In Revised Standard Version this verse begins with “For,” which shows its relationship to the preceding verses. The book up to now has told us that the Edomites will be punished by God for what they have done to Judah. This will happen “for” or “because” God judges and punishes all nations. The translator should understand the connection between the verses, and this may influence the way in which this verse is worded. But it may not be necessary actually to use any connecting word like “for.” There may not be any corresponding word in the receptor language, or the translator may feel that the relationship is quite clear without including any connecting word.
Some translators may need to understand more clearly the relationship between The day that God punishes Edom (verse 8), which is the time referred to in the second part of verse 15, and The day when the Lord will judge all nations. In some way the punishment of Edom is a part of the final punishment that the Lord will give to all nations, but it is not necessary to think that they happen at exactly the same time from our human point of view. Edom’s punishment may take place long before the other nations are punished. This is a good example of why we should not understand the day of the Lord as a literal day. (Psa 90.4 may be of some help in understanding this.)
The Lord is here referred to in the third person in the Hebrew. Good News Translation understands the whole of verses 2b-21 as the direct words of the Lord, and reminds the reader of this at this point by making a first person reference to I, the LORD.
The expression “the day of the LORD” (Revised Standard Version) is a common one in the prophetic books. Its meaning is made more explicit in Good News Translation by saying The day is near when I, the LORD, will judge all nations. The prophets firmly believed that the Lord was ruler of all the nations and was able to use them and to punish them as easily as he did his own people. The reference to the day here is an echo of the future day of Edom’s punishment in verse 8, in contrast to the frequent mention of the past day when Jerusalem fell, in verses 11-14.
Translators will probably want to choose an expression for “the day of the Lord” that they can use in most places where it occurs. But they will need to be able to vary it slightly when necessary, as for example in this verse, where the Lord himself is referring to it. In choosing this term, it is not necessary to use the word “day” if it does not seem appropriate. The word for “time” can be used here.
The thought is that God himself will be the judge at this time, so the verb used for judge should be the one used when referring to a judge holding court and deciding who is right and who is wrong. If the word chosen also includes the idea of deciding the punishments for the guilty, such a word will also be quite correct.
All nations may need to be translated as “the people of all countries (or, tribes).”
As one of the nations, Edom is particularly in the prophet’s mind, and Good News Translation addresses Edom by name here to make it clear that the second part of this verse refers to Edom.
Edom will be treated according to the principle “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Deut 19.21): what you have done will be done to you. The Edomites had behaved treacherously toward their relatives the Israelites when Jerusalem fell, and they in turn will fall victim to treachery, as already described in verse 7. Thus they will get back what they have given. This last clause states in less figurative language what is expressed idiomatically in Hebrew as “your deeds shall return on your head” (Revised Standard Version). Many languages will have some suitable idiom that can be used at this point, provided it does not introduce any item historically or culturally impossible in ancient Israel. If there is no figurative way to say this, it may be necessary to omit this line, because its literal meaning is almost exactly the same as the line before it, and it may not be possible to say the same thing in two different ways.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on the Book of Obadiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .