The Meaning of Obadiah 1:7 Explained

Obadiah 1:7

KJV: All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.

YLT: Unto the border sent thee have all thine allies, Forgotten thee, prevailed over thee, have thy friends, Thy bread they make a snare under thee, There is no understanding in him!

Darby: All the men of thy confederacy have pushed thee to the border; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, they have prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a snare under thee. There is no understanding in him.

ASV: All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

All the men  of thy confederacy  have brought  thee [even] to the border:  the men  that were at peace  with thee have deceived  thee, [and] prevailed  against thee; [they that eat] thy bread  have laid  a wound  under thee: [there is] none understanding  in him. 

What does Obadiah 1:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Edom"s allies would treacherously betray their friend. Thus Edom would not only deceive herself, but her trusted allies would also deceive her. They would do what in the ancient Near East was most despicable, namely, break a covenant with a covenant partner (cf. Psalm 55:20; Amos 1:9). Edom"s allies would prove to be the worst of enemies. They would fail to assist her in her hour of greatest need. Three parallel descriptions of covenant disloyalty in this verse picture the treachery as certain. Moreover this disloyalty would completely surprise the Edomites.
"Edom was a weak country militarily, its small population and its limited agricultural wealth precluding powerful armed forces. Therefore its ability to attack Judah"s Negeb and help plunder Jerusalem had depended on its obsequious alliance with more powerful states, especially Babylon." [1]
This writer believed Obadiah wrote after the Babylonians defeated Jerusalem.

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 1:7 mean?

To the border shall force you all the men in your confederacy shall deceive you [and] prevail against you the men at peace with you [Those who eat] your bread shall lay a trap for you No one is aware of it
עַֽד־ הַגְּב֣וּל שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ הִשִּׁיא֛וּךָ יָכְל֥וּ לְךָ֖ אַנְשֵׁ֣י שְׁלֹמֶ֑ךָ לַחְמְךָ֗ יָשִׂ֤ימוּ מָזוֹר֙ תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ אֵ֥ין תְּבוּנָ֖ה בּֽוֹ

הַגְּב֣וּל  the  border 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ  shall  force  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אַנְשֵׁ֣י  the  men  in 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ  your  confederacy 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
הִשִּׁיא֛וּךָ  shall  deceive  you 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural, second person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׁא  
Sense: to beguile, deceive.
יָכְל֥וּ  [and]  prevail 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
לְךָ֖  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
אַנְשֵׁ֣י  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
שְׁלֹמֶ֑ךָ  at  peace  with  you 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
לַחְמְךָ֗  [Those  who  eat]  your  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
יָשִׂ֤ימוּ  shall  lay 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
מָזוֹר֙  a  trap 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָזׄור  
Sense: net, trap.
תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
אֵ֥ין  No  one 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
תְּבוּנָ֖ה  is  aware 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּבוּנָה 
Sense: understanding, intelligence.
בּֽוֹ  of  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular