In it they read the future of their own people and of christendom. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. The edomites were descendants of esau, jacobs brother. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah. God was the author, both of the book of jeremiah and of the book of obadiah. As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. The book of obadiah home new christian bible study. First, that jeremiah borrowed from obadiah, assuming an early date for obadiah. Obadiah foretells the subduction of the idumeans by the chaldeans, and finally by the jews, whom they had used most cruelly when brought low by other enemies. Gileadis translation of the book of isaiah is clear and smooth, allowing the reader to appreciate the power and beauty of isaiah as conveyed in the hebrew originalprofessor herbert m. Book of obadiah explained the book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. Obadiah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original.
What are the most commonly asked questions about the book of obadiah. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. Obadiah 17 the first step in the future successes of the jews is the recovery of what was previously their own speakers commentary. Obadiah probably lived in the southern kingdom of judah. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. The edomites are descendants of esau and the israelites are descendants of. Obadiah, chapter 1 united states conference of catholic bishops.
An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of obadiah. Some of the ancients imagined him to be the same with that obadiah that was steward to ahabs household. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible. Obadiah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of obadiah for bible study or sunday school lessons. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration. 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. Some of the ancients imagined him to be the same with that obadiah that was steward to ahabs household 1 kgs. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt.
Obadiah free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Book of obadiah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Obadiah is a book of recompense and deliverance, ending with the kingdom will be the lords. The author was obadiah, whose name means the servant of the eternal. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. The book of obadiah is a favorite study of modern jews. Obadiah, book of, servant of yah, the shortest ot book, stands fourth among the minor prophets in the mt, but fifth in the lxx. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. Historical background in general, the background for the book of obadiah is the relationship between israel and edom. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord.
Exegesis of the book of obadiah christian truth is. Other occurrences of the name are not known to be for the same person. Obadiah is not only the shortest prophecy, but also the shortest book of the old testament. This fact makes it difficult to date the time of writing. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18. Only 21 verses, it can be read in just a few minutes. 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. Published on may 7, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway.
The prophecy is largely concerned with the condemnation of edom descendants of esau for treachery toward their brother israel descendants of jacob and the resultant punishment. The title page and purposes of the book of mormon duration. However, he explained all this in a manner that his readers could understand. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Dont worry about those who ignore your need, those who rejoice at your problems, those who take advantage of your crises, those who join their hands with others in. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. The object of the prophets ire actually, the lords ire is israels twin brother esau edom, and his physical and spiritual descendants. The prophetic book of obadiah, though shortest in the hebrew portion of the bible, is no slouch in robust impact. It is primarily speaking of the condemnation and destruction of edom from god. Some believe obadiah may have been a contemporary of elisha. So obadiah is just a prophet who wrote one of the great prophecies of the scripture. The oracle structure for the book of obadiah is set up as a lawsuit. As we begin our 3rd sermon in this series, i want to remind you that obadiah wrote this shortest book of the old testament probably soon after the armies of ba. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations.
The defendants are edom which the charge being for its arrogance for what it has done to israel. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to. Human intervention, crucial though it is, is not the ultimate answer to this cry for justice. Obadiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Obadiah shows what the day of the lord will be for israels enemies joel 3. This onechapter book of the bible has some important concepts. Pusey said, god has willed that his name alone and this brief prophecy should be known to the world. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. The book of obadiah does not mention his lineage and no kings of israel or judah are listed. Second, the content of the book may consist of from two to five. A free bible version and commentary on the book of obadiah in easyenglish.
Obadiah is a little book, but it is an example of an atomic bomb in the bible. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. Who this obadiah was does not appear from any other scripture. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how.
Obadiah 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Home faq books of the bible obadiah questions about obadiah. In their concluding comments on the book of obadiah, authors william lasor, david hubbard and frederic bush state. If this is true, then jerusalems destruction obadiah verse 11 is the same as in. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals.
The translated bible text has been through advanced checking words in boxes are from the bible. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. See the introduction regarding this socalled problem. The translated bible text has been through advanced checking. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord.
There was implacable hostility between the two groups from the time the israelites were denied passage through edomite territory. 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. Obadiah with only one chapter and a total of 21 verses is the shortest book of the old testament and is shorter than most of the books in the new testament. This is supported by the fact that careful analysis of the vv. This series is from the book of obadiah and is a message to the nations. Book of obadiah, the destruction of edom, judahs misfortune. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom. A summary of inner meaning of the book of obadiah heres what obadiah is saying, in this onechapter book of the word. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. And the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. The book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of obadiah. The herods of the new testament are of edomite heritage.
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. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. The most likely set of circumstances for the backdrop of this prophesy is found during the reign of king jehoram of judah 848841 bc. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. This is what the sovereign lord says about edomwe have heard a message from the lord. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament. People still chafe under injustices in this world, and yearn for a day when things will be as they should be. Murrell an anonymous british engraving, london 1676. Much of the period of the monarchy showed israel dominant over the edomites.
We have heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah the vision of obadiah. May 07, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Their fortified cities included sela petra, teman and bozrah. While several options have been proposed by scholars, the best argument places obadiah in the 840s bc, making him the earliest writing prophet, a few years prior to joel, and a contemporary of elisha. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament. Obadiah 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. They debate its author and date of composition, and they point to the striking similarity between passages in obadiah and jeremiah to question whether obadiah. To digest it properly, it may prove helpful to read it a number of times, from several different translations, asking the lord for insight. This book is not addressed to the jewish people but to the nation of edom who were the descendants of esau who was the oldest son of isaac and rebekah and the brother of jacob. This is the 3rd sermon in the rise or fall of a nation series. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. Those who are in a state of selfintelligence will pervert the word.
We do not know anything of the book s author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. The book begins by calling itself a vision which is an indication also shared by isaiah 1. Verses 37 in obadiah explain to the reader the reason for the punishment theme, confidence in ones power, intelligence, allies, or the. The smallest old testament account, the book of obadiah is a vision written by the lords prophet known as obadiah, who prophesied against israels relative nation edom. These words begin the bible book of obadiahthe prophet reveals nothing about himself except his name in the book that he composed in 607 b. Obadiah chapter 1 verse by verse bible commentary matthew. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh.
More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical with the prophet. Obadiah the lords message about edom and what edom represents in the end times the book has only this one chapter. 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. Under the word vision in prophetic language is included, not only what the seer saw, the mental picture presented to his inner senses, but also. An envoy was sent to the nations to say,rise, let us go. We have heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen. Edom was enemies of israel, even though they were related by blood. These prophecies have been literally fulfilled for the idumeans, as a nation, are totally extinct.
An envoy was sent to the nations to say, rise, let us go against her for battle. David guzik commentary on obadiah 1 describes the vision the prophet obadiah had. This book is wholly concerning edom, a nation nearly allied and near adjoining to israel, and yet an enemy to the seed of jacob, inheriting the enmity of their father esau to jacob. The name here is a unique reference in that it does not deal with israel or judah. An exposition of the scriptures by dallas seminary faculty. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. The first nine verses of obadiah echo many of the sentiments of jer. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. This is the title of the book, declaring from whom and through whom the revelation comes.
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