Interpretation of the book of the prophet Obadiah

The book of the prophet Obadiah is the smallest work of Old Testament biblical writing. Its content is the vision of Edom. The essence of this vision is the prediction of the destruction of Edom and the proclamation of salvation in Zion. The prophet hears that a messenger has already been sent to the nations with a call to rise up and go to war against Edom (Hab.1:7). The prophet contemplates that Edom is already diminished and in contempt (Hab.1:2), devastated and plundered - despite the inaccessibility of the rocks on which it is settled (Hab.1:3-6) - and even driven out to the border (Hab.1:7). The former allies of Edom became its enemies (Obd.1:7), the wise men of Edom were destroyed (Ebd.1:8), the brave men were struck with fear and the whole people were brought to destruction (Ebd.1:9). The reason for such a serious attack by Edom is its crime against Judah, and, namely, its treacherous attitude towards its brotherly people in the day of its calamity (Hab.1:9-14). But Edom is for the prophet not only the enemy of Judah, but also a representative of the hostile pagan world. Therefore, from the judgment of Edom, the prophet turns to the judgment of the entire pagan world (Obd.1:15–21). On the day of judgment, all nations, according to the image of the prophet, “will drink, swallow, and will be as if they were not” (Hab.1:16). The house of Esau, the Edomites, will then appear as stubble burned with fire (Hab.1:18), and in Zion there will be salvation, the house of Jacob will take possession of their inheritance (Hab.1:17, 19-20), and there will be a Kingdom of the Lord (Hab.1:21). There is no information about the face of the prophet Obadiah either in his book or in the rest of biblical writing. Even the very name of the prophet, some authors (Augustine, Küper) are inclined to consider only a pseudonym, and not the proper name of the prophet. However, there are no serious reasons for this. But there is no reason to identify Obadiah, the writer of the prophetic book, with any other Obadiah mentioned in the Bible (2 Kings 1:13; 2 Chronicles 17:7), or to recognize the reliability of those contradictory information about Obadiah reported in ancient literature. It is very difficult to establish with accuracy the time of Obadiah’s life and the origin of his book, since there is no necessary data for this. In the absence of external evidence about the book. Obadiah, the main data on the basis of which the question of its origin is decided are usually: 1) the indications contained in Obadiah 1:10–14 about the relationship of Edom to Judah during the capture of Jerusalem by enemies and 2) the fact of close similarity of the prophecy of Obadiah about Edom with the prophecy about the same people of Jeremiah (Jer.49:7–22). But these data are such that they can be tilted in different directions. Firstly, Jerusalem was made the prey of enemies more than once: it was under Rehoboam (about 975–958) that it was taken by the Egyptian pharaoh Shusakim (1 Kings 14:26; 2 Chronicles 12:2–4,9), under Joram (about 889–882) it was taken by the Philistines and Arabs (2 Chronicles 21:16–17), under Amaziah (c. 839–811) Israeli king Joash (2 Kings 14:13–17; 2 Chronicles 25:23–24); under Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, the city was captured by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24:1, 10–16; 2 Chronicles 36:6–7, 10; Dan.1:1–4). Secondly, the attitude of the book. Obadiah to the similar Jeremiah 49 can be understood differently. Hence, in the bibliological literature on the question of the time of origin of the book. Avdija, there are very different opinions. Some authors consider the book. Avdiah is the oldest prophetic work (Goffman, Drelli, Corneli, Yungerov), others date its origin to the era of Captivity and the post-captivity period (most of the newest authors). Of these opinions, apparently, the one that connects Ob.1:10–14 with the fact of the conquest of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar has the most basis. The advantage of this opinion over others is that it is based not on assumptions, but on clear biblical evidence. The fact of the participation of the Edomites in the conquest of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans is noted in the Bible in several places and is described precisely by the same features that are put forward in Ob.1:10–14. The prophet calls the disaster of Jerusalem, which he has in mind, the “day” of Judah, that is, the fatal day, the day of a terrible catastrophe. Jerusalem, according to the prophet’s description, was brought to the last extreme, so that lots were already cast for it (Hab.1:11). The fate to which Judah fell then is the fate that is prepared on the day of judgment for all pagan nations and, among them, for Edom (Hab.1:15–16), i.e., destruction. In such terms the prophet could only depict the conquest of Judea and Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The Prophet Ezekiel, further, directly blamed the Edomites for the fact that they delivered the sons of Israel into the hands of the sword “during their misfortune, at the time of their final destruction,” that they mocked, speaking about the mountains of Israel: “they were desolate! given to us to be devoured!” (Ezek.35:5, 12). In Proverbs 4:21, the Edomites are charged with the fact that they rejoiced and rejoiced over the misfortune of Judah: “Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, inhabitant of the land of Uz! And the cup will reach you; You’ll get drunk and be naked.” Finally, in Ps. 136 the attitude of the Edomites to the disaster of Judah on the day of the capture of Jerusalem is characterized as follows: “Remember, O Lord, to the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem, when they said: destroy, destroy to the foundations of it.” Similar expressions describe the behavior of the Edomites during the conquest of Jerusalem and in Obd.1:10–14: “You should not look with malicious joy - rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction and widen your mouth in the day of disaster” (Abd.1:12). The objection usually raised against the stated understanding of Hab.1:10–14 is that the prophet in these verses does not speak about the destruction of the church. But the center of the prophet’s speech is not the conquest of Jerusalem, the main point of which was the destruction of the church, but the behavior of the