All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
All the men of thy confederacy - i:e., thy confederates. Those confederates were probably Moab and Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, with whom the Edomites joined in resisting Nebuchadnezzar. These probably induced Zedekiah and Judah to rebel, and then turned against the Jews when Jerusalem was overthrown. But, rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar subsequently, they perished in the attempt.
Have brought thee even to the border - i:e., when Idumean ambassadors shall go to confederate states seeking aid, these latter shall conduct them with due ceremony to their border, giving them empty compliments, but not the aid required (Drusius). This view agrees with the context, which speaks of false friends deceiving Edom - i:e., failing to help him in need (cf. Job 6:14-15). Calvin translates, 'have driven,' i:e., shall drive thee; shall help to drive thee to thy border, on thy way into captivity in foreign lands. (See the note Obadiah 1:18, end.)
The men that were at peace with thee - literally, the men of thy peace. Quoted from Psalms 41:9; Jeremiah 38:22 (margin), 'The men of thy peace have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee,' where also the same formula occurs, "prevailed against thee."
They that eat thy bread - the poorer tribes of the desert, who subsisted on the bounty of Edom. Compare again Psalms 41:9, "Mine own familiar friend, which did eat of my bread," which seems to have been before Obadiah's mind, as his words were before Jeremiah's, in whom the connection is looser than in Obadiah. Have laid a wound under thee - "laid" implies that their intimacy was used as a SNARE, laid with a view to wound; also, these guest-friends of Edom, instead of the cushions ordinarily laid under guests at table, laid snares to wound-namely, had a secret understanding with Edom's foe for that purpose. Maurer translates, 'a snare.' But the English version agrees with the Hebrew х maazowr (H4204)], which means, literally, 'a bandage for a wound.'
There is none understanding in him - none of the wisdom for which Edom was famed (see Obadiah 1:8), to extricate him from his perilous position.
In him - instead of 'in thee.' The change implies the alienation of God from Edom: Edom has so estranged himself from God that He speaks now of him, not to him.