Obadiah 17-21
1:17 a Jerusalem would become a refuge for those who escape. A remnant of Judah remained in Jerusalem (see Jer 40:11-12 b). The Lord’s mountain of refuge sharply contrasts with Edom’s failed cliff fortresses.• their inheritance: The land God gave to Abraham (Gen 12:1-7 c) would be returned to his descendants in perpetuity.
• the people of Israel: This promise of a return for the people of Judah but not for the Edomites was picked up by the prophet Malachi (Mal 1:4-5 d).
1:18 e The principle of retribution is expressed in the vivid image of a raging fire burning Edom to extinction. Edomite cities were burned by Babylonian king Nabonidus in 553 BC.
Summary for Obad 1:19-21: 1:19-21 f History yields to the day when the entire world will belong to the Lord as his kingdom. This message encourages God’s people and warns the nations that forget God.
Summary for Obad 1:19-20: 1:19-20 g God’s people living in the Negev, the foothills of Judah, and Benjamin (three regions of Judah) would possess territories of their neighbors (Edom, the Philistine plains, Gilead). Restored Israel would recover Ephraim and Samaria (territory lost in 722–721 BC to Assyria) and expand its borders to those lands promised in the conquest (the Philistine plains, the land of Gilead, the Phoenician coast). See also Ezek 47:13-23 h.
1:20 i in the north: Hebrew in Sepharad, probably a colony of Jewish exiles in Asia Minor who would return to the Negev. The scene corresponds with some actual events but looks beyond any single movement of refugees to the end times.
1:21 j to Mount Zion: God’s people would ascend his holy mountain to rule over (or to judge) the mountains of their ancient foe Edom as a precursor to the coming universal Kingdom.
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