Edomites during this conquest. Therefore, mention of the destruction of the church was not necessary for the prophet. They also draw attention (Corneli, Orelli, Yungerov) to the fact that neither in Hab.1:10–14 nor further does the prophet call the Babylonians by name and that, in general, the enemies of Judah in Hab.1:10–14 are called by him the vague sarim, nachrim (“strangers”, “foreigners” - Hab.1:11). This is seen as an objection to the attribution of Hab.1:10–14 to the conquest of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. But with the same right, the vagueness of the name of the enemies in the verses under consideration can be considered an objection to any other understanding of these verses. If the Chaldeans must certainly be named, then both the Syrians and the Philistines must be named. According to Novak, the Chaldeans are not named because by the time the book was written they had disappeared from the stage of history. Another explanation is possible: the enemies are in front of everyone and are too well known to need to be named specifically. In any case, the relationship between Judah and Edom (Obd.1:10–14) does not fit so well to any other moment in history as to the moment of hostile actions of the Edomites during the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore, 586, the year of the capture of Jerusalem, is a time earlier than which Prince. Obadiah could not appear (terminus a quo). In addition to the data contained in the contents of the book. Obadiah, has long been used to resolve the question of the time of its origin, as noted above, the fact of the close similarity of Obadiah’s vision of Edom with the prophecy of Jeremiah about the same people (Jer. 49:1). The question of the relationship between the books. Obadiah and Jer.49 are resolved very differently. It follows from this that the relationship between the biblical divisions under consideration is difficult to establish with complete certainty. With the greatest justification, apparently, the similarity between the books. Obadiah and Jer.49 can be explained by the assumption of their dependence on a third, more ancient source. In any case, the controversial fact of the close similarity of the book. Obadiah and Jer.49, especially in view of the greatest clarity of data contained in the contents of the book. Avdija, cannot contradict the conclusion about the writing of the book. Obadiah after the destruction of Jerusalem. To establish with precision exactly what point in the post-captivity period the compilation of the book should be dated. Avdija, in the absence of clear data, it is impossible. If the conclusion of the canon should be attributed to the era of Ezra and Nehemiah, then this means that this time, i.e. half of the 5th century. BC and is the terminus ad quem of the book. Avdija. Further guidance can be gleaned from the contents of the book. The prophet speaks of the final destruction of Edom as something to come. But, by analogy with other prophetic predictions, it should be thought that Obadiah borrows the immediate reason for his speech about the future fate of Edom from contemporary circumstances: such a reason was given to the prophet by some devastation of Idumea that took place in his time. The prophet views this devastation as a harbinger and image of the final destruction of Edom in the future. During the era of the Babylonians and then the Persians, Idumea could have been devastated more than once, since it inevitably had to be drawn into the war between the Babylonians and Persians with Egypt. In addition, from the 6th century. Idumea also began to suffer from attacks from the south, from the Arabs, who eventually completely expelled the Edomites from their region and took possession of Tire in 312. One of the attacks of Arab nomadic tribes on Idumea could have served as the reason for Obadiah’s speech. The book of the prophet Obadiah, thus, belonged to the department of prophecy about the fate of foreign peoples. Along with the great world monarchies - Assyria, Babylon, Egypt - Edom is the people on whom the attention of the prophets more often focused (cf. Is. 21: 11-12, 34: 5-6, 63: 1; Jer. 49: 7-22; Eze. 25: 12-14, 35, etc.). This insignificant people, related to the Jews by origin, proud of the wisdom for which they had long been famous, hoping for the inaccessibility of the rocks on which they settled, was always one of the most cruel and implacable enemies of the house of Judah. Hence, for the prophets, Edom is a representative of a world hostile to the Kingdom of God, and the thought of the triumph of this Kingdom is combined with the thought of the defeat of Edom and judgment over it (Is. 34:1, 63:1). In revealing the future fate of Edom, Obadiah generally joins other prophets. There are no special features in the content of the book. Blazh. Jerome, characterizing the book. Obadiah rightly notes: “he is a minor prophet in terms of the number of verses, and not in terms of thoughts.” In the presentation of the book, bibliologists note the power of expression, liveliness and purity of the Hebrew language (Cheik, Selby, Baudissin). Condamen, not without reason, also points out that throughout the entire book of Obadiah the same technique of using synonymous expressions and even repeating the same words is used (Obd.1:1–3, 11–14, 17–18). In addition, Condamin finds in the book. Avdija's strophic construction is consistent from beginning to end. These features of the book’s presentation, as well as the development of its content, give grounds to reject the attempts of new authors (Novak, Marty, Wellhausen) to deny the unity of the book. Obadiah and split it into parts belonging to different writers and different eras. 1–9. Future destruction of the people. 10–14. The reason for the punishment of Edom. 16–20. The judgment of Edom is a foreshadowing of the judgment of the whole world. 