2:3 I will remove 1 Moab’s leader; 2
I will kill all Moab’s 3 officials 4 with him.”
The Lord has spoken!
9:10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword –
the ones who say, ‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’
9:12 As a result they 5 will conquer those left in Edom 6
and all the nations subject to my rule.” 7
The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!
1 tn Heb “cut off” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “root out”; NCV “bring to an end.”
2 tn Heb “the leader [traditionally, “judge”] from her midst.”
3 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Or “princes” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT); TEV, CEV “leaders.”
5 sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.
6 tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”
7 tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.
sn This verse envisions a new era of Israelite rule, perhaps patterned after David’s imperialistic successes (see 2 Sam 8-10). At the same time, however, the verse does not specify how this rule is to be accomplished. Note that the book ends with a description of peace and abundance, and its final reference to God (v. 15) does not include the epithet “the Lord who commands armies,” which has militaristic overtones. This is quite a different scene than what the book began with: nations at war and standing under the judgment of God.