Yesaya 34:1-17
Konteks34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen!
Pay attention, you people!
The earth and everything it contains must listen,
the world and everything that lives in it. 1
34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, 2
their corpses will stink; 3
the hills will soak up their blood. 4
34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, 5
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 6
34:5 He says, 7 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 8
Look, it now descends on Edom, 9
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 10 with fat;
it drips 11 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 12 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 13 in Bozrah, 14
a bloody 15 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 16 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 17
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 18
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 19
34:9 Edom’s 20 streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
34:10 Night and day it will burn; 21
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland
and no one will ever pass through it again.
34:11 Owls and wild animals 22 will live there, 23
all kinds of wild birds 24 will settle in it.
The Lord 25 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line 26 of destruction. 27
34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom
and all her officials will disappear. 28
34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow 29 in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there. 30
34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; 31
wild goats will bleat to one another. 32
Yes, nocturnal animals 33 will rest there
and make for themselves a nest. 34
34:15 Owls 35 will make nests and lay eggs 36 there;
they will hatch them and protect them. 37
Yes, hawks 38 will gather there,
each with its mate.
34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! 39
Not one of these creatures will be missing, 40
none will lack a mate. 41
For the Lord has issued the decree, 42
and his own spirit gathers them. 43
34:17 He assigns them their allotment; 44
he measures out their assigned place. 45
They will live there 46 permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.
Yesaya 63:1-6
Konteks63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, 47
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? 48
Who 49 is this one wearing royal attire, 50
who marches confidently 51 because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!” 52
63:2 Why are your clothes red?
Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? 53
63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them 54 in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained 55 all my clothes.
63:4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,
and then payback time arrived. 56
63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked because there was no one offering support. 57
So my right arm accomplished deliverance;
my raging anger drove me on. 58
63:6 I trampled nations in my anger,
I made them drunk 59 in my rage,
I splashed their blood on the ground.” 60
Yeremia 25:15-29
Konteks25:15 So 61 the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision. 62 “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. 63 Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 25:16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro 64 and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” 65
25:17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath. 66 25:18 I made Jerusalem 67 and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. 68 I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object 69 of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. 70 Such is already becoming the case! 71 25:19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; 72 his attendants, his officials, his people, 25:20 the foreigners living in Egypt; 73 all the kings of the land of Uz; 74 all the kings of the land of the Philistines, 75 the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; 76 25:21 all the people of Edom, 77 Moab, 78 Ammon; 79 25:22 all the kings of Tyre, 80 all the kings of Sidon; 81 all the kings of the coastlands along the sea; 82 25:23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, 83 all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; 84 25:24 all the kings of Arabia who 85 live in the desert; 25:25 all the kings of Zimri; 86 all the kings of Elam; 87 all the kings of Media; 88 25:26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath, 89 the king of Babylon 90 must drink it.
25:27 Then the Lord said to me, 91 “Tell them that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 92 says, 93 ‘Drink this cup 94 until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up. 95 For I will send wars sweeping through you.’ 96 25:28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the Lord who rules over all says 97 ‘You most certainly must drink it! 98 25:29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. 99 So how can you possibly avoid being punished? 100 You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord who rules over all, 101 affirm it!’ 102
Yeremia 49:12
Konteks49:12 For the Lord says, “If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup of my wrath must drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must certainly drink from the cup of my wrath. 103
Yehezkiel 25:12-14
Konteks25:12 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Edom 104 has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable 105 by taking vengeance 106 on them. 107 25:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her, 108 and I will make her desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die 109 by the sword. 25:14 I will exact my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They will carry out in Edom my anger and rage; they will experience 110 my vengeance, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
Yehezkiel 35:3-9
Konteks35:3 Say to it, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir;
I will stretch out my hand against you
and turn you into a desolate ruin.
35:4 I will lay waste your cities;
and you will become desolate.
Then you will know that I am the Lord!
35:5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword 111 at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. 35:6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 35:7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; 112 I will cut off 113 from it the one who passes through or returns. 35:8 I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall. 35:9 I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Amos 1:11
Konteks1:11 This is what the Lord says:
“Because Edom has committed three crimes 114 –
make that four! 115 – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. 116
He chased his brother 117 with a sword;
he wiped out his allies. 118
In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; 119
in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. 120
Obaja 1:1
Konteks1:1 The vision 121 that Obadiah 122 saw. 123
The Lord God 124 says this concerning 125 Edom: 126
We have heard a report from the Lord.
