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This is the shortest book in theOld Testament. Obadiah means 'the servant ofYahweh'. Or it means 'the person who gives honour toYahweh'. There are many people with this name in theOld Testament. This Obadiah is not the same as the other ones.
Date
The date depends on the answers to two problems.
The first problem is that verses 1-9 are like Jeremiah 49:7-22. There are three ideas about why they are similar.
- Jeremiah repeated what Obadiah wrote. If this is true, then Jerusalem'sdestruction(Obadiah verse 11) is the same as in 2 Chronicles 21:16. There, the writer describes how thePhilistinesand theArabsattackedJudah. They entered it with their army. They carried off all the possessions in the king's palace. They also took his sons and his wives. This happened in 843BC.
- But the events in Obadiah verses 11-14 are more terrible than what happened then. In 2Chronicles 21, the writer does not mention the people that lived inEdom. The writer in 2 Kings does not say anything about the event either.
- Obadiah used the text of Jeremiah 49:7-22. In both Obadiah verse 1 and Jeremiah 49:14, someone sends a message that the nations should attack 'her'. However, in Jeremiah the word 'her' refers to Bozrah (a town). But in Obadiah it refers toEdom(a country.) Maybe Obadiah used the verse from Jeremiah and he did not change the grammar. Usually people used a female form of averbto describe people in a country. They did not use it to describe the country itself. ArmiescapturedJerusalem in 586BC. If Obadiah used Jeremiah's text, then verse 11 would mean that time. The people that lived inEdombehaved like that then. In Psalm 137:7, the writer talks about this. 'Lord, remember whatEdom'speople did. They cried out on the day when Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down! Tear it down to the ground!" '
- Both writers repeated an earlierprophecy. This is possible but we cannot prove it. If they did it, then again Obadiah meant Jerusalem'scapturein 586BC.
The second problem is that we must make a decision. Are theverbsin verses 2 and 6-10 in the past tense? Or are they in thepropheticperfect? (This means when people used the past tense to describe future events.Prophetsdid this because they were so sure that the events would happen. A well-known example of this is when Isaiah describes Jesus'sufferingin Isaiah chapter 53.) We know that theArabsdid notcaptureEdomuntil the 5^th^ centuryBC. TheNabateanscapturedit again in the 3^rd^ centuryBC. So it is likely that Obadiah used thepropheticperfect. If so, he wrote his book soon afterIsrael'senemies hadcapturedJerusalem in 586BC. During that period he would be the onlyprophetwhoprophesiedinJudah.
Edom
This name has its origins from Esau, Jacob's brother. These two were not good friends. They struggled with each other in the womb. (The womb means the part of the body where a baby grows before birth.) The writer of Hebrews 12:16-17 says: 'Esau was notspiritual. (This means that he did not have a relationship with God.) He gave his rights as the oldest son to Jacob. He exchanged them for one meal. Afterwards, he wanted toinherithis rights. But his father refused to give them to him. He could not change what he had done. He tried to do so and he was weeping.'Edom'speople lived in Seir. This is an area of mountains south and east of the Dead Sea. Two important trade routes went through it. Because its people controlled these roads, they got a lot of money. But other people also attacked it. Its two chief cities were Bozrah and Sela. Sela is near the famous city of Petra. Sela means rock, and people cut this city out of red rock. It is still possible to see part of it today.
AfterIsrael'speople had left Egypt, they wanted to go throughEdom. ButEdom'speople did not allowIsrael'speople to go through (Numbers 20:14-21). Saul attackedEdomand he defeated its army (1 Samuel 14:47). David killed many ofEdom'speople. He made its other people his slaves (2 Samuel 8:13-14). Solomon built his ships at a port called Ezion-Geber inEdom. 'Hadad, the king ofEdom, was an evil enemy ofIsrael. He caused greatsuffering.' (See 1 Kings 11:22.)EdomattackedJudahat the time of King Jehoshaphat (2Chronicles 20). 'During the rule of Jehoram,Edom'speople opposed the authority ofJudah'srulers.Edombecame akingdomthat other countries did not control.' (See 2 Chronicles 21:8.) Later King AmaziahcapturedEdomagain and he killed 20 000 ofEdom'speople (2 Chronicles 25:11-12). When Ahaz was king ofJudah,Edom'ssoldiers attacked it. Theycapturedmany people. NowEdomwas completely free (2 Chronicles 28:17).
From 734BCAssyria'srulers controlledEdomand thenBabyloncontrolledEdom. Then the power ofEdom'speople became weaker.ArabscontrolledEdomand then theNabateanscontrolled it. Many ofEdom'speople moved to southernJudah. People then called this area Idumea. (This is where theArabsand many ofEdom'speople lived.) The kings called Herod came from this country. They wereIsrael'skings at the time of theNew Testament. They did not behave in a good way aboutspiritualtruth. (In this way they were like Esau.) We can see this from their reaction to Jesus.
Theprophetssaid many times thatEdom'speople were doing wrong. Here are some examples of this. 'My sword descends injudgementuponEdom' (Isaiah 34:7). 'You people ofEdom, he will punish the bad things that you have done. He will show your evil actions to everyone' (Lamentations 4:22). 'I will punishEdomfor the injuries that it has done to other nations' (Ezekiel 25:12-14). 'Edomwill be a desert' (Joel 3:19). 'Who is this that is coming fromEdom? A person who steps ongrapeshas red on his clothes. But why are your clothes red like that? I walked upon the nations angrily with heavy steps' (Isaiah 63:1-6). HereEdommeans the people. And it means their ideas that are against God. TheMessiahwill destroy them, and this will be part of his success. In Malachi 1:2-5, the writer looks back toEdom'sdestruction. 'I have loved Jacob but I have hated Esau. I have changed his mountains into a desert.'
The Message of the Book
The writer gave a message of hope to God's people. He told them that they would see God'sjudgement. God ruinedEdom.Edom'speople had laughed when other nations ruinedJudah.Edom'speople thought that they were greater than the other nations. They thought that other nations would not ruin them. They forgot thatIsrael'speople's God had power over all. When God carried out hisjudgementof the nations, thenIsrael'speople would see God'sjustice. Then he would give back toJudah'speople what other nations had taken from them. God did not leave his people alone when other nations defeated them. He continued to support them because of his promise to them.
God wanted to help his people because he was the king over the nations. He was not only the king overIsrael. He controls events. He uses people to carry out his plans for good and also his plans for punishment.EdomandBabylonno longer exist.Israel'speople do exist.Israel's(Jacob's) people went throughsuffering. This was one way that God was preparing them. Then God brought them back to what they were.Edom's(Esau's) people thought that they were better or more important than other nations. They did not do what God said. This led todestruction.
Today there are many powerful enemies of God. Obadiah said that God would still support his people. He would allow them to have freedom. He said that one day 'thekingdomwould be theLord's'.
'He hoped that God would bring back his own people. This meant something greater than pride in his country. In his people's success he sees the beginning of God'skingdom.' (J. A. Thompson)
The book is in two parts.
Part One: Prophecy Against Edom (verses 1-14)
Verse 1 Title and message
Verses 2-4 Firstprophecy:Pridebringsdestruction.
Verses 5-7 Secondprophecy: People steal things. They are not loyal.
Verses 8-9 Thirdprophecy: The day ofJudgement
Verses 10-14 Reasons for God'sjudgementofEdom
- They did nothing to helpJudah.
- They laughed atJudah'sdestruction.
Part Two: Israel and the Nations, (verses 15-21)
- Verses 15-18 The situation will completely change.
- Verses 19-21 Thekingdomwill come.
The book is in two parts but it has one message. Verse 15 links the two parts. In that verse, Obadiah warns people. He says, 'The day of theLordis near for all nations.' The 'day of theLord' is a special time when God will punish the nations. He warnsEdom'speople that they will not escape. 'People will do to you what you have done to other people.' Obadiah repeats the word 'day' in verses 8, 11, 12, 13 and 15. God 'cuts down'Edomin verse 9.Edom'sarmy 'cuts down'Judahin verse 14.Yahwehspeaks in verses 1, 4 and 8. And he acts in verses 15 and 21. Crime and punishment go together, as Obadiah says in verse 15. Proud people will become humble. Some people are glad that people steal. But then they will realize that people steal from them.
Obadiah Chapter 1
About the Author
Philip Smith has written a number of Bible Commentaries including:
- God’s Law of Love – a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy
- Life Without Law – a commentary on the Book of Judges
- God’s Lessons from History – a commentary on the Book of 1 Kings
- The Last Kings of Israel and Judah – a commentary on the Book of 2 Kings
- God Shows His Power when we and Weak – a commentary on the Book of 2 Corinthians
Notes
- This Bible translation and Commentary is based on a vocabulary of 2800 English words. We have an easier translation (based on 1200 words) at Obadiah – EasyEnglish Bible
- Words in boxes are from the Bible.
- Tap or click on words in italics to see a definition.
