עַֽד־הַגְּב֣וּל שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ הִשִּׁיא֛וּךָ יָכְל֥וּ לְךָ֖ אַנְשֵׁ֣י שְׁלֹמֶ֑ךָ לַחְמְךָ֗ יָשִׂ֤ימוּ מָזֹור֙ תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ אֵ֥ין תְּבוּנָ֖ה בֹּֽו׃ (Obadiah 1:7)
Overview: Syntax as the Anatomy of Treachery
Obadiah 1:7 outlines in poetic and prophetic syntax the downfall of Edom by those it trusted most. This verse builds through parallel clauses, anaphora, and syntactic inversion to portray betrayal from within. The use of parataxis, coupled with jarring shifts in agency, reflects not only collapse but the disorientation of betrayed confidence.
Clause Structure: Parallelism and Progressive Downfall
This verse consists of six distinct clauses, connected via asyndeton and poetic rhythm rather than overt conjunctions. The breakdown:
1. עַד־הַגְּב֣וּל שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ
“To the border they have sent you—all the men of your covenant”
2. הִשִּׁיא֛וּךָ יָכְל֥וּ לְךָ֖ אַנְשֵׁ֣י שְׁלֹמֶ֑ךָ
“They have deceived you—they have prevailed over you—your men of peace”
3. לַחְמְךָ֗ יָשִׂ֤ימוּ מָזֹור֙ תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ
“Your bread—they set a trap beneath you”
4. אֵ֥ין תְּבוּנָ֖ה בֹּֽו
“There is no understanding in him”
Each clause is succinct, often elliptic, creating a staccato rhythm of accusations.
Word Order and Emphasis: Displacement as Disruption
The first clause displaces the subject:
– שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ (they sent you) precedes the subject כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ (“all your covenant allies”), highlighting the act of betrayal before identifying the betrayers.
In the third clause, לַחְמְךָ (“your bread”) is fronted, then followed by the shocking predicate יָשִׂימוּ מָזֹור—“they set a trap.”
This inversion gives rhetorical prominence to what should be a symbol of peace—“your bread”—before transforming it into an object of deceit.
Nominal Phrases: Covenant and Trust Reversed
– אַנְשֵׁי בְרִיתֶךָ: “the men of your covenant”—a construct chain showing legal and relational obligation.
– אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלֹמֶךָ: “your men of peace”—connoting trusted allies or diplomats.
– לַחְמְךָ: “your bread”—symbol of shared table, now weaponized.
These phrases serve as semantic ironies—the very elements of alliance and sustenance become channels of collapse.
Verbal Syntax: Perfect Verbs with Shifting Agency
– שִׁלְּחוּךָ: piel perfect, 3mp + 2ms suffix – “they have sent you”
– הִשִּׁיאוּךָ: Hiphil perfect – “they have deceived you”
– יָכְלוּ לְךָ: qal perfect – “they have prevailed over you”
– יָשִׂימוּ: qal perfect – “they have set”
These verbs chart a progression: exile → deception → domination → ambush.
Agreement and Subject Matching
All verbs are 3mp, with the 2ms object suffix referring to Edom. There’s complete syntactic agreement, reinforcing the collective betrayal by multiple agents—the syntax mirrors coordinated treachery.
Parallelism: Enemies Reimagined as Friends
The structure moves through semantic parallels:
| Agent | Action | Target |
|---|---|---|
| אַנְשֵׁי בְרִיתֶךָ | שִׁלְּחוּךָ (sent you) | Second-person singular “you” (Edom) |
| אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלֹמֶךָ | הִשִּׁיאוּךָ / יָכְלוּ לְךָ (deceived you / overpowered you) | |
| לַחְמְךָ (your bread) | יָשִׂימוּ מָזֹור (they set a snare) |
Each phrase that begins as a token of trust ends as a source of downfall.
Tense, Aspect, and Mood: Prophetic Perfects
All the verbs are in the perfect aspect, but in prophetic literature, this often functions as the prophetic perfect—declaring future events as if already accomplished.
The final clause:
– אֵין תְּבוּנָה בֹּו – “There is no understanding in him”
is an existential verbless clause, using אֵין to express absolute negation of wisdom in Edom.
Emphasis and Irony: Collapse through Kin
Every relational term—covenant, peace, bread—is subverted. Syntax participates in the irony: agents of security become instruments of ruin. The sharp fronting of לַחְמְךָ and the climactic final clause אֵין תְּבוּנָה בֹּו frame Edom not just as betrayed but as blind to its own doom.
Focus, Function, and Flow in the Hebrew Mind
Obadiah 1:7 is a poetic and syntactic drama. Each clause is like a stab from a different friend. The syntax builds betrayal step-by-step, naming agents, repeating you-forms, and ending with a crushing declaration of emptied wisdom. It is not merely about downfall—it’s about the treachery within alliances and the blindness to one’s collapse. The betrayal is grammatical, the curse structural.
