Text -- Obadiah 1:15 (NET)

The Coming Day of the Lord

1:15 “For the day of the Lord is approaching for all the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be done to you. You will get exactly what your deeds deserve.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Oba 1:15

The time which the Lord hath appointed for the punishing of this, and other nations.

Wesley: Oba 1:15

Perfidiously, cruelly, and ravenously, against Jacob.

JFB: Oba 1:15

Resumptive in connection with Oba 1:10, wherein Edom was threatened with cutting off for ever.

JFB: Oba 1:15

The day in which He will manifest Himself as the Righteous Punisher of the ungodly peoples (Joe 3:14). The "all" shows that the fulfilment is not exhausted in the punishment inflicted on the surrounding nations by the instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar; but, as in Joe 3:14, and Zec 12:3, that the last judgment to come on the nations confederate against Jerusalem is referred to.

JFB: Oba 1:15

The righteous principle of retribution in kind (Lev 24:17; Mat 7:2; compare Jdg 1:6-7; Jdg 8:19; Est 7:10).

JFB: Oba 1:15

The reward of thy deed (compare Isa 3:9-11).

Clarke: Oba 1:15

The day of the Lord is near - God will not associate thee with him in the judgments which he inflicts. Thou also art guilty and shalt have thy punishment in due course with the other sinful nations.

Calvin: Oba 1:15

By saying that the day of Jehovah was nigh upon all nations, the Prophet may be regarded as reasoning from the greater to the less: “If God will not spare other nations, how canst thou escape his hand?” In a like manner does Jeremiah speak in chapter 49, (Jer 49:12) he addresses the Idumeans in these words, ‘Behold, they shall drink of the cup, who have not been by judgment condemned to drink; and shalt thou not taste? by drinking thou shalt drink to the very dregs. He shows then that the Idumeans deserved a double vengeance; for if indeed they were compared with the Assyrians and Chaldeans, the fault of the latter would appear small: the Chaldeans might pretend some causes for the war, they were aliens, they were, in short, professed enemies; but the Idumeans were neighbors and kindred. The same thing might be also said of other nations. But the words may be explained in a simpler manner; and that is, that God would not only take vengeance on one or two nations, but on all. “See,” he says, “a change will take place not only in one corner, but in the whole world. The Lord will thus show that he is the judge of the whole earth. Hence it follows, that the Idumeans also must render an account, for God has resolved to execute judgment on all nations; no one whatever shall be passed by.”

Behold, then, nigh is the day of Jehovah. We have said that the time in which Obadiah prophesied is unknown to us. But it is no matter of wonder that he declares that nigh is the day of Jehovah; for the Lord hastens not after the manner of men; but, at the same time, he knows his own seasons; and this is ever accomplished, that when the ungodly think themselves to be at rest, then sudden destruction overtakes them.

He draws this conclusion, As thou hast done, so shall it be done to thee. There seems, however, to be here an implied comparison between the chastisement of the chosen people and the punishment which shall be inflicted on other nations. When the Idumeans saw that the kingdom of Israel and of Judah was trodden under foot, they thought that the children of Abraham were thus punished because they had despised their own Prophets, because they had become immoral and perverse in the extreme. Thus they exempted themselves and others from punishment. Now the Prophet declares that God had been the judge of his people, but that he is also the judge of the whole world, and that this would quickly be made evident. When, therefore, he says, that nigh was the day of Jehovah, he had, I have no doubt, a regard, as I have already said, to the chastisement of the Church; as though he said, “As God has proved himself to be one who justly punishes sins with respect to Israel and Judah; so also at length he will ascend his tribunal to judge all the nations; no one, therefore, shall escape punishment. All then in their different conditions shall be constrained to give an account of their actions, for the Lord will spare none: and though he has begun with his Church and his own house, yet there will come afterwards the suitable time to take vengeance, when he will extend his hand to punish all heathen nations.” This, seems to me to be the real meaning.

Rightly then does he conclude, As then thou hast done, it shall be done to thee: “Think not that thou shalt be unpunished for having gone against thy brother. It was God’s purpose to exhibit an example of his severity towards others, while he spared thee; but thou hast abused his forbearance; for thou mightest have remained quiet at home: the Lord will then repay thee.” And then he subjoins, Thy reward shall recoil, or return, on thine own head Here the Prophet announces what Christ also says

‘With what measure any one measures, it shall be repaid to him,’ (Mat 7:2.)

This sentence is worthy of being noticed: for when God leaves the innocent to the will of the ungodly, they think that they may do whatever they please with impunity, as though they were the executioners of God. As then they become thus insolent when the Lord spares them, let us take notice of what the Prophet says here, — that a reward is prepared for every one, and that whatever cruelty the ungodly may exercise, it shall be returned on their own heads. It follows —

Defender: Oba 1:15

If, as many scholars believe, Obadiah was the first of the writing prophets, this would be the first use of the important phrase, "the day of the Lord," which is applied so frequently in Scripture to the judgments of the last days. Although Obadiah's theme here is specifically the coming judgment on Edom, his vision goes far beyond that, applying it to "all the heathen" - that is, all the Gentile nations."

TSK: Oba 1:15

the day : Psa 110:5, Psa 110:6; Jer 9:25, Jer 9:26, Jer 25:15-29, Jer 49:12; Lam 4:21, Lam 4:22; Eze 30:3; Joe 3:11-14; Mic 5:15; Zec 14:14-18

as : Jdg 1:7; Psa 137:8; Eze 35:15; Joe 3:7, Joe 3:8; Hab 2:8; Mat 7:2; Jam 2:13

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Oba 1:15

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the pagan - The prophet once more enforces his warning by preaching judgment to come. "The day of the Lord"was already known Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1, Joe 2:31, as a day of judgment upon "all nations,"in which God would "judge all the pagan,"especially for their outrages against His people. Edom might hope to escape, were it alone threatened. The prophet announces one great law of God’ s retribution, one rule of His righteous judgment. "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee."Pagan justice owned this to be just, and placed it in the mouth of their ideal of justice. "Blessed he,"says the Psalmist Psa 137:8, "that recompenses unto thee the deed which thou didst to us.""Blessed,"because he was the instrument of God. Having laid down the rule of God’ s’ judgment, he resumes his sentence to Edom, and speaks to all in him. In the day of Judahs calamity Edom made itself as "one of them."It, Jacob’ s brother, had ranked itself among the enemies of God’ s people. It then too should be swept away in one universal destruction. It takes its place with them, undistinguished in its doom as in its guilt, or it stands out as their representa tive, having the greater guilt, because it had the greater light. Obadiah, in adopting Joel’ s words Joe 3:7, "thy reward shall return upon thine own head,"pronounces therewith on Edom all those terrible judgments contained in the sentence of retribution as they had been expanded by Joel.

Poole: Oba 1:15

For the day of the Lord of just revenge from the Lord upon this cruelty of Edom, the time which the Lord hath appointed for the punishing of this and other nations, is near upon all the heathen; which God had given to Nebuchadnezzar, and which by this man’ s arms God would punish, as Jer 27:2-7 ; and that day may justly be accounted near, which shall come within the compass of one man’ s life, and that well advanced in years, as Nebuchadnezzar now was.

