Obadiah 1 · Verse 12

Obadiah 1:12

But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
Obadiah 1:12, King James Version

Obadiah 1:12 in other translations

BSBBut you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.
WEBBut don’t look down on your brother in the day of his disaster, and don’t rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Don’t speak proudly in the day of distress.
ASVBut look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress.
YLTAnd--thou dost not look on the day of thy brother, On the day of his alienation, Nor dost thou rejoice over sons of Judah, In the day of their destruction, Nor make great thy mouth in a day of distress.
DARBYBut thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor have opened wide thy mouth in the day of distress.
BBEDo not see with pleasure your brother's evil day, the day of his fate, and do not be glad over the children of Judah on the day of their destruction, or make wide your mouth on the day of trouble.
WebsterBut thou shouldst not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldst thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldst thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

What does Obadiah 1:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. looked on--with malignant pleasure, and a brutal stare. So the antitypes, Messiah's foes (Psa 22:17). Maurer translates, as the Margin, "thou shouldest not look" any more. English Version agrees with the context better. the day of thy brother--his day of calamity. became a stranger--that is, was banished as an alien from his own land. God sends heavy calamities on those who rejoice in the calamities of their enemies (Pr 17:5; 24:17, 18). Contrast the opposite conduct of David and of the divine Son of David in a like case (Psa 35:13-15). spoken proudly--literally, "made great the mouth"; proudly insulting the fallen (Eze 35:13, Margin; compare 1Sa 2:8; Re 13:6).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 Thou shouldest not have looked - It shows a malevolent heart to rejoice in the miseries of those who have acted unkindly or wickedly towards us. The Edomites triumphed when they saw the judgments of God fall upon the Jews. This the Lord severely reprehends in Oba 1:12-15. If a man have acted cruelly towards us, and God punish him for this cruelty, and we rejoice in it, we make his crime our own; and then, as we have done, so shall it be done unto us; see Oba 1:15. All these verses point out the part the Edomites took against the Jews when the Chaldeans besieged and took Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and divided the spoils.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Obadiah 1:1-16

This prophecy is against Edom. Its destruction seems to have been typical, as their father Esau's rejection; and to refer to the destruction of the enemies of the gospel church. See the prediction of the success of that war; Edom shall be spoiled, and brought down. All the enemies of God's church shall be disappointed in the things they stay themselves on. God can easily lay those low who magnify and exalt…

Read the full comment on Obadiah 1:1-16 →

Obadiah 1:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאַל\־ve.'al-and may notH408
תֵּ֤רֶאTe.re'you lookH7200
בְיוֹם\־ve.yom-on [the] day ofH3117
אָחִ֙יךָ֙'a.Chi.khabrother yourH251
בְּי֣וֹםbe.Yomon [the] day ofH3117
נָכְר֔וֹna.khe.Romisfortune hisH5235
וְאַל\־ve.'al-and may notH408
תִּשְׂמַ֥חtis.Machyou rejoiceH8055
לִבְנֵֽי\־liv.nei-to [the] people ofH1121
יְהוּדָ֖הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
בְּי֣וֹםbe.Yomon [the] dayH3117
אָבְדָ֑ם'a.ve.Damperish theyH6
וְאַל\־ve.'al-and may notH408
תַּגְדֵּ֥לtag.Delyou make bigH1431
פִּ֖יךָPi.khamouth yourH6310
בְּי֥וֹםbe.Yomon [the] day ofH3117
צָרָֽה\׃tza.RahtroubleH6869

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Obadiah 1:12

  • Proverbs 17:5

    Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

  • Ezekiel 35:15

    As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

  • Micah 4:11

    Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

  • Proverbs 24:17-18

    Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

  • 1 Samuel 2:3

    Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

  • Matthew 27:40-43

    And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

  • Ezekiel 25:6-7

    For thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

  • 2 Peter 2:18

    For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

  • Micah 7:8-10

    Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

  • Job 31:29

    If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

  • Jude 1:16

    These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

  • Psalms 31:18

    Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
thou, etc. or, do not behold, etc. looked.
Ps 22:17; 37:13; 54:7; 59:10; 92:11; Mic 4:11; 7:8-10; Mt 27:40-43
rejoiced.
Job 31:29; Pr 17:5; 24:17,18; La 4:21; Eze 25:6,7; 35:15; Mic 7:8
Lu 19:41
thou have.
1Sa 2:3; Ps 31:18
spoken proudly. Heb. magnified thy mouth.
Isa 37:24; Jas 3:5; 2Pe 2:18; Jude 1:16; Re 13:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Obadiah 1:11

    In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

  • Obadiah 1:12

    But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

  • Obadiah 1:13

    Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;

Read all of Obadiah 1

Obadiah 1:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Pues no debiste tú estar mirando en el día de tu hermano, el día en que fué extrañado: no te habías de haber alegrado de los hijos de Judá en el día que se perdieron, ni habías de ensanchar tu boca en el día de la angustia:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Mais tu n’aurais pas dû regarder le jour de ton frère, le jour de son désastre; et tu n’aurais pas dû te réjouir au sujet des fils de Juda, au jour de leur destruction, et tu n’aurais pas dû ouvrir ta bouche toute grande au jour de la détresse.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und du solltest nicht auf den Tag deines Bruders sehen am Tage seines Mißgeschicks, und dich nicht freuen über die Kinder Juda am Tage ihres Untergangs, noch dein Maul aufsperren am Tage der Bedrängnis;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et non despicies in die fratris tui, in die peregrinationis ejus: et non lætaberis super filios Juda in die perditionis eorum: et non magnificabis os tuum in die angustiæ.