Obadiah 1:7

"All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him."

"All the men of thy confederacy ..." These allies of Edom were identified by Deane as Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon;[6] there may have been others. But not only were the formal allies of Edom to prove undependable, the inner structure of their society itself would revolt against them and contribute to their overthrow. All of the great nations of history that have been overthrown have likewise been confronted with this defection of significant segments of their own populations.

"The men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee ..." Peoples who were not openly hostile to Edom and who lived peaceably with them, would, in the great crisis, take the side of the destroyers.

"They that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee ..." Such persons as their domestic servants and other underlings in their society would join the foe in overwhelming the proud Edomites.

"There is no understanding in him ..." The prophet's address changes in this from remarks addressed to Edom to a declaration concerning him, and it is very effective. The pride and arrogance of the wealthy and powerful Edomites leave them totally and blissfully ignorant of the savage tides of hatred that flowed just beneath the surface of their precarious prosperity.