John Gill Commentary Obadiah 1:7

"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." — Obadiah 1:7 (ASV)

All the men of your confederacy have brought you [even] to the border Or of "your covenant" ^F18; that are in league with you; your allies, even all of them, prove treacherous to you, in whom you trusted; when they sent their ambassadors to them, they received them kindly, promised great things to them, dismissed them honourably, accompanied them to the borders of their country, but never stood to their engagements: or those allies came and joined their forces with the Edomites, and went out with them to meet the enemy, as if they would fight with them, and them; but when they came to the border of the land they left them, and departed into their own country; or went over to the enemy; or these confederates were the instruments of expelling them out of their own land, and sending them to the border of it, and carrying them captive; or they followed them to the border of the land, when they were carried captive, as if they lamented their case, when they were assisting to the enemy, as Kimchi; so deceitful were they. The Targum is to the same purpose, "from the border all your confederates carried you captive" ^F19:

the men that were at peace with you have deceived you, [and] prevailed against you; outwitted them in their treaties of peace, and got the advantage of them; or they proved treacherous to them, and joined the enemy against them; or they persuaded them to declare themselves enemies to the Chaldeans, which proved their ruin; and so they prevailed against them:

[they that eat] your bread: so the Targum and Kimchi supply it; or it may be supplied from the preceding clause, "the men of your bread"; who received subsidies from them, were maintained by them, and quartered among them: have laid a wound under you; instead of supporting them, secretly did that which was wounding to them. The word signifies both a wound and a plaster; they pretended to lay a plaster to heal, but made a wound; or made the wound worse. The Targum is, "they laid a stumbling block under you;" at which they stumbled and fell: or snares, as the Vulgate Latin version, whereby they brought them to ruin:

[there is] none understanding in him; in Esau, or the Edomites; they were so stupid, that they could not see into the designs of their pretended friends, and prevent the execution of them, and their ill effects.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (Ktyrb yvna) "viri foederis tui", V. L. Montanus, Vatablus, Burkius.
• F19: So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 51. 2. and 52. 1.