Obadiah 1:9

9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

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 allies have deceived you, they have driven you to the border; your confederates have prevailed against you; your trusted friends have set a trap under you--there is no understanding of it.

8 Will I not on that day, says the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?

9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

10 For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever.

11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.