off because of the slaughter!
10 "Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you and you will be cut off forever.
11 On {the day you stood nearby}, {on the day strangers took} his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots over Jerusalem, you were also like one of them.
12 But you should not have gloated over your brother's day, on the day of his misfortune, and you should not have rejoiced over the {people} of Judah on the day of their perishing, and you should not have opened your mouth wide on the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of my people on the day of their disaster. You also should not have gloated over his misery on the day of his disaster, and you should not have stretched out [your hands] on the day of his disaster.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Literally "the day of your standing nearby"
  • [b]. Literally "the day of the taking captive by strangers"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.