21. Salvation in Zion. Obadiah 1:1 Vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord God says about Edom: we heard the news from the Lord, and an ambassador was sent to announce to the nations: “Arise, and let us go to war against it!” The words vision of Avdiah (slav. Avdiino) make up the inscription of the book. The term chazon, vision, prophets designate not only revelations received in the form of vision or contemplation (Am. VII; Am. VIII:1; Ezekiel I, etc.), but also revelations perceived in the form of words (Isa. I:1). In this latter sense, the term vision is also used in the inscription of the book. Avdija. – This is what the Lord God says about Edom (glorified Idumea): not another inscription of the book, representing a later gloss, but an ordinary prophetic formula that anticipates the speech of Jehovah or confirms the God-revealed character of the following words of the prophet. “We heard the message (schamanu) from the Lord and an ambassador (zir) was sent (schullach) to announce to the nations: arise and let us go to war against him.” Instead of plural Part schamanu in LXX and in glory. unity h.: ​​akohn hkousa, “hearing hearing,” as in Jeremiah XLIX (schamathi). From euros t. agree hald. and sir.; since the reading of schamanu is more difficult than the reading of schamathi, it should be preferred to the latter, although some commentators (Knabenbauer) give preference to the reading of LXX. Heb. zir LXX was translated by the word perioch, fence; Symm., sir. and hald. Aggelian; sir.-hex. – angustias; Ch. schullach they punctuated like schillach; from here to glory “news in tongues, ambassador.” The relationship between the words “news” we heard in the previous one is not entirely clear. Believing that with these words the Lord God speaks about Edom, the Lord’s own speech is introduced, which begins only from v. 2nd, some commentators (Caspari) consider the second half of Art. 1 with an introductory sentence explaining the circumstances under which the prophet received revelation. The Prophet, they think, wants to note that he received the revelation about Edom when news reached him about the intention of the nations to attack the Edomites. But the words thus saith the Lord can also be accepted in the sense of a general indication that the revelation communicated by the prophet was received by him from God. In this case, the end of Art. 1 can be considered the beginning of the prophecy about the fate of Edom. The prophet speaks in many ways. including: we heard, because he considers himself as a member of the Israeli people and its representative. The content of the message the prophet heard was that the nations were coming against Edom with war. The prophet’s mention of a later message sent to the nations does not need to be understood about Nebuchadnezzar’s embassy of ambassadors to neighboring nations to induce the latter to attack the Edomites (Cornelius Alapid.) or the embassy of an Angel to the nations for the same purpose (Knabenb.). The prophet's expressions are figurative: war against Edom is inevitable; the prophet seems to see a messenger sent by God, calling on the nations to march against Edom. The words “get up and let us speak,” etc. are put by the prophet into the mouth of the ambassador, and do not represent the call of the Lord (Shegg). Obd.1:2 Behold, I have made you a little among the nations, and you are greatly despised. From 2 tbsp. Jehovah's own speech begins. “Behold, I have made you a small one among the nations.” Slav. “Behold, mala dah thee of the town.” Some attribute these words to the past of the Edomites and understand them in the sense of indicating that the Lord did not intend the Edomites to be a great people, but they, as can be seen from what follows (v. 3), began to claim this out of their pride (Blessed Jerome, Aben-Ezra Cornelius Alyap., Bishop Palladius). “You are Edom,” paraphrases the words of the prophet Blessed. Jerome, “being the smallest among the nations and small in number compared to other nations, you pronounce arrogantly beyond your strength.” But such an understanding does not correspond to the data of the history of the Edomites (Num. XX:15, 9; 2 Kings VIII:20). With the words: Behold, I have made you small, the future is announced, which, due to its certainty, appears already as the past. Obd.1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived you; you live in clefts of the rocks, in an elevated place, and you say in your heart: “Who will bring me down to the earth?” The future humiliation of Edom will be especially difficult for him because of his pride. – The pride of your heart has deceived you (hischschiecha): LXX the last word was punctuated hissiecha (from nasa) and therefore translated ephre se; in glory “You will lift up the contempt of your heart.” Edom's pride stemmed from the belief that the rocks inhabited by Edom were inaccessible. Mountainous Idumea abounded in caves, some natural, some artificial. The most ancient inhabitants of Idumea, the Horites, lived in these caves (Gen. XIV:6; Deut. II:12, 22), and then the descendants of Esau occupied them. With the words behvej-sela, “in the clefts of the rocks,” the prophet probably means to indicate the main city of the kingdom of Edom, Selah, later Petra. Pliny also testifies to the inaccessibility of its rocks, who notes: fuit oppidum circumdatum montibus inaccessis. – In an elevated place: Heb. merom schivto, with suff. The 3rd person should be translated - “at the height of his place”; LXX instead of merom they read parable. form merim and, therefore, translated: uywn katoikian autou, slav. “Exalt your church.” Obd.1:4 But even though you fly high like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down, says the Lord. In Art. 4th, in strong terms, the prophet exposes “the futility of hope to acquire strength and strength apart from God.” Hab.1:5 Have not thieves come to you? Are it night robbers that are making you so ruined? But they would steal as much as they needed. If grape thieves came to you, wouldn’t they also leave a few berries? 5–6. A number of questions and comparisons in Art. 5–6 the prophet depicts the extreme degree of the impending devastation of Edom. As in Art. 2nd, the upcoming devastation is spoken of as an accomplished fact, due to its certainty. Why are you so ruined: LXX heb. ech nidmethah translate pou an aperrifhV (slav. “If you were defeated”), reading instead of the verb. damach (cf. Hos. IV:6; Hos. X:7, 15; Is. VI:6) ch. ramah, to overthrow; sir. and Vulg. produce nidmethah from dum (to remain silent); from here to Vulg. quomodo conticuisses, how you fell silent. More correctly the Hebrew. ech nidmethah translate: “how ruined you are” and see in the expression an exclamation that interrupts the flow of speech. Goonaker draws attention to the fact that this exclamation - how ruined you are - is not entirely in harmony with the meaning of the questions in Art. 5, since the questions are meant precisely to express the idea that Edom would not have been so ruined if only thieves and robbers had come to it. Therefore, Goonaker believes that the exclamation like you, ruined was accidentally transferred from Art. 6th in Art. 5th – Winkler finds it necessary to move the words ech nidmethah to Art. 4, and Marty crosses them out completely. But in view of the lyrical nature of speech, which allows for deviations in the development of thought, there is no particular need for the assumption of Goonaker and Winkler, and even more so there is no reason to eliminate the words in question from the text. – Grape thieves are probably thieves who steal grapes. Hab.1:6 How everything was robbed from Esau and his hiding places searched! The Prophet speaks of Edom in the third person, which, however, does not give the right to consider Art. 6 with Marty glossa. - How everything was taken from Esau: instead of the name of the people, the prophet names in v. The 6th name of the founder of the Edomites is Esau. Since Esav is taken in a collective sense, the predicate with it is multiplied. h.: ​​nechpesu (from chapas), robbed; in Russian i.e. the word everything was added. “His hiding places have been searched, niveu rnazpunaj: the prophet means not only the caves in general in which the Edomites hoped to hide, but also the places where their treasures were stored. LXX mazpunim was understood in the sense of treasures and the whole expression was translated kai katelhmfqh ta kekrummena autou, glory. “and his hidden secret was taken away.” As you know, Edom was famous for its wealth: according to Diodorus (XIX, 95), Petra was the main point of trade between Syria and Arabia. Obd.1:7 All your allies will escort you to the border, they will deceive you, those who live with you in peace will overcome you, those who eat your bread will strike you. It makes no sense! In Art. In the 7th the prophet depicts the attitude of his allies towards Edom on the day of his calamity. The exact meaning of certain expressions of Art. The 7th is difficult to establish. All your allies (kol anschej berithecha) will escort you (schilchucha) to the border (ad-haggevul). LXX words kol an. berith. referred to the next sentence as the subject. The first assumption of Art. 7 in LXX has the form ewV twn oriwn exapesteilan se, slav. “I have even exhausted you to the limit.” The words of the prophet are understood differently by commentators. According to some, the prophet wants to say that the allies will escort the Edomian ambassadors asking for help to the border, that is, they will let them go with nothing (Maurer, Keil), or that the allies, having refused the ambassadors, will escort them to the border with honor (Kleinert). According to others, the prophet expresses the general idea that the allies will expel Edom to the borders of the earth, that is, they will take him into captivity (Chald.), “they will expel him not only from the cities, but also from the very borders of the country” (Blessed Theodoret). According to Hitzig, the prophet’s thought is that the allies will also expel those Edomite fugitives who will seek their protection on the day of disaster. Novak and Goonaker believe that the words up to the border should be included at the end of Art. 6th, which, so. arr., will read: his hiding places were searched up to the border, that is, throughout the entire country. Due to the difficulty of understanding Art. 7, Winkler suggests reading ad-geval (before Ebal) instead of ad-haggevul. But, obviously, nothing is achieved by such a proofreading, as well as by the proofreading of Cheyne, who instead of ad-haggevul reads ir jerachmeel (the city of Jerahmeel), considering these words to be an explanation of the preceding anschej berithecha. Apparently, at the beginning of Art. 7 deals with the expulsion of the Edomites from their territory. – They will deceive you (hischschiecha): at LXX antesthsan soi, glory. "resisting you." - Those who eat your bread will strike you: a tentative translation of the original, in which it reads. Lachmcha jasimu mazor thachtecha. Heb. lachmcha, omitted from the LXX, must be conveyed: your bread; the word eating was added Russian. translators, and in glory. i.e. the expression “bread-eaters” came from the Vulgate. Heb. mazor in Oc V means wound; in ancient translations it is also translated into the next word. enedra (LXX), epidesiV, sundemoV (Ak.), insidiae (Vulg.), i.e. flattery, intrigue, destruction. The whole expression, in this case, should convey: your bread will be laid down for destruction (cf., however, Field, Orig. hexapl. 2, 981]. The result is an unclear thought, which prompts commentators to assume that the expression in question is a corruption of the text and to complete or correct the text. The proofs of the text presented are varied (cf. Marti, 234). So Vulg. and Russian translation, also Knabenb., Kondamen suggest that in Heb. i.e. before lachmcha the word ochelej, eating (Vulg. qui comedunt tecum) is omitted. Sire. i.e. the word lactuncha makes it dependent on the preceding anschej schlomecha (men of the world living in the world) and conveys: “men of your world and your bread” (also Ewald, Maurer). Goonaker suggests reading lechimecha instead of lachmcha and understanding it in the sense: “your allies.” - There is no meaning in it: in it, that is, in Edom. Apparently, the exclamation represents a conclusion from those described in Art. 7th relationship of allies to Edom: the prophet wants to say that Edom, proud of its wisdom, did not understand the hypocritical nature of the friendship of its allies. Hab.1:8 Will this not be the day, says the Lord, when I will destroy the wise in Edom and the prudent in the mount of Esau? Art. 8–9 contain a description of the coming disaster for Edom. – Isn’t it on that day: the word day was used by the prophet in the general meaning – time, period. – I will destroy the wise in Edom: according to Job II:11; Var III:22; Ep XLVIIEdom was famous among the nations for its wisdom. – And the prudent on the mountain of Esau: at LXX, in glory. abstractly - “and the meaning (sunestin) from the mountain of Esau.” LXX convey art. 8 is not in interrogative form, but in positive form. Hab.1:9 Your brave men will be struck with fear, O Teman, so that everyone on the mountain of Esau will be destroyed by murder. In addition to the loss of wisdom and prudence, the Edomites, even the bravest of them, will be stricken with fear. – Teman