An envoy was sent among the nations, saying, 127
“Arise! Let us make war against Edom!” 128
Obaja 1:10-14
Konteks1:10 “Because 129 you violently slaughtered 130 your relatives, 131 the people of Jacob, 132
shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed 133 forever.
1:11 You stood aloof 134 while strangers took his army 135 captive,
and foreigners advanced to his gates. 136
When they cast lots 137 over Jerusalem, 138
you behaved as though you were in league 139 with them.
1:12 You should not 140 have gloated 141 when your relatives 142 suffered calamity. 143
You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. 144
You should not have boasted 145 when they suffered adversity. 146
1:13 You should not have entered the city 147 of my people when they experienced distress. 148
You should not have joined 149 in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress. 150
You should not have looted 151 their wealth when they endured distress. 152
1:14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road 153 to slaughter 154 those trying to escape. 155
You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity. 156
Maleakhi 1:2-4
Konteks1:2 “I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?”
“Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the Lord explains, “yet I chose Jacob 1:3 and rejected Esau. 157 I turned Esau’s 158 mountains into a deserted wasteland 159 and gave his territory 160 to the wild jackals.”
1:4 Edom 161 says, “Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places.” So the Lord who rules over all 162 responds, “They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as 163 the land of evil, the people with whom the Lord is permanently displeased.
[34:1] 1 tn Heb “the world and its offspring”; NASB “the world and all that springs from it.”
[34:3] 2 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
[34:3] 3 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
[34:3] 4 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
[34:4] 5 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
[34:4] 6 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
[34:5] 7 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
[34:5] 8 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
[34:5] sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.
[34:5] 9 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
[34:6] 10 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 11 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 12 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 13 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 14 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 15 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:7] 16 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
[34:7] 17 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
[34:8] 18 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 19 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
[34:9] 20 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:10] 21 tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”
[34:11] 22 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
[34:11] 23 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
[34:11] 24 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
[34:11] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 26 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
[34:11] 27 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
[34:12] 28 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
[34:13] 29 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:13] 30 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
[34:14] 31 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
[34:14] 32 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
[34:14] 33 tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
[34:14] 34 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
[34:15] 35 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
[34:15] 36 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
[34:15] 37 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
[34:15] 38 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.
[34:16] 39 tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”
[34:16] sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.
[34:16] 40 tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:16] 41 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
[34:16] 42 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval
[34:16] 43 tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 44 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 45 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
[34:17] 46 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
[63:1] 47 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
[63:1] 48 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
[63:1] 49 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
[63:1] 50 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
[63:1] 51 tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).
[63:1] 52 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
[63:2] 53 tn Heb “and your garments like one who treads in a vat?”
[63:3] 54 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
[63:3] 55 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
[63:4] 56 tn Heb “for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my revenge came.” The term גְּאוּלַי (gÿ’ulai) is sometimes translated here “my redemption,” for the verbal root גאל often means “deliver, buy back.” A גֹּאֵל (go’el, “kinsman-redeemer”) was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, the responsibilities of a גֹּאֵל extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deut 19:6-12). In Isa 63:4, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the previous line), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The Lord pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action.
[63:5] 57 sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.
[63:5] 58 tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”
[63:6] 59 sn See Isa 49:26 and 51:23 for similar imagery.
[63:6] 60 tn Heb “and I brought down to the ground their juice.” “Juice” refers to their blood (see v. 3).
[25:15] 61 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably being used in the sense that BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c notes, i.e., the causal connection is somewhat loose, related here to the prophecies against the nations. “So” seems to be the most appropriate way to represent this.
[25:15] 62 tn Heb “Thus said the
[25:15] 63 sn “Drinking from the cup of wrath” is a common figure to represent being punished by God. Isaiah had used it earlier to refer to the punishment which Judah was to suffer and from which God would deliver her (Isa 51:17, 22) and Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk uses it of Babylon “pouring out its wrath” on the nations and in turn being forced to drink the bitter cup herself (Hab 2:15-16). In Jer 51:7 the
[25:16] 64 tn There is some debate about the meaning of the verb here. Both BDB 172 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hithpo and KBL 191 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpol interpret this of the back and forth movement of staggering. HALOT 192 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpo interprets it as vomiting. The word is used elsewhere of the up and down movement of the mountains (2 Sam 22:8) and the up and down movement of the rolling waves of the Nile (Jer 46:7, 8). The fact that a different verb is used in v. 27 for vomiting would appear to argue against it referring to vomiting (contra W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:674; it is “they” that do this not their stomachs).
