His ſhort Prophecy will not need any long Prefatory Argument ,, He concealeth his Nation, Family, and Place of his Birth and Abode, which he'would not have done, had it much concernd us to know, or would it have added any thing material to the Authority and Efficacy of bis Word, Tet perhaps we (hould be thought too ſlight, if we did not tell you, That ſome thought bim to be a proſelyted Edomite, fill'd with the Prophetick Spirit, that he might be ſent to declare God's Fudg- ments agamſt Edom - but this Suggeſtion will no more prove him an Idumean, than 'twill prove Jonah or Nahum to be pro- ſelyted Aſſyrians 3 or Iſaiah, Amas, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to be of ſo many different Countries, becauſe they propheſied a= zainſt ſo many different Nations. = Some others will have bim the ſame that was great with Ahab, but greater with God, hid- Mg and feeding his Prophets by fifty in a Cave. But this is too early for this Prophet, as 15 noted in the Annotations. Or that he was Captain of the Band of Fifty, whom, on his Requeſt, Elijah ſpared ; or that be was one of thoſe ſent by Jehoſha- phat, 2 Chron. 17. 7. £0 inſtrud the Jews, as 1s ſaid by ſome, bath more againſt than can be ſaid for it. But it 1s cer- tain he was a Prophet ſent of God, and that his Diligence and Faithfulneſs anſwered his Name Obadiah, 3. e. the Servant of the Lord, whoſe Meſſage he delivered, though we are not certain when, in what King's Reign, or what Prophets he was con- | temporary with, Some gueſs be was contemporary with Jeremiah, and they think the 37th and 39th Chapters, be/ades Lam. 4. 21, afford Arguments to prove it ;, but if they did not live in the ſame time, they preach'd the ſame things againſt Edom, which were in due time fulfilled, though we cannot preciſely define the time. 1t is indiſputable, that Edom's Cruelty, Perfidi- ouſneſs, Pride and Rapine againſt Jacob were the principal Cauſes of this Divine Anger againſt Edom ; and yet it admits ſome Diſpute when "twas Edom did ſo barbarouſly lay wait for, cut off, or deliver up the flying Jews, whether when Shiſhak ſpoil d Jeraſalemg or when Nebuchadnezzar ſacked it, and led the Citizens Captives. 7 rather think it had been a con- ſtant Courſe obſerved by Edom to run in with all that invaded Judea, whether Philiſtines, Syrians, Aſſyrians or Chalde- ans, who were cruel enough, but yet. Edom was more cruel ; for this Cauſe our Prophet both threatens Puniſhments upon them, and warns them of their approaching Ruine, © Some think the Prophet warns Edom that they ſhould not do what is here ſpecified, 1 think be threatens becauſe they had done it, 1n brief, the accommodating the Particulars of this, Prophecy to their particular Times and Per ſons concerned, as it requires ſome good Diligence and Skill, ſo it will ever leave room for Modeſty towards thoſe that it's likely will differ from us in accommodating them, Edom, Type of all the Churches Ene- ſhall be deſtroyed, and Chriſt's Kingdom ſhall be ſet up; 4s Obadiah foretels., the Church believeth, and fo
and daring People z neceſſicated ſometimes to extraordinary Adven- tures, and many times ſucceeded in Attempts which others would not venture upon 3 hence they did ſwell in Pride and Confidence, and their Hearts were bigger than their Atchievements, and they roud above meaſure. r Magnifying thy Strength above what real- y it is. s People of Edom. tr Houſes, Fortreſſes, Towns and Cities, built upon inacceſſible Rocks, which neither could be undermined nor ſcaled. Or dwelleft in dark, deep and unſearchable Caves a- midft the Rocks. « Who think with themſelves, and are upon Report of an Invaſion ready to ſay, x Tt is not poſlible for Armies to approach to us, nor bring their Engines to ſhake or batter our Walls. Who ſhall ? 7. e. none can.
© q The Zdomires were, as moſt Mountainers are, a rough, hardy
thou ſet thy neſt among the ſtars z, thence will I bring
thee down, faith the LORD 4.
y Edom boaſted of his Strength from the Height of the Rocks he dwelt on, v. 3. but here he is anſwered, If he could build his Neſt as the Eagles, which build and fly much higher than any other Bird, nei- ther the Height of the Neſt ſhould ſave the young ones, nor the Height of his Flight ſave the old one. + Nay yet in a more lofty ſtrain, ſuppoſe you could lodg your Brood among the Stars for Safety, and there fly above the Reach of Man, yet ſhould you not be out of the Reach of Danger. « God who is in the Heavens would throw thee down ; when Men could not marſhal Armies againft thee, Stars ſhould fight in their Courſes againft thee. Nothing can ftand which God will caft down, vid. Jer. 49. 16, 17+
* would they not leave \| ſome grapes e 2 mix*d of Wonder and Doubt, expreſs the ftrange Havock and Deſola- || Or,
what Poſture waſt thon found, O Edom ! that ſuch ſtrange Deſolation is found in thee ? 4 If Thieves by Day had fpoiled thee, they would not have thus ftripp'd thee. b If Robbers which prattiſe their Vio- lences in the Night, had b:en with thee, they would have left ſome- what behind them, «c Here is either a TrajeRion ; this placed here which muſt be read firſt in the Verſe, or an Exclamation of one as in hafte to know whence ſuch unexpetted Events, or an inſulting Deriſi- on of that Pride which boafted ſo much, and performed ſo little in Self-defence. d Thieves and Robbers take till they have what is ſuf- ficient f::r them at preſent, and leave thereft, but here is nothing left. e It Edom be a Vine, 2nd gathered, ſome Gleanings would be left by Grape-gatherers ; but alas here have been thoſe that have cur up - the Vine! and is all thy. Confidence and Boaſting come to this ?
6 How are the things of Eſan f ſearched out ? how are his hid rhings ſought upp ?
f The Father of this People, and here put for his Poſterity. g All that the Edomites had laid up in the moſt ſecret Places, in unfearcha- ble Caves, and deep Abyfſes of hollow Rocks, how are all his Trea- ſures found our, ſeiſed and brought forth a Prey to greedy Souldiers f how durſt they adventure here /
7 All the men of thy confederacy þ have brovght.
" 00gh, that faith in his heart , Who ſhall bring me | "wn to the ground x? | B& Yal, IT.
"hee even to the border 7 : | Nn3
4 * Though thou exalt thy ſelf y as the Eagle, and tho « Am.
the men 7 that wer? at 4 ph, PEACE 7hy peace.
JeZe
5 * If thieves a came to thee, if robbers by night þ, * J:-49- ( how art thou cut off c ! ) would they not have ſtolen till 7 ney;