is the common name for the southern part of Idumea, sometimes meaning all of Idumea (Jer XLIX:7; Jer XXV:13). According to Jerome, in his time there was also a city called Feman, located five miles from Petra, which had a Roman garrison. – So that everyone on the mountain of Esau would be destroyed by murder (mikkatel): LXX and Vulg. the word mikkatel was attributed to Art. 10th; therefore, at the beginning of Art. 10th instead of one creature. for oppression (mechamos) in glory. t. reads two - “cuttings for the sake of wickedness” (LXX: dia sfaghn kai thn asebeian). The rest of the sentence is in Greek-slav. t. is conveyed more precisely than in Russian, namely, “let man (Heb. ikkareth isch, Russian all) be taken away from the Mount of Esau.” Hab.1:10 Because of the oppression of your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed forever. The reason for the destruction of Edom, according to the prophet, is its oppression of Israel, a related people. Hab.1:11 On that day when you stood opposite, on that day when strangers carried away his army into captivity, and strangers entered into his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. In Art. 11–14, the prophet more often indicates the crimes of Edom against Israel, and the family relations of Edom to Israel are emphasized, aggravating the guilt of the former. – Strangers took away (schevoth) his army (chelo) into captivity: the word chel in v. 13 books. Avd is used in the meaning of property, wealth, as it is understood in Russian. translators (cf. Isa VIII:4; X:8). Many commentators take the word chel in this meaning in v. 11th Although Ch. schabah (Russian t.: “taken captive”) usually appears in relation to the removal of people, but in 2 Chronicles XXI it is also used in relation to the seizure of property. However, LXX and Vul. the expression in question in Art. The 11th refers to the captivity of the Jewish army. – They cast lots for Jerusalem, that is, for the division of the captive inhabitants of Jerusalem and their property (cf. Joel III: 3; 2 Chronicles XXI: 17). Sl. The volume of verse 11 represents a literal translation from the Greek: “from him you resisted the day in the days of those who took foreigners captive against his power, and strangers entered into his gates and cast lots over Jerusalem, and you were one of them.” Obd.1:12 You should not look with malice on the day of your brother, on the day of his alienation; One should not rejoice over the sons of Judah on the day of their destruction and enlarge one’s mouth on the day of disaster. The prophet exposes the crime of the Edomites in the form of an exhortation. - Look at your brother's day, i.e. on the day of your brother's misfortune. – To widen the mouth, in Heb. tegdel pisha (your mouth), that is, to widen to mock disaster (cf. Isa LVII:4; XXXIV:21). Noteworthy is the fact that the prophet denotes the disaster of Judah with a number of synonyms: on the day of his alienation, on the day of their death, on the day of their disaster, and in Art. 13 - on the day of his misfortune; the prophet obviously wants to highlight the special severity of the catastrophe that befell Judah. In the text of Heb. the prophet's speech in v. 12–14 refers to an event that has already occurred; in the text of LXX and in glory. - to an event that is just about to occur: Art. 12 – “and thou shalt not despise thy brother,” v. 13 - “and do not enter the gate, - do not despise, - do not deliberate,” - v. 14 – “lower infusion.” Hab.1:13 You should not have entered into the gates of My people in the day of their misfortune, nor even beheld their misfortune in the day of their destruction, nor touched their property in the day of their disaster. In Art. 13th instead of the words “to his misfortune” (beraatho) in glory. (do not despise) “their host”: LXX obviously produced beraatho from rab - many; therefore, translated thn sunagwghn autwn, “a host of them.” – Neither touch (al-thischlachnah) his property (bechelo): Heb. thischlachnah, representing the 2nd person f. r. pl. h., does not have in Art. 13th of the relevant subject; therefore considered spoiled; instead of al-thischlachnah they suggest (Ewald, Marty) to read: al-thischlach jad, “neither stretch out your hands” (neither touch), as in Russian. translation. LXX euro al-thischlachnah bechelo was translated by the expression kai mh sunepiqh epi thn dunamin autwn, into glory. “and do not consult their strength”: chel, as in v. 11, adopted by the LXX, and also by the Vulgate, in the meaning of an army. Hab.1:14 neither stand at the crossroads to kill those who flee, nor hand over those who survive from it in the day of disaster. Not limiting themselves to participating in the sack of Jerusalem, the Edomites, as can be seen from Art. On the 14th, they waylaid the Jerusalem fugitives and killed them or handed them over to their enemies. – Neither stand at crossroads (al happerek): instead of the word perek, some (Graetz) read perez, taking it to mean a break in the wall, a gap, but this meaning does not correspond to the context. LXX translated perek with the word diekbolh, adding the pronoun autwn; from here to glory - “below is the infusion of their outcomes.” Under the crossroads in St. 14 there is no need to understand specifically the roads leading to Egypt, where the Jews sought salvation from Babylonian captivity (Schnurrer): the prophet speaks generally about the roads near Jerusalem, as well as about the mountain passes (March), along which they escaped from the enemy who had entered the city. – Neither to hand over (vealthasger) those who survived from it (seridaj) on the day of disaster: in LXX the expression reads – mhde sugkleishV touV feugontaV autou en hmera qliyewV, which is transferred to glory. t.: “Below imprison those who flee in the day of trouble.” Ch. sagar means “to lock”, “to imprison”, and in the form of gifil - “to betray”, “to give out”; The LXX translates sagar by sugkleiw and in Am I:6. The prophet is probably talking about the Edomites handing over to their enemies those Jewish fugitives who were hiding in the land of Edom (Jeremiah XL:11). Hab.1:15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all nations: as thou hast done, so shall it be done unto thee; your recompense will come upon your head. The prophet announces the coming of the day of the Lord, that is, the day of judgment, when Edom, together with all nations, will receive retribution for