[25:16] 65 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among them.” Here, as often elsewhere in Jeremiah, the sword is figurative for warfare which brings death. See, e.g., 15:2. The causal particle here is found in verbal locutions where it is the cause of emotional states or action. Hence there are really two “agents” which produce the effects of “staggering” and “acting insane,” the cup filled with God’s wrath and the sword. The sword is the “more literal” and the actual agent by which the first agent’s action is carried out.
[25:17] 66 tn The words “the wine of his wrath” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor (see vv. 15-16). They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 67 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:18] 68 tn The words “I made” and “drink it” are not in the text. The text from v. 18 to v. 26 contains a list of the nations that Jeremiah “made drink it.” The words are supplied in the translation here and at the beginning of v. 19 for the sake of clarity. See also the note on v. 26.
[25:18] 69 tn Heb “in order to make them a ruin, an object of…” The sentence is broken up and the antecedents are made specific for the sake of clarity and English style.
[25:18] 70 tn See the study note on 24:9 for explanation.
[25:18] 71 tn Heb “as it is today.” This phrase would obviously be more appropriate after all these things had happened as is the case in 44:6, 23 where the verbs referring to these conditions are past. Some see this phrase as a marginal gloss added after the tragedies of 597
[25:19] 72 sn See further Jer 46:2-28 for the judgment against Egypt.
[25:20] 73 tn The meaning of this term and its connection with the preceding is somewhat uncertain. This word is used of the mixture of foreign people who accompanied Israel out of Egypt (Exod 12:38) and of the foreigners that the Israelites were to separate out of their midst in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:3). Most commentators interpret it here of the foreign people who were living in Egypt. (See BDB 786 s.v. I עֶרֶב and KBL 733 s.v. II עֶרֶב.)
[25:20] 74 sn The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job 1:1). The exact location is unknown but its position here between Egypt and the Philistine cities suggests it is south of Judah, probably in the Arabian peninsula. Lam 4:21 suggests that it was near Edom.
[25:20] 75 sn See further Jer 47:1-7 for the judgment against the Philistines. The Philistine cities were west of Judah.
[25:20] 76 sn The Greek historian Herodotus reports that Ashdod had been destroyed under the Pharaoh who preceded Necho, Psammetichus.
[25:21] 77 sn See further Jer 49:7-22 for the judgment against Edom. Edom, Moab, and Ammon were east of Judah.
[25:21] 78 sn See further Jer 48:1-47 for the judgment against Moab.
[25:21] 79 sn See further Jer 49:1-6 for the judgment against Ammon.
[25:22] 80 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 81 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
[25:22] map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 82 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.
[25:23] 83 sn Dedan and Tema are mentioned together in Isa 21:13-14 and located in the desert. They were located in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula south and east of Ezion Geber. Buz is not mentioned anywhere else and its location is unknown. Judgment against Dedan and Tema is mentioned in conjunction with the judgment on Edom in Jer 47:7-8.
[25:23] 84 tn For the discussion regarding the meaning of the terms here see the notes on 9:26.
[25:23] sn See Jer 9:26 where these are mentioned in connection with Moab, Edom, and Ammon.
[25:24] 85 tc Or “and all the kings of people of mixed origin who.” The Greek version gives evidence of having read the term only once; it refers to the “people of mixed origin” without reference to the kings of Arabia. While the term translated “people of mixed origin” seems appropriate in the context of a group of foreigners within a larger entity (e.g. Israel in Exod 12:38; Neh 13:3; Egypt in Jer 50:37), it seems odd to speak of them as a separate entity under their own kings. The presence of the phrase in the Hebrew text and the other versions dependent upon it can be explained as a case of dittography.
[25:24] sn See further Jer 49:28-33 for judgment against some of these Arabian peoples.
[25:25] 86 sn The kingdom of Zimri is mentioned nowhere else, so its location is unknown.
[25:25] 87 sn See further Jer 49:34-39 for judgment against Elam.
[25:25] 88 sn Elam and Media were east of Babylon; Elam in the south and Media in the north. They were in what is now western Iran.
