The scriptures have that beautiful faculty of appearing to be one thing on the surface, but on a deeper level, yielding rich and mighty treasures. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. There is some uncertainty about the time of obadiah s ministry. It is thought to have been written by a person named obadiah, which means servant or worshipper of the lord. The form of obadiah s name used in the septuagint is obdios. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. The book of obadiah is found in the hebrew bible and the old testament of the christian bible where it is the shortest book, only one chapter long. The prophesy is entirely against edom, the descendants of esau, the brother to jacob who was the father of the israelites. Obadiah was sent to declare gods judgment on edomthe descendants of esau. This was one of the most common names in the hebrew bible.
Outline of the book of obadiah introduction the book of obadiah gives the historical record of edoms wickedness and consequential fall to the allseeing eyes of jehovah god ezek. Obadiah, book of, servant of yah, the shortest ot book, stands fourth among the minor prophets in the mt, but fifth in the lxx. In judaism, obadiah is considered a later prophet, one of the twelve prophets in the final section of neviim, the second main division of the tanakh. Their fortified cities included sela petra, teman and. This is the vision that the sovereign lord revealed to obadiah concerning the land of edom. View smaller size scan of original obadiah chapter 1, view textonly version of obadiah chapter 1, or click to switch to the standard king james version of obadiah chapter 1. From babylon to america, the prophecy movie by school for prophets attila kakarott duration. This book of obadiah is only one chapter long, with 21 verses in the king james version. There are 12 other men with this same name in the old testament, none of whom can be identified with the author of this book. The book of obadiah contains only 21 verses making it the shortest book in the holy bible.
This article is about obadiah in the old testament, particularly the prophet to whom authorship of the book of obadiah is attributed. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. To understand this future judgment on the edomites we. It is very difficult to know when obadiah was written because there is nothing in the heading or introduction of the book to pinpoint the date. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations. Overview of the book of obadiah reformed answers to. Therefore, we must look in the text of the book for historical clues that point to the date. The niv and new international version are trademarks registered in the united states patent and trademark office by biblica, inc. We think the reason ezra, who superintended the compilers of the old testament, inserted obadiah after amos, rather than much further on, is that this book concerns only. The righteous power of god, not the evil plans of the nations, determines the course of history. In christianity, the book of obadiah is classified as a minor prophet of the old testament, due to its short length. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of obadiah. Obadiah probably wrote the book sometime between 850 and 550 b. The smallest book in the old testament may also be one of the least known prophecies.
Obadiah, chapter 1 united states conference of catholic bishops. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament. The historical context of scripture indicates a time from c. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. Meaning, origin and history of the name obadiah behind. The purpose of the book of obadiah, therefore, was not to warn edom of imminent judgment but to reassure gods people of his triumphant justice at work for them. An envoy was sent to the nations to say,rise, let us go. The book of obadiah meaning servant of the lord, a minor prophet in the old testament, is a prophecy written to the southern kingdom of judah and alternates to the nation of edom. The global message of obadiah obadiah in redemptive history. The book of obadiah niv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 31 duration. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and. Remember that many of the minor prophets are of supreme importance in understanding scripture and prophecy in particular.
The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21. The book of obadiah is a sustained denunciation of the edomites, melting into a vision of the future glories of zion when the arm of the lord should have wrought her deliverance and have repaid double upon her enemies. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. In its introduction to the book of obadiah, the oxford annotated bible suggests another explanation for the similarities. The book of obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, the 4th book of the twelve minor prophets. Why did god judge edom so harshly in the book of obadiah. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. Their fortified cities included sela petra, teman and bozrah. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. When were obadiah s prophecies against edom fulfilled obadiah 1. This is what the sovereign lord says about edomwe have heard a message from the lord. Obadiah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of obadiah for bible study or sunday school lessons.
Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of. Original 1611 kjv book of obadiah viewing the 1611 king james version of obadiah obadiah chapter 1, also known as. Pride took hold of edom and moved like a contagious disease throughout the nation cf. Nothing is known of the author, although his prophecy against edom, a neighbor and rival of israel, indicates a date of composition sometime after the babylonian destruction of jerusalem in 587 b. Since the edomites were descendants of jacobs brother, esau, this betrayal by edom was especially painful to gods people. Edoms judgment announcedwe have heard a message from the lordthat an ambassador was sent to the nation.
Information and translations of book of obadiah in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Lost somewhere in the dark corner of your bible is a brief, but largely unfamiliar book called obadiah. Specifically, the prophet denounces edom for gloating over the destruction of jerusalem by the babylonians in 587 b. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom. In favor are the many similarities between the book of obadiah and jeremiah 49. The book begins by calling itself a vision which is an indication also shared by isaiah 1.
The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. Obadiah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt. Book of obadiah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. Because of this they will suffer gods wrath at the day of the lord that comes on all nations. Obadiah synonyms, obadiah pronunciation, obadiah translation, english dictionary definition of obadiah. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. The edomites are accused of cruelty and supporting israels enemies.
Obadiah definition of obadiah by the free dictionary. While others of the prophetic books contain passages of judgment against edom and other nations. This works ended up being a thick work for a part of the bible thats only 21 verses. The majority of the book pronounces judgment on the foreign nation of edom, making obadiah one of only three prophets who pronounced judgment primarily on other nations nahum and habakkuk are the others. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. Obadiah s prophecy closely follows the pattern of a covenantlawsuit address. In the old testament this is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets, the author of the book of obadiah. Book of obadiah simple english wikipedia, the free. This summary of the book of obadiah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of obadiah.