ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
Obadiah 1:10–14 — Indictment of Edom's Violence Against Jacob
Edom is condemned for the violence done to brother Jacob, with six specific acts of betrayal listed during the day of Jerusalem's calamity, resulting in everlasting shame and destruction.
Escritura
- 10.Por la injuria a tu hermano Jacob te cubrirá vergüenza, y serás cortado para siempre.For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
- 11.El día que estando tú delante, llevaban extraños cautivo su ejército, y extraños entraban por sus puertas, y echaban suertes sobre Jerusalén, tú también eras como uno de ellos.In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
- 12.Pues no debiste tú haber estado mirando en el día de tu hermano, en el día de su infortunio; no debiste haberte alegrado de los hijos de Judá en el día en que se perdieron, ni debiste haberte jactado en el día de la angustia.But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress.
- 13.No debiste haber entrado por la puerta de mi pueblo en el día de su quebrantamiento; no, no debiste haber mirado su mal en el día de su quebranto, ni haber echado mano a sus bienes en el día de su calamidad.Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.
- 14.Tampoco debiste haberte parado en las encrucijadas para matar a los que de ellos escapasen; ni debiste haber entregado a los que quedaban en el día de angustia.And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.
Qué significa este pasaje
Verses 10–11 frame the charge: the violence against Jacob (v. 10) and Edom's passive presence at the gates of Jerusalem when strangers carried away his substance and cast lots over the city (v. 11) are twin indictments. The Hebrew 'violence' (ḥamas) and the phrase 'stood on the other side' establish both active complicity and the failure to act as a brother. The result is shame and being cut off forever.
Verses 12–13 move from accusation to prohibition, listing three commands on the day of Judah's disaster: do not gaze, do not rejoice, do not open the mouth wide in gloating; then do not enter the gate, do not look on affliction, do not lay hands on their substance. The repetition of 'the day of his/their calamity' (yom 'edo, yom 'aram) creates a relentless rhythmic structure that ties Edom's sin to a specific moment of opportunity.
Verse 14 completes the indictment with two final prohibitions: do not stand in the crossway to cut off fugitives, and do not deliver up survivors. The chapter's curated note identifies six specific indictments—standing by, seizing possessions, cutting off fugitives, surrendering allies, looting the city. The target passage (vv. 10–14) focuses on the first cluster: the violence, the presence at the gate, the gloating, the looting, and the blocking of escape. The passage presents Edom's sin as a betrayal of kinship obligations at the precise moment when brotherly duty was required.
Contexto
The target passage (vv. 10–14) sits at the structural center of Obadiah. Before it, verses 7–9 establish Edom's prior humiliation: allies deceive, the wise men of Edom are destroyed, and Teman's mighty men are dismayed. The violence against Jacob in verse 10 is thus presented as the root cause of the coming judgment, not merely one offense among many. After the target passage, verses 15–16 announce the Day of the Lord against all nations—the principle of reciprocal justice ('as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee')—followed by verses 17–21, which describe the deliverance of Mount Zion and the possession of Edom's territories by the house of Jacob.
The chapter moves from Edom's pride (vv. 1–4) through her humiliation (vv. 5–9) to the specific indictments (vv. 10–14) and finally to universal divine justice and restoration (vv. 15–21). Within this structure, verses 10–14 function as the pivotal evidence: what Edom did to Jacob is the concrete chapter that justifies the verdict. The phrase 'thy brother Jacob' in verse 10 connects the passage to the broader biblical theme of the Jacob-Esau relationship, establishing the sin as a violation of kinship, not merely a political act.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why is Edom called Jacob's 'brother' in this passage?
According to the chapter text, Edom is Jacob's brother through the biblical origin of the two peoples as descendants of Esau and Jacob. The passage uses 'thy brother Jacob' to frame Edom's violence as a violation of kinship obligation, not merely a political or military act. The chapter notes that the target passage's six indictments center on the failure of brotherly duty at the moment of Jerusalem's calamity.
What are the six specific indictments against Edom mentioned in the curated note?
The curated note states: standing by, seizing possessions, cutting off fugitives, surrendering allies, and looting the city. The passage itself (vv. 12–14) emphasizes the first cluster of prohibitions: the day of gazing, the day of rejoicing, the day of opening the mouth in pride, entering the gate, laying hands on substance, standing in the crossway, and delivering up survivors. The structure of repeated prohibitions against gloating, looting, and blocking escape ties the sin to a specific moment of opportunity.
What is the result of Edom's violence according to verse 10?
Verse 10 states: 'shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.' The chapter presents this as the consequence of the violence done to brother Jacob. The subsequent indictment (vv. 11–14) details the specific acts that constitute this violence, and verse 15 extends the principle of reciprocal justice to all nations: 'as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee.'