its attitude towards the people of God (cf. Num. XXIV: 12-24; 1 Kings II: 10; 2 Kings XXIII: 5-7). The prophet calls this day close because he expects the imminent punishment of Edom, and any crushing of the power hostile to God is part of the moment of that terrible judgment of God, which is to take place at the end of time. - Your reward (gemulcha), that is, your deed, your atrocities. Hab.1:16 For as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will always drink, and will drink, and will swallow, and will be as if they had not been. For how you drank (glory: “even as you drank”) on My holy mountain. Many commentators attribute the words of the prophet to the Edomites and see in them an indication that the Edomites, during the capture of Jerusalem, staged orgies on the holy mountain of the Lord, celebrating their victory (Cyril Al., Shegg, Knabenb.). Accordingly, the second half of the comparison - this is how all peoples will always drink - is also understood in relation to the Edomites, and the word drink is given a figurative meaning: this is how all peoples will drink on the mountains of Edom (Konig), i.e., to celebrate their victory and the defeat of the Edomites. Other commentators paraphrase the prophet’s thought differently: just as you (the Edomites) drank (orgies) on the holy mountain, so all nations will drink the cup of the wrath of the Lord (at Goonaker). Apparently, the first half of the comparison in Art. 16 should not refer to the Edomites, but to the Jews, and the entire expression should be considered as an image, and not as a description of a historical fact: 1) the verb drank is used in plurals. number, whereas previously the appeal to Edom was made in number of unities. (LXX, however, is read in Art. 16th epieV – drank); 2) in the second half of the comparison it is said: “all nations will drink”; since in Art. 15th Edom is also counted among all nations, which means that the words like you drank were not spoken about Edom; 3) if the first half of the comparison is understood about the Edomites, then the relationship of the second half to the first will be strained (“as you feasted, so all nations will drink the cup of wrath”). Moreover, the idea suggested by some commentators in the second half of the comparison that all nations will drink on the mountains of Edom is alien to the prophetic worldview. The entire expression of Art. 16 should be understood this way: just as you (the Jews, more particularly the inhabitants of Jerusalem) drank the cup of wrath on the holy mountain, so all nations will drink this cup of wrath constantly (Heb. thamid), the consequence of which will be their destruction. The expressions drinking and drinking the cup in Holy Scripture are often used in an allegorical sense - to bear a heavy lot (cf. Jeremiah XXV:27-29; XLVIII:26; Eze XXIII:36; Nahum III:11; Matthew XX:22; XXVI:39-42). Researchers who consider Obadiah to be the oldest prophet-writer believe that the figurative expression drinking the cup was first used by Obadiah and was borrowed from him by other prophets. In Vat. code. The LXX words all nations will drink are always omitted; into code. Al. and Sin. instead of euro thamid, always, read oinon, glory. (all the nations will drink) wine; It is believed that instead of LXX thamid they read chemer (Deut. XXXII:14) or, used in later language, themed, denoting a special kind of strong wine (Marti). Swallow: meaning of Heb. lau doubtful; LXX translated it with the word katabhsontai (in Slavic “they will drink and go down”), reading, perhaps, instead of velau the similar vpjardu; new commentators accept lau, as in Job VI:8; Proverbs XX:25, in the meaning of “to be frantic in speech” (Delich), in the meaning of “swallow”, as in Russian. text, or read instead of lau, ch. nud (cf. Isa XXIV:20; XXIX:9), “they will stagger” (Velg. Novak). Adopted in Russian i.e. the translation gives an idea that is not entirely satisfactory. Hab.1:17 And in Mount Zion there will be salvation, and it will be holy; and the house of Jacob shall take possession of their inheritance. On the day of the Lord, Mount Zion will appear as a mountain where there will be salvation for the house of Jacob; the mountain will be an inviolable shrine. At the same time, the house of Jacob will take possession of its inheritance (moraschehem), that is, its former region. LXX and Vulg. instead of morascehchem they read morischechem and translated touV kataklhronomhsantaV autouV, eos qui se possederant; from here, end of Art. 17th in glory. It reads: “And the house of Jacob of those who inherited I will inherit.” The newest commentators prefer reading the LXX to the Masoretic one. So. arr., according to Art. On the 17th, the saved house of Jacob will take possession of those who owned it, that is, it will take over their territory: “it will take possession,” explains the blessed one. Theodoret, “yours (Idumea) and other neighboring peoples of the land.” The house of Jacob, as in v. IV, the prophet names Judah (cf. Nahum II:3). Hab.1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph as flame, and the house of Esau as stubble: they shall burn it, and destroy it, and none shall remain of the house of Esau: for the Lord hath spoken it. Prophet in v. The 18th compares Judah and the house of Joseph or Israel with fire and flame (cf. Isa X:17; XXXIII:14), and Esau with straw, wanting to express the idea of ​​​​the strength and superiority of the people of God over their enemies. The possession of the people of God by inheritance (v. 17) will, within the meaning of art. On the 18th, it is such that other nations must either merge with him into one nation or be subjected to extermination. The Prophet points this out using the example of Esau. - And there will be no one left (sarid) from the house of Esau, glory. “and you shall not flee from the house of Esau”: Heb. sarid in some lists LXX (Vat.) is translated as follows. puroforoV, which Jerome renders frumentarius, “supplier of bread,” - in others purforoV, “fire-bearer” (Alec. Cyrus, Theodoret, Blessed Jerome); both readings give the idea that even those who were with the army, but did not take direct part in the battle, will perish at Edom. In some lists LXX Heb. sarid is rendered by ekfugwn; from here to glory. “And thou shalt not shun the house of Esau.” Hab.1:19 And those on the south shall take possession of the mountain of Esau, and those in the valley shall take possession