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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Edom is rebuked for gloating, gazing, and boasting over her brother Judah on the day of his ruin.
What Does Obadiah 1:12 Mean?
God lists what Edom should not have done: she should not have looked on, that is gazed with satisfaction, at her brother's calamity; she should not have rejoiced over Judah's destruction; she should not have boasted in the day of distress. The repetition of in the day hammers home the moment when love was owed and withheld.
Here the sin is the posture of the heart toward another's suffering. To take pleasure in a brother's fall, to speak proudly while he is broken, is a deep offense to the God who loves him. The verse searches the reader's reactions to others' troubles, calling us instead to weep with those who weep and never to gloat over a neighbor's grief.