As thou hast done perfidiously, cruelly, and ravenously against Jacob, with a hostile, revengeful mind, it shall be done by thine enemies

to thee as Oba 1:7 ; and this came to pass on Edom within five years after Jerusalem was sacked and ruined; within which space of time Obadiah prophesied, reproving Edom, and threatening him for what he had done against Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

Thy reward the punishment or retribution of evil for the evil thou hast done to Jacob,

shall return by God’ s just hand, and by thy enemy’ s cruel hand, shall be poured out upon thee.

Upon thine own head: thy chief men, chief in the cruelty, shall be chief in suffering, for the measure thou hast measured shall be measured to thee, as Psa 137:8 Eze 35:15 Joe 3:7,8 .

Haydock: Oba 1:15

Nations around. (Haydock) ---

Josephus ([Antiquities?] x. 11.) does not specify Edom. But the prophets had announced their destruction, effected by Nabuchodonosor, while the main part of his army besieged Tyre. (Calmet)

Gill: Oba 1:15

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the Heathen,.... That is, the time was at hand, fixed and determined by the Lord, and he had spoken of by his prophets, when he would punish all the Heathens round about for their sins; as the Egyptians, Philistines, Tyrians, Ammonites, Moabites, and others; and so the Edomites among the rest; for this is mentioned for their sakes, and to show that their punishment was inevitable, and that they could not expect to escape in the general ruin; see Jer 25:17. This destruction of Edom here prophesied of, and of all the Heathen, was accomplished about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, so that it might be truly said to be near; and some time within this space Obadiah seems to have prophesied; and the day of the Lord is not far off upon the Pagans, Mahometans, and all the "antichristian" states, When mystical Edom or Rome will be destroyed; see Rev 16:19;

as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head; this is particularly directed to Edom, upon whom the day of the Lord's vengeance shall come; when he punished the Heathens, then the Edomites should be retaliated in their own way; and as they had rejoiced at the destruction of the Jews, and had insulted them in their calamities, and barbarously used them, they should be treated in like manner; see Eze 35:15; and thus will mystical Babylon, or the mystical Edomites, be dealt with, even after the same manner as they have dealt with the truly godly, the faithful professors of Christ, Rev 18:6.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Oba 1:15

¹ sn The term יוֹם (yom, “day”) is repeated ten times in vv. 11-14 referring to the time period when Judah/Jerusalem suffered calamity which Edom exploited for its own sinful gain. In each of those cases יוֹם was qualified by a following genitive to describe Judah’s plight, e.g., “in the day of your brother’s calamity” (v. 12). Here it appears again but now followed by the divine name to describe the time of God’s judgment against Edom for its crimes against humanity: “the day of the Lord.” In the present translation, the expression בְּיוֹם (bÿyom; literally, “In the day of”) was rendered “When…” in vv. 11-14. However, here it is translated more literally because the expression “the day of the Lord” is a well-known technical expression for a time of divine intervention in judgment. While this expression sometimes refers to the final eschatological day of God’s judgment, it may also refer occasionally to historical acts of judgment.

² tn Heb “near” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “is coming soon.”

³ sn God’s judgment would not be confined to Edom. Edom would certainly be punished in just measure for its wrongdoing, but “the day of the Lord” would also encompass judgment of the nations (v. 15).

⁴ tn Heb “your deed will return on your own head.” Verses 15 and 16 provide an example of ironic reversal, whereby the tables are turned and poetic justice is served. This is a motif that is common in prophetic oracles against foreign nations.

Geneva Bible: Oba 1:15

For the day ^{( k )} of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

^{( k )} When he will summon all the heathen, and send them to destroy you.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Obadiah

1 The destruction of Edom,

3 for their pride,

10 and for their wrong unto Jacob.

17 The salvation and victory of Jacob.

MHCC: Oba 1:1-16

This prophecy is against Edom. Its destruction seems to have been typical, as their father Esau's rejection; and to refer to the destruction of the enemies of the gospel church. See the prediction of the success of that war; Edom shall be spoiled, and brought down. All the enemies of God's church shall be disappointed in the things they stay themselves on. God can easily lay those low who magnify and exalt themselves; and will do it. Carnal security ripens men for ruin, and makes the ruin worse when it comes. Treasures on earth cannot be so safely laid up but that thieves may break through and steal; it is therefore our wisdom to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Those that make flesh their trust, arm it against themselves. The God of our covenant will never deceive us: but if we trust men with whom we join ourselves, it may prove to us a wound and dishonour. God will justly deny those understanding to keep out of danger, who will not use their understandings to keep out of sin. All violence, all unrighteousness, is sin; but it makes the violence far worse, if it be done against any of God's people. Their barbarous conduct towards Judah and Jerusalem, is charged upon them. In reflecting on ourselves, it is good to consider what we should have done; to compare our practice with the Scripture rule. Sin, thus looked upon in the glass of the commandment, will appear exceedingly sinful. Those have a great deal to answer for, who are idle spectators of the troubles of their neighbours, when able to be active helpers. Those make themselves poor, who think to make themselves rich by the ruin of the people of God; and those deceive themselves, who call all that their own on which they can lay their hands in a day of calamity. Though judgment begins at the house of God, it shall not end there. Let sorrowful believers and insolent oppressors know, that the troubles of the righteous will soon end, but those of the wicked will be eternal.

Matthew Henry: Oba 1:10-16

When we have read Edom's doom, no less than utter ruin, it is natural to ask, Why, what evil has he done? What is the ground of God's controversy with him? Many things, no doubt, were amiss in Edom; they were a sinful people, and a people laden with iniquity. But that one single crime which is laid to their charge, as filling their measure and bringing this ruin upon them, that for which they here stand indicted, of which they are convicted, and for which they are condemned, is the injury they had done to the people of God (Oba 1:10): "It is for thy violence against thy brother Jacob, that ancient and hereditary grudge which thou hast borne to the people of Israel, that all this shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever. "Note, Injuries to men are affronts to God, the righteous God, that loveth righteousness and hateth wickedness; and, as the Judge of all the earth, he will give redress to those that suffer wrong and take vengeance on those that do wrong. All violence, all unrighteousness, is sin; but it is a great aggravation of the violence if it be done either, 1. Against any of our own people; it is violence against thy brother, thy near relation, to whom thou shouldst be a goel - a redeemer, whom it is thy duty to right if others wronged him; how wicked is it then for thee thyself to wrong him! Thou slanderest and abusest thy own mother's son; this makes the sin exceedingly sinful, Psa 50:20. Or, 2. Much more if it be done against any of God's people; "it is thy brother Jacob that is in covenant with God, and dear to him. Thou hatest him whom God has loved, and because God espouses and will plead with jealousy, and in whose interests God is pleased so far to interest himself that he takes the violence done to him as done to himself. Whoso touches Jacob touches the apple of the eye of Jacob's God. "So that it is crimen laesae majestatis - high treason, for which, as for high treason, let Edom expect an ignominious punishment: Shame shall cover thee, and a ruining one; thou shalt be cut off for ever.