[25:26] 89 tn The words “have drunk the wine of the
[25:26] 90 tn Heb “the king of Sheshach.” “Sheshach” is a code name for Babylon formed on the principle of substituting the last letter of the alphabet for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. On this principle Hebrew שׁ (shin) is substituted for Hebrew ב (bet) and Hebrew כ (kaf) is substituted for Hebrew ל (lamed). On the same principle “Leb Kamai” in Jer 51:1 is a code name for Chasdim or Chaldeans which is Jeremiah’s term for the Babylonians. No explanation is given for why the code names are used. The name “Sheshach” for Babylon also occurs in Jer 51:41 where the term Babylon is found in parallelism with it.
[25:27] 91 tn The words “Then the
[25:27] 92 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”
[25:27] sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
[25:27] 93 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:27] 94 tn The words “this cup” are not in the text but are implicit to the metaphor and the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:27] 95 tn Heb “Drink, and get drunk, and vomit and fall down and don’t get up.” The imperatives following drink are not parallel actions but consequent actions. For the use of the imperative plus the conjunctive “and” to indicate consequent action, even intention see GKC 324-25 §110.f and compare usage in 1 Kgs 22:12; Prov 3:3b-4a.
[25:27] 96 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among you.” See the notes on 2:16 for explanation.
[25:28] 97 tn Heb “Tell them, ‘Thus says the
[25:28] 98 tn The translation attempts to reflect the emphatic construction of the infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb which is here an obligatory imperfect. (See Joüon 2:371-72 §113.m and 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Gen 15:13.)
[25:29] 99 tn Heb “which is called by my name.” See translator’s note on 7:10 for support.
[25:29] 100 tn This is an example of a question without the formal introductory particle following a conjunctive vav introducing an opposition. (See Joüon 2:609 §161.a.) It is also an example of the use of the infinitive before the finite verb in a rhetorical question involving doubt or denial. (See Joüon 2:422-23 §123.f, and compare usage in Gen 37:8.)
[25:29] 101 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[25:29] sn See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3 for explanation of this extended title.
[25:29] 102 tn Heb “Oracle of Yahweh of armies.”
[49:12] 103 tn The words “of my wrath” after “cup” in the first line and “from the cup of my wrath” in the last line are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[49:12] sn The reference here is to the cup of God’s wrath which is connected with the punishment of war at the hands of the Babylonians referred to already in Jer 25:15-29. Those who do not deserve to drink are the innocent victims of war who get swept away with the guilty. Edom was certainly not one of the innocent victims as is clear from this judgment speech and those referred to in the study note on 49:7.
[25:12] 104 sn Edom was located south of Moab.
[25:12] 105 tn Heb “and they have become guilty, becoming guilty.” The infinitive absolute following the finite verb makes the statement emphatic and draws attention to the degree of guilt incurred by Edom due to its actions.
[25:12] 106 tn Heb “and they have taken vengeance.”
[25:12] 107 sn Edom apparently in some way assisted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6
[25:13] 108 tn Heb “and I will cut off from her man and beast.”
[35:5] 111 tn Or “gave over…to the power of the sword.” This phrase also occurs in Jer 18:21 and Ps 63:10.
[35:7] 112 tc The translation reads with some manuscripts לְשִׁמְמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה (lÿshimmah umÿshammah, “desolate ruin”) as in verse 3 and often in Ezekiel. The majority reading reverses the first mem (מ) with the shin (שׁ) resulting in the repetition of the word desolate: לְשִׁמְמָה וּשְׁמָמָה (lÿshimmah ushÿmamah).
[1:11] 114 tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.
[1:11] 115 tn Heb “Because of three violations of Edom, even because of four.”
[1:11] sn On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.
[1:11] 116 tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.
[1:11] 117 sn It is likely that “brother” refers here to a treaty partner (see the note on the word “brotherhood” in 1:9). However, it is possible, if Israel is in view, that Edom’s ancient blood relationship to God’s people is alluded to here. Cf. NCV, NLT “their relatives, the Israelites.”
[1:11] 118 tn Or “He stifled his compassion.” The Hebrew term רָחֲמָיו (rakhamayv) is better understood here (parallel to “brother/treaty partner”) as a reference to “allies” which Edom betrayed. An Aramaic cognate is attested (see DNWSI 2:1069-70). See M. Fishbane, “The Treaty Background of Amos 1:11 and Related Matters,” JBL 89 (1970): 313-18; idem, “Critical Note: Additional Remarks on rh£myw (Amos 1:11),” JBL 91 (1972): 391-93; and M. Barré, “Amos 1:11 reconsidered,” CBQ 47 (1985) 420-27. Some argue that the clause is best translated as “and destroyed his womenfolk.” רַחַם (rakham) means “womb”; the plural here would be a metonymy for “women” and could establish a parallel with the atrocity of 1:13. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 64-65.
[1:11] 119 tn Heb “his anger tore continually.” The Hebrew verb טָרַף (taraf, “tear apart”) is often used of an animal tearing apart its prey. The word picture here is that of a vicious predator’s feeding frenzy.
[1:11] 120 tn Traditionally, “he kept his fury continually.” The Hebrew term שְׁמָרָה (shÿmarah) could be taken as a Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix (with mappiq omitted), “he kept it” (NASB, NKJV, NRSV). It is also possible in light of the parallelism that שָׁמַר (shamar) is a rare homonym cognate to an Akkadian verb meaning “to rage; to be furious.” Repointing the verb as שָׁמְרָה (shamÿrah, third person feminine singular), one could translate literally, “his fury raged continually” (NIV, NJPS).
[1:1] 121 sn The date of the book of Obadiah is very difficult to determine. Since there is no direct indication of chronological setting clearly suggested by the book itself, and since the historical identity of the author is uncertain as well, a possible date for the book can be arrived at only on the basis of internal evidence. When did the hostile actions of Edom against Judah that are described in this book take place? Many nineteenth-century scholars linked the events of the book to a historical note found in 2 Kgs 8:20 (cf. 2 Chr 21:16-17): “In [Jehoram’s] days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and established a king over themselves.” If this is the backdrop against which Obadiah should be read, it would suggest a ninth-century
[1:1] 122 sn The name Obadiah in Hebrew means “servant of the
[1:1] 123 tn Heb “the vision of Obadiah” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “This is the prophecy of Obadiah.”
[1:1] 124 tn Heb “Lord
[1:1] 125 tn The Hebrew preposition לְ (lÿ) is better translated here “concerning” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “about” (so NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV) Edom rather than “to” Edom, although much of the book does speak directly to Edom.
[1:1] 126 sn The name Edom derives from a Hebrew root that means “red.” Edom was located to the south of the Dead Sea in an area with numerous rocky crags that provided ideal military advantages for protection. Much of the sandstone of this area has a reddish color. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Gen 25:19-26).
[1:1] 127 tn Although the word “saying” is not in the Hebrew text, it has been supplied in the translation because what follows seems to be the content of the envoy’s message. Cf. ASV, NASB, NCV, all of which supply “saying”; NIV, NLT “to say.”
[1:1] 128 tn Heb “Arise, and let us arise against her in battle!” The term “Edom” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to specify the otherwise ambiguous referent of the term “her.”
[1:10] 129 tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a causal sense.
[1:10] 130 tn Heb “because of the slaughter and because of the violence.” These two expressions form a hendiadys meaning “because of the violent slaughter.” Traditional understanding connects the first phrase “because of the slaughter” with the end of v. 9 (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). It is preferable, however, to regard it as parallel to the reference to violence at the beginning of v. 11. Both the parallel linguistic structure of the two phrases and the metrical structure of the verse favor connecting this phrase with the beginning of v. 10 (cf. NRSV, TEV).
[1:10] 131 tn Heb “the violence of your brother.” The genitive construction is to be understood as an objective genitive. The meaning is not that Jacob has perpetrated violence (= subjective genitive), but that violence has been committed against him (= objective genitive).
[1:10] 132 tn Heb “your brother Jacob” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “your relatives, the Israelites.”
[1:10] 133 tn Heb “be cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:11] 134 tn Heb “in the day of your standing”; NAB “On the day when you stood by.”
[1:11] 135 tn Or perhaps, “wealth” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The Hebrew word is somewhat ambiguous here. This word also appears in v. 13, where it clearly refers to wealth.
[1:11] 136 tc The present translation follows the Qere which reads the plural (“gates”) rather than the singular.
[1:11] 137 sn Casting lots seems to be a way of deciding who would gain control over material possessions and enslaved peoples following a military victory.
[1:11] 138 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:11] 139 tn Heb “like one from them”; NASB “You too were as one of them.”
