The Meaning of Obadiah 1:14 Explained

Obadiah 1:14

KJV: Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

YLT: Nor stand by the breach to cut off its escaped, Nor deliver up its remnant in a day of distress.

Darby: and thou shouldest not have stood on the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape, nor have delivered up those remaining of him in the day of distress.

ASV: 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.

Discover Obadiah 1:14

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Obadiah 1:14?

MEANING: What does Obadiah 1:14 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Obadiah 1:14 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Obadiah 1:14?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Neither shouldest thou have stood  in the crossway,  to cut off  those of his that did escape;  neither shouldest thou have delivered up  those of his that did remain  in the day  of distress. 

What does Obadiah 1:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Physical violence eventually came into play too. As the Judean fugitives from Jerusalem left the city, the Edomites met them at some fork in the road and slew them rather than helping them escape from the invader. Other Edomites imprisoned fleeing Judahites instead of giving them refuge. This could be poetic hyperbole, but there is nothing in the text that indicates overstatement. All the other descriptions of Edom"s actions seem to be literal.
Some English translations render Obadiah 1:12-14 as referring to the future while others have interpreted them as referring to the past. Most commentators take the time as past; God was describing something that had already happened. [1] A few take it as future describing something that would take place in the future. [2] Since this is a judgment oracle, it seems more likely that God was announcing judgment on Edom for something she had already done rather than for something she would do in the future. As she had been proud ( Obadiah 1:2), she had also been violent ( Obadiah 1:10). Keil proposed that Obadiah referred to an event that had happened and to another that would happen again in the future, the past event being typical of future reoccurrences. [3]
The two most likely historical occasions that are in view are, first, the invasion by a coalition of Arabs and Philistines who carried off King Jehoram"s family and his property during a period of tension with Edom ( 2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 20:1-2; 2 Chronicles 21:8-17; 2 Chronicles 22:1). The second possible event was the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in586 B.C. ( 2 Kings 24:13-16; 2 Kings 25:4-17; 2 Chronicles 36:18; 2 Chronicles 36:20; cf. Psalm 137:7; Jeremiah 9:26; Jeremiah 25:21; Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 40:11; Ezekiel 25:12; Ezekiel 32:29; Ezekiel 35:3-9; Ezekiel 35:11-15; Ezekiel 36:2-7; Lamentations 1:17; Lamentations 2:15-17; Lamentations 4:21-22). As discussed in the introduction to this exposition, I think there is slightly better evidence for the first occasion than for the second.

Chapter Summary: Obadiah 1

1  The destruction of Edom,
3  for their pride,
10  and for their wrong unto Jacob
17  The salvation and victory of Jacob

What do the individual words in Obadiah 1:14 mean?

and not You should have stood at the crossroads to cut off - those among them who escaped nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress
וְאַֽל־ תַּעֲמֹד֙ עַל־ הַפֶּ֔רֶק לְהַכְרִ֖ית אֶת־ פְּלִיטָ֑יו וְאַל־ תַּסְגֵּ֥ר שְׂרִידָ֖יו בְּי֥וֹם צָרָֽה

וְאַֽל־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תַּעֲמֹד֙  You  should  have  stood 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
עַל־  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַפֶּ֔רֶק  the  crossroads 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּרֶק  
Sense: parting of ways, breaking in upon, plunder, crossroad.
לְהַכְרִ֖ית  to  cut  off 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פְּלִיטָ֑יו  those  among  them  who  escaped 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּלִיט 
Sense: refugee, fugitive, escaped one.
וְאַל־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תַּסְגֵּ֥ר  should  you  have  delivered  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect Jussive, second person masculine singular
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
שְׂרִידָ֖יו  those  among  them  who  remained 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂרִיד  
Sense: survivor, remnant, that which is left.
בְּי֥וֹם  in  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
צָרָֽה  of  distress 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָרָה 
Sense: straits, distress, trouble.

What are the major concepts related to Obadiah 1:14?

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Similar Scriptures for Obadiah 1:14

Amos 1:6 [2]
Amos 1:9 [2]
Isaiah 37:3 [2]
Obadiah 1:12 [2]
Genesis 35:3 [2]
Psalms 31:8 [2]
Jeremiah 30:7 [2]