But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his descendants are plundered, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not.
All Commentaries on Jeremiah 49:10 Go To Jeremiah 49
Cyril of Alexandria
AD 444
Jeremiah refers to these angels as a fortification, although Symmachus interprets this [word] as a message, but one could also consider it in the sense of a “siege.” Taking it this way, God calls together many nations for war as a sign against Idumea and the angels are set in motion by him. And, having been set in motion by God for war, they incite others to fight [with them], as Obadiah says. For the surrounding nations were allied with Israel against Idumea. Therefore, turning to the Idumeans, he says, “See I have made you small among the nations and utterly contemptible. You will fall into calamities, ignorant of what is happening to you because you exalted yourself high above your station. Thus it is true that “Idumea will be deserted” and also what follows, which is said in a similar way by Obadiah: “And the house of Esau will be stubble and [Israel] shall descend on him, and there will be no torch bearer in the house of Esau.” This is similar to the adage we find in the profane books, “No torch bearer was spared by them” referring to those who were cut down and utterly destroyed. For the one who held the torch would go out in front of the fighting army to lead them into battle—and there was no one to carry the law against the hand of this enemy [i.e., the angels].
