The Book of Obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of Edom and the restoration of Israel. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism and Christianity, its authorship is attributed to a prophet who lived in the Assyrian Period and named himself in the first verse, Obadiah. His name means "servant of Yahweh". In Judaism, Obadiah is considered a "later prophet", one of the "Twelve Prophets" in the final section of Nevi'im, the second main division of the Tanakh. In Christianity, the Book of Obadiah is classified as a minor prophet of the Old Testament, due to its short length.
Content
The book of Obadiah is based on a prophetic vision concerning the fall of Edom, a mountain dwelling nation whose founding father was Esau. Obadiah describes an encounter with God, who addresses Edom's arrogance and charges them for their violent actions against their brother nation, the House ofJacob. The western half of ancient Edom is the Negev desert all the way to Eilat, all part of modern Israel. The eastern half is possessed by the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. In the days of Obadiah, the Edomites lived along the cliffs and mountaintops of the arid land south of the Dead Sea, all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. There was very little in the way of arable land, so the Edomites made their living supporting the main caravan route between Egypt and Babylon that passed through their whole land. Throughout most of the history of Judah, Edom was controlled absolutely from Jerusalem as a vassal state. Among the region's great powers, Edom was held in low regard. Obadiah said that the high elevation of their dwelling place in the 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". In 597 BCE, 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."' Obadiah said in judgement God would wipe out the house of Esau forever, and not even a remnant would remain. The Edomites' land would be possessed by Egypt and they would cease to exist as a people. But the Day of the Lord was at hand for all nations, and someday the children of Israel would return from their exile and possess the land of Edom.
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 of composition 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 BC when Jerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the reign of Jehoram of Judah and 607 – 586 BC 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. contains parallels to Jeremiah. The passage in Jeremiah dates from the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, and therefore seems to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. It is more likely that Obadiah and Jeremiah together were drawing on a common source presently unknown to us than Jeremiah drawing on previous writings of Obadiah as his source. There is also much material found in which Jeremiah does not quote, and which, had he had it laid out before him, would have suited his purpose admirably.
According to Obadiah 18, after judgment, "There will be no survivors from the house of Esau". So, according to Obadiah there will not remain even a remnant after Edom’s judgment. This is in contrast to Amos 9:12, where Amos refers to such a remnant; however, it is stated that their possession will be given to Israel.
Sepharad
The identity of the land of "Sepharad", mentioned only here in this verse in the Bible,, is currently unknown. It is also unknown whether or not Sepharad is a city, district or territory. Persian inscriptions refer to two places called "Saparda": one area in Media and another in Asia Minor, arguably Sardis.
Scriptural parallels
The exact expression "the Day of the Lord”, from, has been used by other authors throughout the Old and New Testaments, as follows: Old Testament:
In relating to theme of Obadiah, it is important to underscore the “punishment” theme this book outlines against Edom. W.J. Deane and J.R. Thomson write this conclusion, “The Book of Obadiah is occupied with one subject – the punishment of Edom for its cruel and unbrotherly conduct towards Judah...” One can link this idea of punishment to one of the major prophets “Ezekiel” who “...interprets the exile to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem as deserved punishments for the sins of those who themselves committed them.” Verses in Obadiah explain to the reader the reason for the punishment theme, “Confidence in one’s power, intelligence, allies, or the topographical features of one’s territory is often mentioned as an attribute of those who foolishly confront the Lord and are consequently punished.” Although destruction is vital to understanding Obadiah, it is of note to understand the destruction being a consequence of action.