of the Philistines; and they will take possession of the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin will take possession of Gilead. In Art. 19 and 20 explain the idea expressed at the end of Art. 17. Text of Art. 19–20 is parietal and is rendered presumably in Russian. – And those to the south (vejarschu hannegev) will take possession of the mountain of Esau (eth-har esav). The name hannegev (lit. "dry land"), rendered by LXX or proper. Nageb, as in the book. Avdija, or naritsat. erhmoV, “desert” (cf. Gen. XIII: 1; XXIV, etc.), was originally a geographical term and designated that part of southern Judea, which, in comparison with the rest of Palestine, was waterless. The border of negev in the north was the range of hills near Hebron or Mount Judah; in the south the negev extended to the Jebel el-Magra plateau, in the east to southern Gora and Araba, and in the west to the sandy strip stretching along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Over time, the word negev began to mean the country of the horizon, the south. In the book of Obadiah the word is used as a geographical term. The word hannegev, in Russian. translation taken as the subject of Ch. vejsrschu (“will take possession”), and taking into account the plural. h. vejarechu, freely conveyed by the expression: those who are to the south. Other subjects with the same ch. vejarachu pyc. The translators considered what follows haschschephelah, translating it into the expression: and which are in the valley. The Hebrews understood it the same way. t. and LXX, which were left without translation. negev (en Nageb) and haschscheplelah (en th Sefhla and en koiladi); from here to glory. reads: “And those who are in Nageb will inherit the Mount of Esau, and those who are in the wilderness (LXX: oi en th Sefhla) will be inherited by foreigners.” In the meaning of Russian. and glory texts, those Jews who live (or settle) in the southern part of Judea will take possession of the mountain of Esau, i.e. Idumea, and those who settled on the plain will conquer the Philistines. The newest commentators understand the text of Art. 19th differently: namely, the words of Art. 18th: the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph; the words negev and haschschephitah are considered as direct additions to vejarachu, and the words eth-har esav ("mount of Esau") and eth-pilischthim ("Philistines") as additions to negev and haschschephilah. First half of Art. On the 19th, in this case, it will look like: and the Philistines will take possession (the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph) of the south - the mountain of Esau and the valley (Novak, Velg., Goonaker; in this case, the words mountain of Esau and the Philistines are considered glossa). The idea will be clearer than in the accepted text. Second half of Art. On the 19th our text reads: And they will take possession of the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin will take possession of Gilead. – The field of Ephraim, or according to LXX: oroV Efraim, “mountain of Ephraim” is the same as the field of Samaria, i.e. region of the ten-tribe kingdom. Subject of the verb. take over in Russian i.e. those in the first half of verse 19 serve those words that are to the south and those that are in the valley. The meaning of the expression in Russian. i.e. the fact that the Jews will occupy the region of the kingdom of Israel, and Benjamin, at the same time, will take possession of Gilead, that is, the region of Trans-Jordan. It should be noted that the next will take possession after the name of Veniamin added Russian. translators, it is not in the original. In the second half of Art. On the 19th, the mention of Benjamin arouses bewilderment in view of the fact that the entire house of Jacob, including Benjamin, was already named. LXX eliminated this confusion by recognizing the word Benjamin, like the word Gilead, not as a subject, but as an object of the verb. vejarschu (take possession); from here to glory t. second half of Art. On the 19th it reads: “And they shall take away mount Ephraim, and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin, and Galadit.” The thought turned out to be even darker. The newest commentators believe that 1) subject in the second half of Art. On the 19th, as in the first, the words of Art. On the 19th the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph; 2) the words field of Samaria should be considered an addition to the previous ones - field of Ephraim; 3) instead of the name Benjamin in the original text, the name of the country should be assumed, in relation to which name the word Gilead is an appendix, namely the name of the Trans-Jordan region (veabarhajarden). Second half of Art. On the 19th, in this case, it will read: “and they will take possession of the field of Ephraim - the field of Samaria, and the country beyond Jordan - Gilead” (Gonaker). The Prophet expresses the idea that the new theocratic kingdom will not only have its previous limits, but will also be expanded (cf. Isaiah LIV:1). At the same time, the prophet indicates the expansion of borders separately for the house of Jacob (for the Jews) and for the house of Joseph (for the Israelites). Hab.1:20 And those who were carried away from the army of the children of Israel will take possession of the land of Canaan as far as Zarephath, and those who were carried away from Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will take possession of the cities of the south. In Art. On the 20th the revelation of the thoughts of Art. 19th about expanding the boundaries of the new theocratic kingdom. Text of Art. The 20th again arouses some confusion and is conveyed in our Russian. translation presumably. - And those who were displaced (vegaluh) from the army (uchel hasseh) of the children of Israel will take possession of the land of Canaan as far as Zarephath. When translating these words into Russian. i.e. the pronoun hasseh is omitted; Ch. added irschu, “take possession”; the word hachel, as in the Vulgate, is taken to mean army (and it is assumed that hachel is only a different spelling of hachejl, article 11). LXX, probably deriving hachel from chalal, translated it with the word h arch, beginning, and gave the expression a meaning different from mazor. text: in the words “And this exile began by the son of Israel.” New commentators (Shegg, Orelli, Condamin) usually also take hachel to mean