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Book 31 of 39 · Minor Prophets

Obadiah

The Judgement of Edom
Narrated book coming soon

Overview

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, at 21 verses. It is "the vision of Obadiah" (v. 1), and we know nothing else about him. His name, meaning "servant of the LORD", was a common one. The whole book is about Edom, the nation descended from Esau, Jacob's twin brother. Edom lived south-east of the Dead Sea in the rugged mountains of Seir, with strongholds cut into high rock (Sela, later Petra).

The book is not dated. Most interpreters link it to the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC, when Edom joined in plundering Judah and cut off its refugees (compare Psalm 137:7; Lamentations 4:21–22; Ezekiel 25:12–14). Some place it earlier, after an attack on Jerusalem under King Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20–22). Verses 1–9 closely parallel Jeremiah 49:7–22. The book has two movements: Edom's pride and fall (vv. 1–14), then the day of the LORD on all nations and Zion's restoration (vv. 15–21).

Part 1 — Edom's Pride and Betrayal (verses 1–14)

Summons to battle (1). A messenger is sent among the nations: "Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle."

Pride brought low (2–4). Edom trusts its mountain fortress: "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock… that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down?" God answers: "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down."

Total plunder (5–9). Thieves and grape-gatherers would leave something behind, but Esau's hidden treasures will be searched out completely. Edom's allies, "the men of thy confederacy", will deceive it and drive it to the border. The famed wise men of Edom and the warriors of Teman will be destroyed.

Violence against a brother (10–14). The charge is personal: "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee." On the day "strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners… cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them." A series of eight "thou shouldest not" lines follows. Edom should not have gloated over its brother's misfortune, rejoiced over Judah's ruin, boasted, entered the city gate to loot, or "stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape", handing survivors over to the enemy.

Part 2 — The Day of the Lord (verses 15–21)

Measure for measure (15–16). "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." The nations that drank on God's holy mountain will drink the cup of judgement.

Deliverance on Zion (17–18). "But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness." The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble.

The land restored (19–21). The returning exiles will possess the Negev, the hills of Esau, the Philistine plain, Ephraim, Samaria and Gilead, as far as Zarephath. "Saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's."

Key themes, and the bridge to Jonah

  • Pride goes before a fall. No height or fortress puts a nation beyond God's reach.
  • Brotherhood betrayed. The rivalry between Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25–33 ends with Edom joining in Judah's destruction. Edom is condemned for standing by, gloating and profiting.
  • Justice in kind. "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee."
  • God's kingdom. Beyond the fate of one nation, the book looks to God's rule over all: "the kingdom shall be the LORD's."

History bore Obadiah out. By the 5th century BC Edom had been overrun, Arab peoples took over its mountains, and its remnants in the south (Idumea) were later absorbed into Judea. The book is a stern word against an enemy nation. The next book reverses the picture: God sends Jonah to Nineveh, capital of Israel's most feared enemy, with an offer of mercy, and Jonah does not want them to receive it.