Here Esau stands for the nations descended from him, and Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying Descendants of Esau. We are told three times in Genesis that Esau is the same as Edom (Gen 36.1, 8, 19). However, many Bible readers cannot be expected to know this, and even if the translator feels that saying Descendants of Esau will be enough, it may be good to include a cross reference to the Genesis passages. Other translators may want to be more explicit and say something like “People of Edom, descendants of Esau.”

In Hebrew, this verse is an exclamation about Edom in the third person, but because Edom is addressed in the second person in the rest of verses 2-7, Good News Translation puts this verse also into the second person. This avoids changes of person that are unnatural in English, and many translators will need to make a similar adjustment. Good News Translation has also changed the Hebrew exclamation into a statement in English, but it will be possible in many languages to keep this verse as an exclamation, even if Edom is addressed in the second person. The Hebrew here uses two clauses to make what is really a single statement, and Good News Translation runs them together into a single one, your treasures have been looted. Revised Standard Version says that the enemies have “sought out” Edom’s treasures. This implies that many of the treasures were hidden away, probably in the numerous caves in the rocky Edomite fortress. This point is brought out in many translations by saying something like “your hidden treasures will be searched for and found” (see Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and the New International Version [New International Version]). The treasures probably included goods for trade as well as luxury items with the profits of the trading.

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 .