Obaja 1:9-10

1:9 Your warriors will be shattered, O Teman, ¹ 

so that ²  everyone ³  will be destroyed ⁴  from Esau’s mountain!

Edom’s Treachery Against Judah

1:10 “Because ⁵  you violently slaughtered ⁶  your relatives, ⁷  the people of Jacob, ⁸ 

shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed ⁹  forever.

[1:9]  ¹ sn Teman, like Sela, was a prominent city of Edom. The name Teman is derived from the name of a grandson of Esau (cf. Gen 36:11). Here it is a synecdoche of part for whole, standing for all of Edom.

[1:9]  ² tn The Hebrew word used here (לְמַעַן, lÿma’an) usually expresses purpose. The sense in this context, however, is more likely that of result.

[1:9]  ³ tn Heb “a man,” meaning “every single person” here; cf. KJV “every one.”

[1:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “cut down”; CEV “wiped out.”

[1:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a causal sense.

[1:10]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “your brother Jacob” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “your relatives, the Israelites.”

[1:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “be cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).