Obadiah 1:3
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Edom's pride has deceived her; trusting in her high mountain fortresses, she imagines no one can bring her down.
What Does Obadiah 1:3 Mean?
Edom's cities were carved into the cliffs of a rugged highland, seemingly unassailable. Here God exposes the inner thought behind the outer security: Who shall bring me down to the ground? The nation has mistaken its geography for invincibility and let pride whisper a lie.
Pride is named as the deceiver, and it deceives from within the heart, not from outside. The danger is not the high rock but the confidence that no one, not even God, can reach the one who dwells there. The verse searches the reader: any refuge we trust in place of God can become the very pride that blinds us.
In the Original Language
zadon (זָדוֹן), "pride" — an insolent, presumptuous arrogance that overreaches its proper place.