In the following verses we are told more particularly,

I. What the violence was which Edom did against his brother Jacob, and what are the proofs of this charge. It does not appear that the Edomites did themselves invade Israel, but that was more for want of power than will; they had malice enough to do it, but were not a match for them. But that which is laid to their charge is their barbarous conduct towards Judah and Jerusalem when they were in distress, and ready to be destroyed, probably by the Chaldeans, or upon occasion of some other of the calamities of the Jews; for this seems to have been always their temper towards them. See this charged upon the Edomites (Psa 137:7), that in the day of Jerusalem they said, Rase it, rase it, and Eze 25:12. They are here told particularly what they did, by being told what they should not have done (Oba 1:12-14): "Thou shouldst not have looked, thou shouldst not have entered; but thou didst so."Note, In reflecting upon ourselves it is good to compare what we have done with what we should have done, our practice with the rule, that we may discover wherein we have done amiss, have done those things which we ought not to have done. We should not have been where we were at such a time, should not have been in such and such company, should not have said what we said, nor have taken the liberty that we took. Sin thus looked upon, in the glass of the commandment, will appear exceedingly sinful. Let us see,

1. What was the case of Judah and Jerusalem when the Edomites behaved themselves thus basely and insulted over them. (1.) It was a day of distress with them (Oba 1:12): It was the day of their calamity, so it is called three times, Oba 1:13. With the Edomites it was a day of prosperity and peace when with the Israelites it was a day of distress and calamity, for judgment commonly begins at the house of God. Children are corrected when strangers are let alone. (2.) It was the day of their destruction (Oba 1:12), when both city and country were laid waste, were laid in ruins. (3.) It was a day when foreigners entered into the gates of Jerusalem, when the city, after a long siege, was broken up, and the great officers of the king of Babylon's army came, and sat in the gates, as judges of the land; when they cast lots upon the spoils of Jerusalem, as the soldiers on Christ's garments, what shares each of the conquerors shall have, what shares of the lands, what shares of the goods; or they cast lots to determine when and where they should attack it. (4.) It was a day when the strangers carried away captive his forces (Oba 1:11), took the men of war prisoners of war, and carried them off, in poverty and shame, to their own country, or such a multitude of captives that they were as an army. (5.) "It was a day when thy brother himself, that had long been at home, at rest in his own land, became a stranger, an exile in a strange land."Now, when this was the woeful case of the Jews, the Edomites, their neighbours and brethren, should have pitied them and helped them, condoled with them and comforted them, and should have trembled to think that their own turn would come next; for, if this was done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? But,

2. See what was the conduct of the Edomites towards them when they were in this distress, for which they are here condemned. (1.) They looked with pleasure upon the affliction of God's people; they stood on the other side (Oba 1:11), afar off, when they should have come in to the relief of their distressed neighbours, and looked upon them, and their day, looked on their affliction (Oba 1:12, Oba 1:13), with a careless unconcerned eye, as the priest and Levite looked upon the wounded man, and passed by on the other side. Those have a great deal to answer for that are idle spectators of the troubles and afflictions of their neighbours, when they are capable of being their active helpers. But this was not all; they looked upon it with a scornful eye, with an eye of complacency and satisfaction; they looked and laughed to see Israel in distress, saying, Aha! so we would have it. They fed their eyes with the rueful spectacle of Jerusalem's ruin, and looked at it as those that had long looked for it and often wished to see it. Note, We must take heed with what eye we look upon the afflictions of our brethren; and, if we cannot look upon them with a gracious eye of sympathy and tenderness, it is better not to look upon them at all: Thou shouldst not have looked as thou didst upon the day of thy brother. (2.) They triumphed and insulted over them, upbraided their brethren with their sorrows, and made themselves and their companions merry with them. They rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. They had not the good manners to conceal the pleasure they took in Judah's destruction and to dissemble it, but openly declared it, and rudely and insolently declared it to them; they rejoiced over them, crowed, and hectored, and trampled upon them. Those have the spirit of Edomites that can rejoice over any, especially over Israelites, in the day of their calamity. (3.) They spoke proudly-magnified the mouth (so the word is), against Israel, talked with a great disdain of the suffering Israelites, and with an air of haughtiness of the present safety and prosperity of Edom, as it if might be inferred from their present different state that the tables were turned, and now Esau was beloved, and the favourite of heaven, and Jacob hated and rejected. Note, Those must expect to be in some way or other effectually humbled and mortified themselves that are puffed up and made proud by the humiliations and mortifications of others. (4.) They went further yet, for they entered into the gate of God's people in the day of their calamity, and laid hands on their substance. Though they did not help to conquer them, they helped to plunder them, and put in for a share in the prey, Oba 1:13. Jerusalem was thrown open, and then they entered in; its wealth was thrown about, and they seized it for themselves, excusing it with this, that they might as well take it as let it be lost; whereas it was taking what was not their own. Babylon lays Jerusalem waste, but Edom, by meddling with the spoil, becomes particeps criminis - partaker of the crime, and shall be reckoned with as an accessary ex post facto - after the fact. Note, Those do but impoverish themselves that think to enrich themselves by the ruins of the people of God; and those deceive themselves who think they may call all that substance their own which they can lay their hands on in a day of calamity. (5.) They did yet worse things; they not only robbed their brethren, but murdered them, in the day of their calamity; laid hands not only on their substance, but on their persons, Oba 1:14. When the victorious sword of the Chaldeans was making bloody work among the Jews many made their escape, and were in a fair way to save themselves by flight; but the Edomites basely intercepted them, stood in the cross-way where several roads met, by each of which the trembling Israelites were making the best of their way from the fury of the pursuers, and there they stopped them: some they barbarously and cowardlike cut off themselves; others they took prisoners, and delivered up to the pursuers, only to ingratiate themselves with them, because they were now the conquerors. They should not have been thus cruel to those that lay at their mercy, and never had done, nor were every likely to do, them any hurt; they should not have betrayed those whom they had such a fair opportunity to protect; but such are the tender mercies of the wicked. One cannot read this without a high degree of compassion towards those who were thus basely abused, who when they fled from the sword of an open enemy, and thought they had got out of the reach of it, fell upon and fell by the sword of a treacherous neighbour, whom they were not apprehensive of any danger from. Nor can one read this without a high degree of indignation towards those who were so perfectly lost to all humanity as to exercise such cruelty upon such proper objects of compassion. (6.) In all this they joined with the open enemies and persecutors of Israel: Even thou wast as one of them, an accessary equally guilty with the principals. He that joins in with the evil doers, and is aiding and abetting in their evil deeds, shall be reckoned, and shall be reckoned with, as one of them.