[1:12] 140 tn In vv. 12-14 there are eight prohibitions which summarize the nature of the Lord’s complaint against Edom. Each prohibition alludes to something that Edom did to Judah that should not have been done by one “brother” to another. It is because of these violations that the Lord has initiated judgment against Edom. In the Hebrew text these prohibitions are expressed by אַל (’al, “not”) plus the jussive form of the verb, which is common in negative commands of immediate urgency. Such constructions would normally have the sense of prohibiting something either not yet begun (i.e., “do not start to …”) or something already in process at the time of speaking (i.e., “stop…”). Here, however, it seems more likely that the prohibitions refer to a situation in past rather than future time (i.e., “you should not have …”). If so, the verbs are being used in a rhetorical fashion, as though the prophet were vividly projecting himself back into the events that he is describing and urging the Edomites not to do what in fact they have already done.
[1:12] 141 tn The Hebrew expression “to look upon” often has the sense of “to feast the eyes upon” or “to gloat over” (cf. v. 13).
[1:12] 142 tn Heb “your brother” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “your brother Israel.”
[1:12] 143 tn Heb “in the day of your brother, in the day of his calamity.” This expression is probably a hendiadys meaning, “in the day of your brother’s calamity.” The Hebrew word נָכְרוֹ (nokhro, “his calamity”)_is probably a word-play on נָכְרִים (nokherim, “foreigners”) in v. 11.
[1:12] 144 tn Heb “in the day of their destruction” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “on the day of their ruin.”
[1:12] 145 tn Or “boasted with your mouth.” The Hebrew text includes the phrase “with your mouth,” which is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
[1:12] 146 tn Heb “in the day of adversity”; NASB “in the day of their distress.”
[1:13] 147 tn Heb “the gate.” The term “gate” here functions as a synecdoche for the city as a whole, which the Edomites plundered.
[1:13] 148 tn Heb “in the day of their distress.” The phrase is used three times in this verse; the Hebrew word translated “distress” (אֵידָם, ’edam) is a wordplay on the name Edom. For stylistic reasons and to avoid monotony, in the present translation this phrase is rendered: “when they experienced distress,” “when they suffered distress,” and “when they endured distress.”
[1:13] 149 tn Heb “you, also you.”
[1:13] 150 tn Heb “in the day of his distress.” In this and the following phrase at the end of v. 13 the suffix is 3rd person masculine singular. As collective singulars both occurrences have been translated as plurals (“they suffered distress…endured distress” rather than “he suffered distress…endured distress”).
[1:13] 151 tc In the MT the verb is feminine plural, but the antecedent is unclear. The Hebrew phrase תִּשְׁלַחְנָה (tishlakhnah) here should probably be emended to read תִּשְׁלַח יָד (tishlakh yad), although yad (“hand”) is not absolutely essential to this idiom.
[1:13] 152 tn See the note on the phrase “suffered distress” in the previous line.
[1:14] 153 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word פֶּרֶק (pereq; here translated “fork in the road”) is uncertain. The word is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in Nah 3:1, where it means “plunder.” In the present context it seems to refer to a strategic intersection or fork in a road where bands of Edomites apprehended Israelites who were fleeing from the attack on Jerusalem. Cf. NAB, NIV, NLT “crossroads”; NRSV “crossings.”
[1:14] 154 tn Heb “to cut off” (so KJV, NRSV); NASB, NIV “to cut down.”
[1:14] 155 tn Heb “his fugitives”; NAB, CEV “refugees.”
[1:14] 156 tn Heb “in the day of distress” (so KJV, ASV).
[1:3] 157 tn Heb “and I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.” The context indicates this is technical covenant vocabulary in which “love” and “hate” are synonymous with “choose” and “reject” respectively (see Deut 7:8; Jer 31:3; Hos 3:1; 9:15; 11:1).
[1:3] 158 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:3] 159 tn Heb “I set his mountains as a desolation.”
[1:3] 160 tn Or “inheritance” (so NIV, NLT).
[1:4] 161 sn Edom, a “brother” nation to Israel, became almost paradigmatic of hostility toward Israel and God (see Num 20:14-21; Deut 2:8; Jer 49:7-22; Ezek 25:12-14; Amos 1:11-12; Obad 10-12).
[1:4] 162 sn The epithet
[1:4] 163 tn Heb “and they will call them.” The third person plural subject is indefinite; one could translate, “and people will call them.”
