View source for Book of Obadiah

{{short description|Book of the Bible of the Assyrian Period}}
{{for|the author to whom the ''Book of Obadiah'' is attributed|Obadiah}}
{{Tanakh OT|Nevi'im|prophetic}}

The '''Book of Obadiah''' is a book of the [[Bible]] whose authorship is attributed to [[Obadiah]]. Obadiah is one of the [[Twelve Minor Prophets]] in the final section of [[Nevi'im]], the second main division of the [[Hebrew Bible]]. The text consists of a single [[Chapters and verses of the Bible|chapter]], divided into 21 verses with 440 Hebrew words, making it the shortest book in the Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible), though there are three shorter [[New Testament]] [[Epistle|epistles]] in Greek ([[Epistle to Philemon|Philemon]] with 335 words, [[Second Epistle of John|2 John]] with 245 words, and [[Third Epistle of John|3 John]] with 219 words). The Book of Obadiah is a [[prophecy]] concerning the divine judgment of [[Edom]] and the restoration of [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Israel]].<ref>Coogan, M. ''A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context.'' Oxford University Press, New York (2009) p. 315</ref><ref>Nelson's Compact Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1978, p. 191, {{ISBN|0-8407-5636-4}}</ref>

The majority of scholars date the Book of Obadiah to shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC.<ref>Riding, Charles Bruce. “Dating Obadiah to 801 BC”. Reformed Theological Review 80, no. 3 (December 1, 2021): 189–217. Accessed January 7, 2025. https://rtrjournal.org/index.php/RTR/article/view/286</ref> Other scholars hold that the book was shaped by the conflicts between [[Yehud (Babylonian province)|Yehud]] and the Edomites in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE and evolved through a process of [[redaction]].<ref>{{cite book |last1= Becking |first1= Bob |title= The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets |editor1= Julia M. O'Brien |publisher= Oxford University Press |year= 2021 |pages= 437–448 |doi= 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190673208.013.28 |quote= "The constant quarrels between the Persian province Yehud and the Edomites in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE should hence be seen as the delivery room for the traditions leading to the book of Obadiah. This book articulates and ventilates the way in which the inhabitants of Jerusalem and surroundings found a way to cope with the Edomite threat. Not a single event but a string of events stands at the background of this biblical book. This also indicates that Obadiah in its present form is the final product of a process of redaction and rewriting."}}</ref><ref>Ben Zvi, Ehud. 1996. A Historical-Critical Study of the book of Obadiah. BZAW 242. Berlin: de Gruyter.</ref>

== Content ==
[[File:Bergen Marienkirche - Fresko Propheten 3a.jpg|thumb|Fresco from [[St Mary's Church, Bergen]], with a quote from Obadiah 17: "Upon Mount Zion there will be deliverance."]]
The Book of Obadiah is based on a prophetic vision concerning the fall of [[Edom]],<ref>{{Bibleref2|Obadiah|1:1,4,18|NKJV}}</ref> a mountain-dwelling nation<ref>{{Bibleref2|Obadiah|1:8,9,19,21|NKJV}}</ref> whose founding father was [[Esau]].<ref>{{Bibleref2|Obadiah|1:6|NKJV}}</ref><ref>{{Bibleref2|Genesis|36:9|NKJV}}</ref> Obadiah describes an encounter with [[Yahweh]], who addresses Edom's arrogance and charges them for their "violence against your brother Jacob".<ref>{{Bibleref2|Obadiah|1:10|NKJV}}</ref>

Throughout most of the [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|history of Judah]], Edom was controlled absolutely from Jerusalem as a [[vassal state]]. Obadiah said that the high elevation of their dwelling place in the [[Mount Seir|mountains of Seir]] had gone to their head, and they had puffed themselves up in pride. "'Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' declares the {{Lord}}".<ref> {{bibleref2|Obadiah|1:4|NIV}}</ref>

In the [[Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)]], [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] sacked Jerusalem, carted away the King of Judah, and installed a puppet ruler. The Edomites helped the Babylonians loot the city. Obadiah, writing this prophecy around 590 BCE, suggests the Edomites should have remembered that blood was thicker than water. "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them... You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster."<ref>{{bibleref2|Obadiah|1:11, 13|NIV}}</ref>

Obadiah said in judgment that Yahweh would wipe out the house of [[Esau]] forever, and not even a remnant would remain.<ref>{{bibleverse|Obadiah|1:18}}</ref> The Edomites' land would be possessed by the lands of the south and they would cease to exist as a people.<ref>Obadiah 1:15</ref> [[The Day of the Lord]] was at hand for all nations, and one day, the children of Israel would return victorious from their exile and possess the land of Edom, the fields of [[Ephraim]], the land of [[Gilead]], the lowland of [[Philistia]], and the fields of [[Samaria]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Obadiah|1:19}}</ref>

== Scholarly issues ==

===Dating Obadiah===
The date of composition is disputed and is difficult to determine due to the lack of personal information about Obadiah, his family, and his historical milieu: the date must therefore be determined based on the prophecy itself. Edom is to be destroyed due to its lack of defense for its brother nation, Israel, when it was under attack. There are two major historical contexts within which the Edomites could have committed such an act. These are during 853–841 BCE when [[Jerusalem]] was invaded by Philistines during the reign of [[Jehoram of Judah]] (recorded in [[Books of Kings|2 Kings]] {{bibleverse-nb|2 Kings|8:20–22|KJV}} and [[Books of Chronicles|2 Chronicles]] {{bibleverse-nb|2 Chronicles|21:8–20|KJV}} or 607–586 BCE when [[Jerusalem]] was attacked by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] of [[Babylon]], which led to the Babylonian exile of [[Israel]]. 

The earlier period would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophet [[Elijah]]. The later date would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophet [[Jeremiah]]. A sixth-century date for Obadiah is a "near consensus" position among scholars.<ref name="Dykehouse2008">{{cite book|author=Jason C. Dykehouse|title=An Historical Reconstruction of Edomite Treaty Betrayal in the Sixth Century B.C.E. Based on Biblical, Epigraphic, and Archaeological Data|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YBOXDwRPK7sC&pg=PA11|year=2008|isbn=978-0-549-59500-7|page=11}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> {{bibleverse|Obadiah|1-9|KJV}} contains parallels to {{bibleverse|Jeremiah|49:7-22|KJV}}. The passage in the Book of Jeremiah dates from the fourth year of the reign of [[Jehoiakim]] (604 BCE), and therefore {{bibleverse|Obadiah|11-14|KJV}} seems to refer to the destruction of [[Jerusalem]] by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] (586 BCE). It is more likely that Obadiah and the Book of Jeremiah together were drawing on a common source presently unknown to us rather than Jeremiah drawing on previous writings of Obadiah as his source.<ref name="Zvi1996">{{cite book|author=[[Ehud Ben Zvi]]|title=A Historical-Critical Study of the Book of Obadiah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-VIjAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104|date=1 January 1996|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-080963-3|pages=104–106}}</ref> There is also much material found in {{bibleverse|Obadiah|10-21|KJV}} which Jeremiah does not quote, and which, had he had it laid out before him, would have suited his purpose admirably.

== Scriptural parallels ==
The exact expression "the Day of the Lord", from {{bibleverse|Obadiah|15|KJV}}, has been used by other authors throughout the Old and New Testaments, as follows:

===Old Testament===
* [[Isaiah 2]], [[Isaiah 13|13]][[Isaiah 34|, 34]][[Isaiah 58|, 58]], [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] {{bibleverse-nb|Jeremiah|46:10|KJV}}, [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]] {{bibleverse-nb|Lamentations|2:22|KJV}}, [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] {{bibleverse-nb|Ezekiel|13:5|KJV}}, [[Joel 1]], [[Joel 2|2]], [[Joel 3|3]], [[Book of Amos|Amos]] {{bibleverse-nb|Amos|5:18|KJV}}, {{bibleverse-nb|Amos|5:20|KJV}}, [[Zephaniah 1]], [[Zephaniah 2|2]], [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] {{bibleverse-nb|Zechariah|14:1|KJV}}, [[Book of Malachi|Malachi]] [[Malachi 4#Verse 5|4:5]]

===New Testament===
* [[1 Thessalonians 5#Verse 2|1 Thessalonians 5:2]], {{bibleverse|2 Peter|3:10|KJV}}, [[Acts 2:20]], {{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|5:5|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|1:14|KJV}}

For other parallels, compare {{bibleverse|Obadiah|1:1–8|KJV}} with {{bibleverse|Jeremiah|49:7–16|KJV}}.

== See also ==
* [[Teman (Edom)|Teman]], mentioned in verse 9

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikisourcepar|Obadiah (Bible)|The Book of Obadiah}}
* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/c/ct/c1601.htm Masoretic text] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805124734/http://www.mechon-mamre.org/c/ct/c1601.htm |date=2011-08-05 }} from [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/ Mechon Mamre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807031430/http://www.mechon-mamre.org/ |date=2011-08-07 }}
* Translations:
** Jewish translations:
*** [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=16182&showrashi=true Ovadiah (Judaica Press)] translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] from [https://web.archive.org/web/20070923011058/http://www.chabad.org/default.asp Chabad.org]
** Christian translations:
*** [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Obadiah+1 ''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org] (KJV ESV Darby BBE)
*** [https://web.archive.org/web/20050204031208/http://www.anova.org/sev/htm/hb/31_obadiah.htm Obadiah at The Great Books] (New Revised Standard Version)
** {{librivox book | dtitle=Bible: Obadiah| stitle=31: Obadiah}}
* Commentary:
** [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=16182&showrashi=true Ovadiah (Judaica Press)] translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] from [https://web.archive.org/web/20070923011058/http://www.chabad.org/default.asp Chabad.org]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928195157/http://www.freegrace.net/gill/Obadiah/Obadiah_1.htm Obadiah], from [[John Gill (theologian)|John Gill's]] Exposition of the Entire Bible.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20070608202549/http://www.ucg.org/brp/brp.asp?get=daily&day=2&month=February&year=2003&Layout= Obadiah], from the [[United Church of God|United Church of God, an International Association]] Bible Reading Program – This Hebrew scholar provides extensive background information as well as verse-by-verse exposition]
** [http://www.kretzmannproject.org Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible] (navigate to Obadiah using the menu on the left)
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20120126152207/http://www.wlsessays.net/files/KuskeObadiah.pdf Obadiah: The Lord Will Have His Day] by Jonathan Kuske
** [http://www.vts.edu/ftpimages/95/download/FM.West.Obadiah.pdf ''Obadiah: an Introduction''] by Jim West

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou | [[Minor prophet]]s|||}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Book of Amos|Amos]] | rows = 2 }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Tanakh|Hebrew Bible]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Book of Jonah|Jonah]] | rows = 2 }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Christianity|Christian]]<br>[[Old Testament]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Books of the Bible}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obadiah, Book Of}}
[[Category:Book of Obadiah| ]]
[[Category:9th-century BC books]]
[[Category:6th-century BC books]]
[[Category:1st-millennium BC books]]
[[Category:Twelve Minor Prophets| 04]]