II. What the shame is that shall cover them for this violence of theirs. 1. They shall soon find that the cup is going round, even the cup of trembling; and, when they come to be in the same calamitous condition that the Israel of God is now in, they will be ashamed to remember how they triumphed over them (Oba 1:15): The day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen, when God will recompense tribulation to the troublers of his church. Though judgment begin at the house of God, it shall not end there. This should effectually restrain us from triumphing over others in their misery, that we know not how soon it may be our own case. 2. Their enmity to the people of God, and the injuries they had done them, shall be recompensed into their own bosoms: As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. The righteous God will render both to nations and to particular persons according to their works; and the punishment is often made exactly to answer to the sin, and those that have abused others come to be themselves abused in like manner. The just and jealous God will find out a time and way to avenge the wrongs done to his people on those that have been injurious to them. As you have drunk upon my holy mountain (Oba 1:16), that is, as God's professing people, who inhabit his holy mountain, have drunk deeply of the cup of affliction (and their being of the holy mountain would not excuse them), so shall all the heathen drink, in their turn, of the same bitter cup; for, if God bring evil on the city that is called by his name, shall those be unpunished that never knew his name? See Jer 25:29. And it is part of the burden of Edom (Jer 49:12), Those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup (who had reason to promise themselves an exemption from it) have assuredly drunken, and shall Edom that is the generation of God's wrath go unpunished? No, thou shalt surely drink of it; the cup of trembling shall be taken out of the hand of God's people, and put into the hand of those that afflict them, Isa 51:22, Isa 51:23. Nay, they may expect their case to be worse in the day of their distress than that of Israel was in their day; for, (1.) The afflictions of God's people were but for a moment, and soon had an end, but their enemies shall drink continually the wine of God's wrath, Rev 14:10. (2.) The dregs of the cup are reserved for the wicked of the earth (Psa 75:8); they shall drink and swallow down, or sup up (as the margin reads it), shall drink it to the bottom. (3.) The people of God, though they may be made to drink of the wine of astonishment for a while (Psa 60:3), shall yet recover, and come to themselves again; but the heathen shall drink and be as though they had not been; there shall be neither any remains nor any remembrance of them, but they shall be wholly extirpated and rooted out. So let all thy enemies perish, O Lord! so they shall perish, if the turn not.

Keil-Delitzsch: Oba 1:15-16

This warning is supported in Oba 1:15 by an announcement of the day of the Lord, in which Edom and all the enemies of Israel will receive just retribution for their sins against Israel. Oba 1:15. "For the day of Jehovah is near upon all nations. As thou hast done, it will be done to thee; what thou hast performed returns upon thy head. Oba 1:16. For as ye have drunken upon my holy mountain, all nations will drink continually, and drink and swallow, and will be as those that were not." כּי (for) connects what follows with the warnings in Oba 1:12-14, but not also, or exclusively, with Oba 1:10, Oba 1:11, as Rosenmüller and others suppose, for Oba 1:2-14 are not inserted parenthetically. "The day of Jehovah"has been explained at Joe 1:15. The expression was first formed by Obadiah, not by Joel; and Joel, Isaiah, and the prophets that follow, adopted it from Obadiah. The primary meaning is not the day of judgment, but the day on which Jehovah reveals His majesty and omnipotence in a glorious manner, to overthrow all ungodly powers, and to complete His kingdom. It was this which gave rise to the idea of the day of judgment and retribution which predominates in the prophetic announcements, but which simply forms one side of the revelation of the glory of God, as our passage at once shows; inasmuch as it describes Jehovah as not only judging all nations and regarding them according to their deeds (cf. Oba 1:15 , and Oba 1:16), but as providing deliverance upon Zion (Oba 1:17), and setting up His kingdom (Oba 1:21). The retribution will correspond to the actions of Edom and of the nations. For גּמלך וגו , compare Joe 3:4, Joe 3:7, where (Joe 3:2-7) the evil deeds of the nations, what they have done against the people of God, are described. In Oba 1:16 Obadiah simply mentions as the greatest crime the desecration of the holy mountain by drinking carousals, for which all nations are to drink the intoxicating cup of the wrath of God till they are utterly destroyed. In sh^e thı̄them (ye have drunk) it is not the Judaeans who are addressed, as many commentators, from Ab. Ezra to Ewald and Meier, suppose, but the Edomites. This is required not only by the parallelism of כּאשׁר שׁתיתם (as ye have drunk) and בּאשׁר שׁתיתם על הת (as thou hast done), but also by the actual wording and context. בּאשׁר שׁתיתם על הר cannot mean "as ye who are upon my holy mountain have drunk;"and in the announcement of the retribution which all nations will receive for the evil they have done to Judah, it is impossible that either the Judaeans should be addressed, or a parallel drawn between their conduct and that of the nations. Moreover, throughout the whole of the prophecy Edom only is addressed, and never Judah. Mount Zion is called "my holy mountain,"because Jehovah was there enthroned in His sanctuary. The verb shâthâh is used in the two clauses in different senses: viz., sh^e thı̄them , of the drinking carousals which the Edomites held upon Zion, like yishtū in Joe 3:3; and shâthū , in the apodosis, of the drinking of the intoxicating goblet (cf. Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; Jer 49:12, etc.), as the expression "they shall be as though they had not been"clearly shows. At the same time, we cannot infer from the words "all nations will drink,"that all nations would succeed in taking Zion and abusing it, but that they would have to taste all the bitterness of their crime; for it is not stated that they are to drink upon Mount Zion. The fact that the antithesis to שׁתיתם is not תּשׁתּוּ ("ye will drink") but ישׁתּוּ כּל־הגּוים , does not compel us to generalize sh^e thı̄them , and regard all nations as addressed implicite in the Edomites. The difficulty arising from this antithesis cannot be satisfactorily removed by the remark of Caspari, that in consequence of the allusion to the day of the Lord upon all nations in Oba 1:15, the judgment upon all nations and that upon the Edomites were thought of as inseparably connected, or that this induced Obadiah to place opposite to the sins of the Edomites, not their own punishment, but the punishment of all nations, more especially as, according to Oba 1:11, it must necessarily be assumed that the foreign nations participated in the sin of Edom. For this leaves the question unanswered, how Obadiah came to speak at all (Oba 1:15) of the day of the Lord upon all nations. The circumstance that, according to Oba 1:11, heathen nations had plundered Jerusalem, and committed crimes like those for which Edom is condemned in Oba 1:12-14, does not lead directly to the day of judgment upon all nations, but simply to a judgment upon Edom and the nations which had committed like sins. The difficulty is only removed by the assumption that Obadiah regarded Edom as a type of the nations that had risen up in hostility to the Lord and His people, and were judged by the Lord in consequence, so that what he says of Edom applies to all nations which assume the same or a similar attitude towards the people of God. From this point of view he could, without reserve, extend to all nations the retribution which would fall upon Edom for its sins. They should drink tâmı̄d , i.e., not at once, as Ewald has rendered it in opposition to the usage of the language, but "continually."This does not mean, however, that "there will be no time in which there will not be one of the nations drinking the intoxicating cup, and being destroyed by drinking thereof; or that the nations will come in turn, and therefore in a long immeasurable series, one after the other, to drink the cup of intoxication,"as Caspari supposes, but "continually, so that the turn never passes from the heathen to Judah, Isa 51:22-23"(Hitzig). This drinking is more precisely defined as drinking and swallowing ( לוּע , in Syriac, to devour or swallow, hence לע , a throat, so called from the act of swallowing, Pro 23:2), i.e., drinking in full draughts; and the effect, "they will be like such as have not been, have never existed"(cf. Job 10:19), i.e., they will be utterly destroyed as nations.

Constable: Obadiah

A. The Introduction to the Oracle v. 1

This verse contains the title of the book, the shortest title of any Old Testament prophetical book, as well as a summary of the Lord's decree against Edom. This revelation came as a vision (Heb. hazon; cf. 1 Sam. 3:1; Isa. 1:1; Nah. 1:1) to the prophet.