army. But some give the word another meaning, namely “fortress” (Hitzig), “sand” (according to Evad, chel = chol; resettled from this sand, i.e. from this shore). The idea, however, in all these cases is unclear; It is not clear why the demonstrative pronoun hasseh - “this” was added to the word army, and also why the resettlement of only the troops is put forward when the entire people were resettled. In view of this, Marty suggests in hachel hasseh to see the corrupted name of the place from which those resettled. Goonaker suggests reading hachalah seh instead of hachel hasseh. Considering hachalah a participle (with a member) from ch. chul, used (Genesis VIII:10; Judges III:25) in the sense of expecting, Goonaker of the word Heb. t. vegaluth hachel-hasseh translates: “and the captives who wait from the children of Israel.” The prophet addresses those who, as he foresees, have not yet returned to their fatherland and are waiting for this. The prophet further speaks separately about the children of Israel and about the captives from Jerusalem. Land of Canaanite: in Heb. t. unclear ascher kanaanim, in LXX: gh twn Cananaiwn, in Vulg. omnia loca Chan., "all the places of the Canaanites." The pronoun ascher (which), which is not understood in the current combination, gives grounds to Novak and Goonaker to assume that after ascher, corresponding to the second half of Art. 20 (“those in Sepharad”), the original text contained the name of the area where the captives lived, and then followed the verb, the addition of which was the word kanaan (i.e. Phenicia, Isa xxiii: 8). – Before Sarepta: Sarepta is a Phoenician city lying between Sidon and Tyre, known for the miracle performed here by the prophet Elijah of the resurrection of the son of a poor widow (1 Kings XVII: 17-23). – And those who were displaced (vegaluth) from Jerusalem, who are (ascher) in Sepharad (bisepharad), will receive possession (irschu) of the cities (eth araj) of the south (hannegev). We are talking about captives from Jerusalem living in Sepharad. It is said that they are supposed to unite with the house of Jacob and take possession of the southern cities. It is not known exactly what the prophet means by the name Sepharad. LXX instead of this name they read: ewV Efraqa, glory. "until Ephrath." Targum, sir. trans., Efr. Sir., medieval rabbis and some Christians. commentators took Sepharad to mean a distant country and, namely, Spain. In Vulg. bisepharad translated into words in Bosphora, and in the commentary the blessed one. Jerome reports that he learned about the identity of Sapharad and Bosporus from the Jew whose help he used in his studies. New commentators identify the name Sepharad with the name of Sparad or Sparda mentioned in Persian inscriptions - the name of the people or region, by which they mean Media or the city of Sardis (Gitzig, Knabenbauer), or with Sparta (Keil), whose name could have been known to the Jews through the Phoenicians. Lenormand and Schrader identify Sepharad with Schaparda, a region in the southeast mentioned in Sargon's inscriptions. parts of Media (Sayce, The land of Sepharad. Expos.Times. 1902, 4, 303). Goonaker suggests reading instead of Sepharad – Sepharah and considering this name as a form of unities. including the city of Sepharvaim mentioned in the Bible (2 Kings XVII:24; ХVIII:34) or the Babylonian Sipar. Winkler and after him Marty identify Sepharad with the Separda of cuneiform literature and consider it, which came into use since the Persian rule, to be the name of Asia Minor and, in particular, Phrygia. – Southern cities (hannegev), in Slav. according to LXX, “the cities of Nageb.” Hab.1:21 And saviors will come to Mount Zion to judge Mount Esau, and the kingdom of the Lord will be. And saviors (moschilim) will come to Mount Zion (behar zion): just as once, during the time of the Judges, the Lord raised up saviors for His people (Judgment III:9, 15; 2 Kings XIII:5; Nehemiah IX:27), so in the future He will deliver the people through extraordinary men, and Edom will undergo the judgment of God. Such saviors of the people who prepared the Kingdom of God were Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Maccabees (Knabenbauer and medieval cat. exegetes). Marti sees in the expression of the prophet vealu moschiim, “saviors will ascend Mount Zion,” an indication that these saviors will not come from Jerusalem, but from the provinces, like the Maccabees from Modin. LXX, as well as Ak., Feod., Heb. moschiim (saviors) were read as noschaim or muschaim and therefore translated into words. anaswzomenoi and seswzomenoi (Ak., Feod.), Slav. "saved"; behap zion LXX read mega zion, slav. "from Mount Sioni." – To judge the mountain of Esau; in glory “to take revenge (tou ekdikhsai) on Mount Esau.” Marty points out that the previous verses already spoke of the destruction of Edom; therefore, the thought of judging Edom seems unnecessary to him, and Marty crosses out the expression to judge Esau as if it were a gloss. But in the figurative speech of the prophet, this expression is not a contradiction: it is only a new expression of the idea revealed by the prophet of the future rise of the people of God. – The following should be noted about the fulfillment of the prophet Obadiah. Pressed since the 6th century. Arabs in the north, the Edomites gradually occupied southern Palestine, so that Hebron became an Edomite city. From that time on, the struggle between the Jews and the Edomites began, which reached its highest development in the era of the Maccabees. In 165, Judas Maccabee took Hebron from the Edomites (1 Mac. V: 3, 65), and in 126 John Hyrcanus completely subjugated the Edomites, converting them by force into Judaism (Ant. XII; VIII, 1; XIII; IX, 1; 1 Mac. IV: 28-61; V: 3, 65; VI:31; 2Mac X:15; XII:32). From that time on, the merging of the Edomites with the Jews began, and after the destruction of Jerusalem, the very name of the Edomites disappeared. The noted facts can be considered as the implementation of Obadiah’s prediction in Art. 17–21 about the Jews inheriting Mount Esau. But, in general, the prophet’s speech about the future of Edom and Judah is figurative in nature and it is difficult to connect it with certain historical facts. On the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the destruction of Edom, see K. Keith. Proofs of the truth of the Christian faith. St. Petersburg. 1870. p. 298–360. You might be interested in: