Old Testament · Minor Prophets
Obadiah
The Book of Obadiah
Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, but its message is sharp and far-reaching. The prophet announces judgment against Edom, a nation descended from Esau and related to Israel by blood. Edom's pride, violence, and betrayal against Judah reveal a deeper hostility toward God's covenant people. The book especially condemns Edom for standing aloof, rejoicing, and taking advantage when Jerusalem suffered disaster. Obadiah shows that God sees not only direct violence but also arrogant indifference and opportunism in the suffering of others. No nation can hide behind geography, strength, or political advantage when the Lord brings justice. Yet Obadiah ends with hope. The Day of the LORD will bring judgment on the nations, but also deliverance for Zion. The final line declares that the kingdom will belong to the LORD, lifting the book from a local conflict between Edom and Judah to a vision of God's universal reign.
Who wrote this book?
Named in the textObadiah
probably shortly after 586 BC · Unknown servant of the LORD · witness to Jerusalem's fall · prosecutor of a brother's betrayal
The prophet is identified only as Obadiah, a name meaning 'servant of the LORD.' The date is debated, but the book is commonly connected either to an earlier attack on Jerusalem or to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
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