"The vision is to be sharply differentiated from common sight and things seen. It is the result of inspiration and is understood as having unique significance since it is given by God himself."¹²

The vision came to the prophet Obadiah ("servant of Yahweh" or "worshipper of Yahweh"). As mentioned in the introduction to this exposition, nothing is known about Obadiah other than his name. We must infer where and when he lived and ministered from clues in the book.

Adonai (i.e., sovereign) Yahweh (cf. Gen. 2:4; et al.) had made a pronouncement concerning the nation of Edom. This is an unusual title for the Lord.

"Yahweh was truly Lord. This entire prophecy gives one specific example of the exercise of his lordship."¹³

Edom was the nation that had developed from the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (cf. Gen. 36:1). The Edomites occupied the territory east of the Arabah between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqabah south of the Zered River and north of Ezion-geber (Elath). Its eastern boundary was the Arabian Desert. Edom was also known as Seir after Mount Seir, the prominent tableland that occupied the northeastern part of Edom's territory.

Those who had heard a report (message) from the Lord were God's people. Obadiah spoke to them and used an editorial "we." God was sovereignly and supernaturally summoning other nations against Edom, probably through "natural" means (i.e., the desire to defeat her and take over her territory). The envoy sent among the nations is probably a personification of the desire God had placed in these nations to destroy Edom. That desire, from the spiritual viewpoint, was His messenger.

Constable: Obadiah

A. The Statement of the Charge v. 10

Pride was not the only reason God would humble Edom. The Edomites had also cursed the people whom God had purposed to bless, the Israelites (cf. Gen. 27:40-41; Exod. 15:15; Num. 20:14-21; Deut. 2:4; Judg. 11:17-18; 1 Sam. 14:47-48; 2 Sam. 8:13-14; 1 Kings 11:15-16; 1 Chron. 18:11-13; Ps. 60; et al.). In doing this they had incurred God's wrath (Gen. 12:3). "Violence" (Heb. hamas) includes both moral wrong and physical brutality. This violence was especially despicable since it was against Edom's brother, Jacob (i.e., the Israelites). Consequently, great shame would cover Edom (cf. v. 2), and God would cut her off forever (cf. v. 9).

Constable: Oba 1:2--Jon 1:3

B. The Breaching of Edom's Defenses vv. 2-4

Verses 2-9 contain three sections, which the phrase "declares the Lord" marks off (vv. 4, 8).

v. 2 Yahweh called Obadiah's hearers to see that He would make Edom, which was already despised because of her character, small among the nations. He would humble her further.

v. 3 The outstanding mark of Edom's national character was pride. The Hebrew word for pride (zadon) comes from a verb meaning to boil up (zid). It pictures pride being like water that boils up under pressure in a cooking pot. Similarly the proud person is like a bubble that thrusts itself up but is hollow. Interestingly, the same Hebrew word occurs three times in the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, squandering his birthright (Gen. 25:27-34).

". . . the key that unlocks the central moral lesson of the book is found in these words in the third verse: The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee."¹⁴

"It is possible for Christians also to fall into the sin of pride. One has only to dismiss God from the reckoning, one has but to slip into the habit of neglecting his Bible, one has merely to fail to be alone with God daily in prayer, and he too may fall into the sin of making decisions and living his life on a secular basis without placing God and His will foremost."¹⁵

The Edomites thought they were superior because they inhabited a lofty region, Mt. Seir. They thought they were secure because they occupied this militarily favorable location. In fact, they thought they were invincible.

"Edom's natural defenses were imposing. Its main centers of civilization were situated in a narrow ridge of mountainous land southeast of the Dead Sea . . . This ridge exceeded a height of 4,000 feet throughout its northern sector, and it rose in places to 5,700 feet in the south. Its height was rendered more inaccessible by the gorges radiating from it toward the Arabah on the west and the desert eastwards.

"In addition to these natural fortifications, Edom was strongly defended by a series of Iron Age fortresses, particularly on the eastern frontier where the land descended more gradually to the desert."¹⁶

The rock (Heb. sela') in view is the granite and sandstone that made up Mt. Seir. Thought Sela was also the name of an Edomite town (cf. 2 Kings 14:7), here the mountain home of the whole nation seems to be in view.¹⁷

v. 4 Here the figure of an eagle that was also in view in the previous verse becomes explicit. Even if the Edomites would build their nest as high as the stars (hyperbole), God would bring them down.¹⁸ They might have been humanly unassailable, but they were not divinely unassailable. They had proudly boasted, "Who will bring me down to the earth?" (v. 3), but Yahweh replied, "I will bring you down" (v. 4). He would burst their bubble. He Himself declared that He would.

Constable: Oba 1:5--Jon 1:6

C. The Plundering of Edom's Treasures vv. 5-7

vv. 5-6 Thieves robbed houses and grape pickers stripped vineyards, yet both left a little behind that they did not carry off. However, Yahweh's destruction of Edom would be so complete that nothing at all would remain of her (cf. Jer. 49:9-10). There would be no remnant of Edom left (in contrast to the remnant that Yahweh promised elsewhere to leave in Israel). The form of this assurance sounds like mourning in the presence of death. Concealed treasures of all kinds, human as well as material, would not escape Yahweh's omniscient eye.¹⁹

v. 7 Edom's allies would treacherously betray their friend. Thus Edom would not only deceive herself, but her trusted allies would also deceive her. They would do what in the ancient Near East was most despicable, namely, break covenant with a covenant partner (cf. Ps. 55:20; Amos 1:9). Edom's allies would prove to be the worst of enemies. They would fail to assist her in her hour of greatest need. Three parallel descriptions of covenant disloyalty in this verse picture the treachery as certain. Moreover this disloyalty would completely surprise the Edomites.

"Edom was a weak country militarily, its small population and its limited agricultural wealth precluding powerful armed forces. Therefore its ability to attack Judah's Negeb and help plunder Jerusalem had depended on its obsequious alliance with more powerful states, especially Babylon."²⁰

Constable: Oba 1:8--Jon 1:8

D. The Destruction of Edom's Leadership vv. 8-9

"Obadiah's discussion nicely interweaves the themes of divine intervention and human instrumentality."²¹

v. 8 The repetition of "declares the Lord" (cf. v. 4) reemphasizes Yahweh's initiative in this judgment. "That day" points to a specific, though undefined, day when He would surely destroy Edom.

God would destroy Edom's famous wise men (cf. 1 Kings 4:30; Job 1:1; 2:11; 4:1; Jer. 49:7; Lam. 4:21) and their understanding by allowing them to fail to detect the unfaithfulness of their allies (v. 7) and to overestimate their own security (v. 3).

"Because of its communication with Babylon and Egypt and because of the information gleaned through the caravans going to and from Europe and India, Edom had gained an enviable reputation for wisdom."²²

The "mountain of Esau" is Mt. Seir, the mountain God gave Esau and his descendants to inhabit (Deut. 2:5).

v. 9 The "mighty men" of Edom may be a synonym for the wise men (v. 8) or the nation's warriors. Together with the wise men the mighty men form a merism, a figure of speech in which two parts stand for the whole, in this case all the Edomites. Rather than feeling confident, the mighty men, a chief resource of the nation, would feel dismayed when they realized that their covenant partners had proved traitorous.

Teman was both a prominent town in central Edom (possibly modern Tuwilan)²³ and the region around the town (cf. Gen. 36:10-11), but its name stands for the whole nation (by metonymy). The end of all this deception and destruction would be the total end of Edom.

Constable: Oba 1:11--Jon 1:13

B. The Explanation of the Charge vv. 11-14

v. 11 God cited one specific instance of Edom's violence against her brother, but as I explained in the introduction, which instance is unclear. Edom's treachery against Judah had taken place on a particular "day" in the past. Likewise God's judgment would come on a particular "day" yet future (v. 8).²⁴ The Edomites' sin was that they failed to support the Israelites in their hour of need (cf. Luke 10:31-32). Instead they stood aloof and watched joyfully as Israel's invader plundered Jerusalem. God considered the Edomites as guilty as Jerusalem's invaders because the Edomites failed to render aid to their brethren.

"In the sight of God, who looks not on the outward appearance but on the heart, there is little distinction in moral accountability between overt sin and an inner bias toward that sin that permits it to go unchecked (cf. Matt 5:21-32)."²⁵

". . . the Israelites are always commanded in the law to preserve a friendly and brotherly attitude towards Edom (Deut. ii. 4, 5); and in Deut. xxiii. 7 it is enjoined upon them not to abhor the Edomite, because he is their brother."²⁶

v. 12-13 God reinforced the seriousness of the Edomites' sin by condemning it in parallel terminology eight times (vv. 12-14).²⁷ Hostile attitudes more than physical violence were Edom's sins against the Israelites on this occasion. Blood ties should have transcended even covenant ties. Edom's allies would break covenant ties with her (v. 7), but she had betrayed blood ties.

v. 14 Physical violence eventually came into play too. As the Judahite fugitives from Jerusalem left the city, the Edomites met them at some fork in the road and slew them rather than helping them escape from the invader. Other Edomites imprisoned fleeing Judahites instead of giving them refuge. This could be poetic hyperbole, but there is nothing in the text that indicates overstatement. All the other descriptions of Edom's actions seem to be literal.

Some English translations render verses 12-14 as referring to the future while others interpret them as referring to the past. Most commentators take the time as past; God was describing something that had already happened.²⁸ A few take it as future describing something that would take place in the future.²⁹ Since this is a judgment oracle, it seems more likely that God was announcing judgment on Edom for something she had already done rather than for something she would do in the future. As she had been proud (v. 2), she had also been violent (v. 10).³⁰

The two most likely historical occasions that are in view are, first, the invasion by a coalition of Arabs and Philistines who carried off King Jehoram, his family, and his property during a period of tension with Edom (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chron. 20:1-2; 21:8-17; 22:1). The second possible event was the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 596 B.C. (2 Kings 24:13-16; 25:4-17; 2 Chron. 36:18, 20; cf. Ps. 137:7; Jer. 9:26; 25:21; 27:3; 40:11; Ezek. 25:12; 32:29; 35:3-9, 11-15; 36:2-7; Lam. 1:17; 2:15-17; 4:21-22). As discussed in the introduction to this exposition, I think there is slightly better evidence for the first occasion than for the second.

Constable: Oba 1:15--Jon 1:17

A. The Judgment of Edom and the Nations vv. 15-18

References to the work and word of the Lord frame this section. Obadiah announced that a reversal of rolls was coming for Edom and all the nations.

v. 15 "The day of the Lord" here is a future day in which God will reverse the fortunes of Israel and the nations (cf. v. 8). It will be the day when God establishes His rule in human affairs, namely, when Jesus Christ returns to rule and reign on the earth. Obadiah said that day was approaching. As Edom and the other nations had done to Israel, so God would pay them back with precisely the same judgment (lex talionis; cf. Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21).

"God shows not only his sovereignty over all people by not permitting unrequited wickedness, but also his justice by not permitting punishment to exceed crime."³¹

Edom's punishments that resulted in her demise as a nation before the Second Coming were part of God's judgment on her, but the prophet saw all God's judgments on Edom and the nations, which will culminate in the eschaton (end times). All the prophets had difficulty seeing the proximity of the future events that they predicted to one another.

"The opening line of v. 15 therefore constitutes the core of Obadiah's prophecy. It provides a theological framework for the preceding verses: the localized disasters befalling Edom and Jerusalem are not merely isolated incidents in a remote and insignificant theater of war, for they mark the footsteps of the Lord himself as he approaches to set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed' (Dan 2:44). And the following verses are essentially a commentary on the implications of that impending day.'"³²

"Edom is presented as the paradigm of all the nations."³³

v. 16 Edom had her "day" on the Lord's holy mountain, Jerusalem, when she failed to help her brother, Israel. Likewise, all the nations would have their "day" dominating Jerusalem and the Jews, during "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). We live in "the times of the Gentiles."³⁴ Obadiah described these enemies as drinking there in celebration of their dominion over Israel (cf. Exod. 32:6; 1 Sam. 30:16). Though they would celebrate to the point of delirium, God would destroy them, and they would become as though they had never existed. They would drink the cup of His wrath (cf. Ps. 60:3; 75:8; Isa. 51:22-23; Jer. 25:18-18, 28-29; 49:12-13; Hab. 2:15-16).

"The verse apparently precludes any trace of the nations remaining . . ., yet there will be a remnant of various nations in the Millennium (Isa. 2:2-4; Amos 9:12; Mic. 4:1-3; Zech. 14:16-19). How are these two ideas to be reconciled? The answer perhaps lies in the difference between the concept of nations before and during the Millennium. Before the golden age of Messiah's rule on earth the nations consider themselves sovereign and fight to maintain their individual rights. When Christ returns, however, only those from the nations who have called on the Lord's name will enter. Also, they will be under one King and no longer a threat to Israel's existence. Therefore, the nations as we presently know them will exist no more once the Millennium begins. In any case, Obadiah dwells only on the destruction of the old order as far as the nations are concerned."³⁵

v. 17 In that future time of judgment (the Tribulation), there would be those who escaped from Jerusalem, namely, many Jews (cf. Zech. 13:8; Rev. 12:13-17).³⁶ The city would eventually become holy (at the Second Coming), and the house of Jacob, in contrast to the house of Esau, would then possess what God intended for them to have (in the Millennium).

v. 18 The Israelites would then consume the Edomites, as a fire burns up stubble (cf. Exod. 15:7; Isa. 10:17; Joel 2:5; Zech. 12:6; Mal. 4:1; Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17).³⁷ There would be no Edomites left (cf. vv. 8-9; Num. 24:18; Isa. 11:13-14; Ezek. 25:13-14; Amos 9:12), though Israelites would escape from Jerusalem (v. 17).

"Obadiah distinctly mentions the house of Joseph, i.e. of the ten tribes, in this passage and in this alone, for the purpose of guarding against the idea that the ten tribes are to be shut out from the future salvation."³⁸

This prediction will find ultimate fulfillment during the judgment of the nations after the Second Coming and before the messianic rule of Christ in the Millennium begins. Again Yahweh guaranteed the accuracy of this prophecy with His own word (cf. vv. 4, 8).

"Some passages, like v. 18, speak of a military participation by Israel in the judgment of the nations just prior to the Millennium (Zech. 12:1-9; Mal. 4:3 [MT 3:21]), while others depict the Lord carrying out the judgment on behalf of His people (Joel 3:12 [MT 4:12]; Zech. 14:3-5; cf. Matt. 25:31-46). It is difficult to reconstruct the precise order of events. In any case much of the material is evidently not strictly chronological."³⁹

The Edomites' fortunes ebbed and flowed for centuries following Obadiah's prophecy. Herod the Great (Matt. 2:1-17), Herod Antipas (Luke 13:31-32; 23:7-12), and Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1-11, 23) were all of Edomite descent. But in the second century B.C. the Jews virtually consumed Edom as a nation. It was then that the Edomites lost their national identity and autonomy, which they never regained. So the final destruction of the nation of Edom by Israel took place long before the eschaton.

". . . one could speak of a partial fulfillment of Obadiah's oracles when the Maccabeans and Hasmoneans reclaimed these areas for Israel."⁴⁰

However, Obadiah spoke of the nations as well as Edom. He foresaw the destruction of all Gentile powers that dominated the Israelites. Had the Jews accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah, He would have begun to rule just a few years after His crucifixion and resurrection. Since they rejected Him, the final judgment of the nations that the prophets predicted is still future.

Guzik: Obadiah

Obadiah - Judgment Against Israel's Brother

A. Judgment against Edom.

1. (1-4) Obadiah announces judgment against Edom and her pride.

The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, "Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle"): "Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," says the LORD.

a. The vision of Obadiah: The Hebrew name Obadiah means "Worshipper of Yahweh" or "Servant of Yahweh." There are 13 "Obadiahs" in the Old Testament, and one of these may the Obadiah who wrote this book.

· An Obadiah was an officer in King Ahab of Israel's court and hid God's prophets in a cave (1 Kings 18:3)

· An Obadiah was sent out by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7)

· An Obadiah was one of the overseers who helped repair the temple in the days of Josiah, King of Judah (2 Chronicles 34:12)

· An Obadiah was a priest in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:5)

b. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: Obadiah's prophecy is unique because he doesn't deal with Judah or Israel much at all. His focus is on the sin of Edom and the judgment coming upon them. Who were the Edomites?

· The Edomites are the people descended from Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the brother of Jacob (Genesis 25:19-34). Esau was nicknamed "Edom" (which means, "red") probably because he had red hair

· Esau eventually settled in the area of Mount Seir and absorbed a people known as the Horites (Genesis 36:8-43, which refers to Edomite rulers as dukes in the King James Version; Deuteronomy 2:12)

· When Israel came out of Egypt and wanted to pass through the land of the Edomites to enter into the Promised Land, the Edomites wouldn't let them (Numbers 20:14-21)

· The Edomites opposed Saul and were conquered under David and Solomon (1 Samuel 14:47, 2 Samuel 8:14, 1 Kings 9:26)

· In the days of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Edom joined with Moab and Ammon to attack Judah, but the Lord fought for Judah and defeated them (2 Chronicles 20:1-27, the famous battle that was led with praise)

· The Edomites successfully rebelled against King Jehoram of Judah (2 Kings 8:16-22)

· King Amaziah of Judah brought them back under subjugation (2 Kings 14:9-11)

· The Edomites again attacked Judah in the days of King Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:17)

· Centuries later, King Herod the Great (Luke 1:5) was an Edomite

· They fought side by side with the Jews the rebellion against Rome in 66-70 A.D. and were crushed by Rome, never to be heard of as a people again. The predictions of Obadiah 1:10 and 1:18 were proven true

c. Concerning Edom: Because of what this book says of Edom and Jerusalem, we can gather a date for Obadiah's ministry. The only time markers we have in the book are the attack against Jerusalem (Obadiah 1:10-14) and the fact that this passage also seems to indicate that Edom was not under Judah's rule at the time.

· 2 Chronicles 21:16-17 describes an attack against Jerusalem during the reign of Jehoram (848-841 B.C.) by the Philistines and the Arabians.

· 2 Kings 24 and 25 describe the attack of the Babylonians against Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

i. Probably the better choice is the earlier attack, because Obadiah 1:10-14 doesn't seem to indicate that Jerusalem was totally destroyed, as it was under the Babylonian attack. If Obadiah's prophecy considers this time period under Jehoram (848-841 B.C.), it makes him a contemporary of the prophet Elisha and also makes him the earliest of the prophets, probably beating Joel by a few years. It also means that this Prophet Obadiah may be the same man mentioned in 2 Chronicles 17:7.

d. A report from the LORD . . . Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle: Obadiah receives a "news bulletin" from the LORD. "This just in - God is bringing nations against Edom in battle." As a result of the coming battle, God will make Edom small among the nations and greatly despised.

e. The pride of your heart has deceived you: This helps explain why God is bringing judgment against Edom. They are filled with pride, and it has deceived them.

i. Pride is very deceptive. It makes us think things about ourselves and others that simply are not true. The Edomites were not the last people deceived by pride.

f. You who dwell in the clefts of the rock: The Edomites didn't have all that much to be proud about. They were a small, relatively poor and insignificant nation. Yet what they could be proud about, they were - they lived in an area of great natural fortifications and strength, so they boasted in the clefts of the rock around them.

i. Though you exalt yourself as high as the eagle: And boast they did! Pride is so ingrained in fallen human nature that even if we don't have much to be proud about, we'll find something to exalt our self. This also reminds us that we don't have to be rich or powerful or great to be filled will pride. Sometimes those who have the least reason for pride have the most of it.

ii. The Edomites boasted in their natural defenses. The ancient city of Petra - once the capital city of Edom, known as Sela - had amazing defenses. It is a city carved into the rock, accessible by a narrow canyon almost a mile long. At the end of the canyon there is a spectacular city carved in stone, and seemingly incapable of being conquered by any army.

iii. The Edomites boasted in their wisdom. The men of Edom - especially of the city Teman - were noted for their wisdom. The phrase men of the East in the Old Testament often refers to men from Edom, and passages like 1 Kings 4:30 declare the great wisdom of the men of the East. As well, Jeremiah 49:7 says of Edom: Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? This was another source of pride for the Edomites.

iv. The Edomites boasted in their alliances and trusted in their allies - their confederacy, the men at peace with you (Obadiah 1:7). They thought that their alliances made them strong, and they were proud because of that strength.

g. From there I will bring you down: The sobering truth about our pride is that God can bring us down anytime. He can shatter our proud deception and bring us low.

2. (5-9) God's judgment against Edom will be complete.

"If thieves had come to you, if robbers by night; Oh, how you will be cut off! - Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, would they not have left some gleanings? Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy shall force you to the border; the men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it. Will I not in that day," says the LORD, "Even destroy the wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter."

a. Would they not have stolen till they had enough? Obadiah says that the judgment coming upon Edom will be far worse than what happens when robbers come and steal, because they usually stop when they have enough. The judgment coming against Edom will be far more complete (everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter).

i. The Edomites were proud of their great natural defenses, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

b. Men at peace with you shall deceive you: When God brings judgment against Edom, they will know the sting of treachery against them. The alliances they once trusted in would come to nothing, and they would be double-crossed by their former friends.

i. The Edomites were proud of their political alliances, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

c. Destroy the wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountains of Esau: The Edomites were renowned for their great wisdom, but God would bring such great judgment that even their wise men would be destroyed.

i. The Edomites were proud of their reputation for wisdom, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

d. Obadiah 1:1-9 is paralleled remarkably in Jeremiah 49:7-22, so Jeremiah probably had Obadiah's prophecy before him as he wrote and ministered.

