Verse 10 is the first place where a reason is given for all of the things that God will do in verses 1-9. Therefore it may be good in some languages to make the connection clearer. This can be done by starting verse 10 with an extra line saying “All of this will happen because you robbed and killed…” or “I will punish you because….” If this is done, then the second part of the verse will have to be a separate statement, mentioning again how God will punish them, but this should not cause problems for most translators.

In place of the nouns of Revised Standard Version that really represent events, “slaughter” (from verse 9) and “violence,” Good News Translation uses verbs and makes the subject explicit as you. Thus the opening clause becomes Because you robbed and killed your brothers.

The people of Edom and the people of Judah were called brothers because they were descendants of Esau and his twin brother Jacob respectively. Good News Translation helps to make this clearer by expanding the simple “Jacob” of the Hebrew and Revised Standard Version to the descendants of Jacob. Many translators will need to do the same.

In many languages it is quite natural to call people brothers if they are descendants from a brother of one’s own ancestors. In other languages there may be a different term for this type of relationship, and the appropriate term should be used here. The important thing in this passage is the assumption that people who are related in this way should help each other in times of trouble. If this idea will not be automatically implied by the term used in a language, the translator should perhaps make it explicit and say something like “they were your relatives, and therefore you should have helped them.”

In the second part of the verse, two consequences of Edom’s actions are mentioned in clauses with different subjects, “shame shall cover you” and “you shall be cut off” (Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation has made the Edomites the subject of both verbs by saying you will be destroyed and dishonored forever. It is not clear why Good News Translation has changed the order of the two verbs, and there is no need for translators to do so unless this will be better style in their own languages. The dishonor (Revised Standard Version “shame”) that will come upon Edom is a just reward for their dishonorable conduct against Judah. The Edomite conduct was considered dishonorable because the peoples of Edom and Judah were brothers. Such a relationship should have prevented the Edomites from behaving as they did. Failure to respect blood relationships was considered particularly disgraceful in the ancient world.

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 .