Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the LORD”. Written: Probably shortly after 586 BC (some place it around 845)

Minor prophets · Old Testament · 1 chapter

The book of Obadiah

Edom’s pride brought low

Author: Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the LORD”
Written: Probably shortly after 586 BC (some place it around 845)
Time covered: The day Jerusalem was taken, when Edom, a brother nation descended from Esau, sided with the plunderers
Key word: Retribution

Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament: 21 verses against a single people, Edom. Perched in its rocks, Edom thought itself out of reach; God will bring it down, even if it set its nest among the stars. It will be searched out to its last treasure, betrayed by its allies and stripped of its wise men. Its crime: betraying its brother Jacob on the day of Jerusalem’s ruin, by gloating, plundering and handing over the fugitives. The day of the LORD is near for all nations: “as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee.” But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Main theme

God brings down the pride of Edom, who rejoiced at the misfortune of his brother Jacob: on the day of the LORD, everyone will reap what he has sown, but deliverance will be on Mount Zion and the kingdom will belong to the LORD.

Outline

Obadiah 1-9 — Edom’s pride brought low
God will bring the eagle down from its nest, strip it bare and take away its wise men.
Obadiah 10-14 — The crime against his brother
Eight prohibitions denounce Edom’s conduct on the day of Jerusalem’s misfortune.
Obadiah 15-16 — The day of the LORD for the nations
The law of retribution: “as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee.”
Obadiah 17-21 — Deliverance on Mount Zion
Jacob regains his possessions and the kingdom belongs to the LORD.

Key points

At 21 verses, Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament, devoted entirely to Edom (v. 1).
Edom’s root sin is pride: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee” (v. 3).
No height protects from God, not even a nest set among the stars (v. 4).
Edom will be betrayed by its own allies and stripped of its wise men (vv. 7-8).
Its fault is all the graver because it strikes a brother: violence against Jacob (v. 10).
Eight prohibitions describe Edom’s descent, from the mocking gaze to plunder and the handing over of fugitives (vv. 12-14).
The law of retribution: “as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee” (v. 15).
The conclusion goes beyond Edom: deliverance on Mount Zion and the kingdom of the LORD (vv. 17, 21).

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? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

Obadiah 3–4 — The diagnosis and the sentence: pride deceives, and God brings down the one who thinks himself above everything.

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

Obadiah 10 — Edom’s crime: violence against his own brother.

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Obadiah 15 — The rule of the day of the LORD: everyone will reap what he has sown.

Jesus in Obadiah

Obadiah’s last word, “the kingdom shall be the LORD’s” (v. 21), is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, for “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ” (Rev 11:15). The deliverance announced on Mount Zion (v. 17) is offered in him: believers have come “unto mount Sion… the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22). The ancient rivalry even resurfaces at the birth of Jesus: Herod the Great, of Idumean, that is, Edomite, descent, seeks to kill the infant king of Bethlehem (Matt 2:16).

Did you know?

Several verses of Obadiah are found, with slight variations, in Jeremiah’s oracle against Edom (vv. 1-6; Jer 49:9-10, 14-16).
The Edomite city of Sela, whose name means “rock,” was captured by Amaziah, king of Judah, who renamed it Joktheel (2 Kgs 14:7).
After the destruction of the temple in AD 70, the Idumeans, heirs of Edom, disappear from history: “there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau” (v. 18).

Quiz on Obadiah

Against which people is the whole prophecy of Obadiah directed?

Against whom did Edom commit the violence that brings it shame, according to Obadiah?

From which patriarch does Edom descend?

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start your free trial.