3. (10-14) Why judgment is coming against Edom.

"For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side; in the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem; even you were as one of them. But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress."

a. For your violence against your brother Jacob: The family lines of both Israel and Edom go back to a common ancestor - Isaac. Esau (Edom) was the brother of Jacob (Israel). This made Edom's sin against Israel all the worse.

i. Some sins become worse depending on whom we sin against. It is sin to treat someone else badly; it is worse to treat a brother or sister in Jesus badly. It is sin to speak harshly to anyone; it is worse to speak harshly to your husband or wife.

b. In that day you stood on the other side: What did Edom do when strangers attacked Judah and foreigners entered his gates? Nothing. They stood by and cheered for Judah's misery (nor should you have rejoiced).

i. Sometimes doing nothing is a great sin. Numbers 32:23 speaks of the sin that will find you out, and the sin it speaks of is the sin of doing nothing.

ii. Edom actually did worse than nothing; they rejoiced over another's misfortune and suffering and used it as an occasion to exalt themselves (nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress).

c. Nor laid hands on their substance: Edom's sin started with doing nothing, then progressed to pride over Judah's distress. Soon, they took advantage of their brother Judah's misfortune and laid hands on their substance.

d. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped: The final progression of Edom's sin was worst of all - they joined in the attack against vulnerable Judah. When they encountered people from Judah fleeing southward from the attacking army, they killed them (cut off) or gave them over to the enemy as prisoners (delivered up those among them who remained).

i. "Sin proceeds by degrees; neither is any man at his worst at first." (Trapp)

e. In the day of his captivity . . . in the day of distress . . . in the day of calamity: All in all, Edom treated God's people terribly when distress and calamity came upon them. For all this, God's judgment was coming upon them.

· First they did nothing

· Then they rejoiced in their distress and calamity

· Then they took advantage of their vulnerable state

· Then they joined in the violence against God's people

i. Are we guilty of the same - or worse - when we see others in distress or calamity? If so, God sees it as sin and He must deal with it in our life.

B. Deliverance on Mount Zion.

1. (15-16) A promise of judgment against Edom.

"For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been."

a. The day of the LORD upon all the nations is near: God wants Edom to know that though distress and calamity came upon Judah, it can and will come upon Edom also. That day is near.

b. As you have done, it shall be done to you: God will give simple justice to the Edomites, no more and no less. What they did to the people of Judah will also be done to them. The same principle is true for us, so if we want mercy from God, we do well to give mercy to others.

i. There is a sense in which God's judgment against Edom was just the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. The Edomites cursed Israel, so they were cursed. If we want to be blessed, we should bless the Jewish people.

2. (17-20) God will use Israel to bring judgment against Edom.

"But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau," for the LORD has spoken. The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, and the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South.

a. On Mount Zion there shall be deliverance: The trials and burdens among God's people are only temporary, because among them there shall be deliverance. However, the attack coming against Edom will be different - Israel will be the fire and they will be the stubble, and Edom will be completely devoured.

i. The word of the LORD through Obadiah proved true. The Edomites fought side by side with the Jews the rebellion against Rome in 66-70 A.D. and were crushed by Rome, never to be heard of as a people again. The predictions of Obadiah 1:10 and 1:18 were precisely fulfilled. You just won't meet an Edomite today.

b. The South shall possess the mountains of Esau: Obadiah looks forward to a coming day when Israel will occupy and possess the land that once belonged to Esau. Though the modern borders of Israel do not encompass the ancient lands of Edom, we can trust that they one day will, either in this age or in the age to come.

i. The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions: Possessing these other lands can only happen when we first possess what is ours. God has given us a rich heritage of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), but how much do we actually possess? God wants His people to possess their possessions.

3. (21) Saviors come to Mount Zion.

Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

a. Saviors shall come to Mount Zion: The idea isn't that there are many saviors in an ultimate sense. Here, the word "saviors" has the sense of "deliverers." The contrast is plain; Edom will be completely destroyed, and no saviors shall help her, but saviors shall come to Mount Zion.

b. To judge the mountains of Esau: They will judge the mountains of Esau in at least three ways:

· The presence of deliverers is a judgment against Edom, because Edom will have no deliverers

· The judges will rule over the territory of Edom

· The judges will actually sit in judgment over Edom and their sins

c. And the kingdom shall be the LORD's: The brief prophecy of Obadiah ends on this high note. The Edomites seemed to have their day against God's people but at the end of it all, the kingdom shall be the LORD's. He knows how to take care of God's people and to advance His kingdom in a glorious way.

i. This note of encouragement may be the central purpose for this prophecy of Obadiah. We wonder if it ever had much of a reading in the streets or palaces of Edom; but it certainly was received as welcome encouragement among the suffering people of God. Obadiah tells all God's people: "Don't worry about those who ignore your need, those who rejoice at your problems, those who take advantage of your crises, those join their hands with others in attacking you. I will take care of them."

© 2001 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Commentary -- Other

Critics Ask: Oba 1:15

OBADIAH —If the Book of Obadiah is inspired Scripture, then why is it not quoted in the NT?    (For a discussion of this question, see Ecc. 1:1 .)   

OBADIAH —Is the prophecy of Obadiah simply an expression of Jewish nationalism?

PROBLEM: The prophecy of Obadiah is essentially a message of divine moral judgment upon the nations. Of the 21 verses that comprise this book, 16 are directed as pronouncements of coming judgment against Edom, and 5 verses are dedicated to the prophecies of the future triumph of Israel over Edom. But, isn’t this simply an example of Jewish nationalism rather than a revelation of God?

SOLUTION: The Book of Obadiah is a revelation of the sovereignty of God presented in the midst of national disgrace and defeat. The impotence of God’s people against their enemies was a reflection upon the power of the God of Israel. Wasn’t Yahweh a defeated God? Wasn’t He powerless to resist the enemies of His people? No is Obadiah’s resounding reply! The God of Israel will keep His promises even though the future looks black. The nations have not understood that their temporary victory over God’s people was the very work of God. The message of Obadiah is that the God of Israel is always in complete control, and He will accomplish His purpose. It is a message of faith and hope, and triumph against the enemies of God. But the triumph of Israel will be a blessing to all nations. Israel’s apostasy brought judgment. But, “if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” ( Rom. 11:15 ) This book is not simply an expression of Jewish nationalism. It is a declaration of the faithfulness of God, and a testimony to His moral justice by which He will ultimately establish justice in the earth.   

Evidence: Oba 1:15

This is the law of sowing and reaping or, to use the modern idiom, "What goes around, comes around." Some wicked men may seem to have escaped this law by dying in peace and prosperity. But the grave will not hide men from God's justice.

Introduction / Outline

JFB: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

This is the shortest book in the Old Testament. The name means "servant of Jehovah." Obadiah stands fourth among the minor prophets according to the Hebrew arrangement of the canon, the fifth according to the Greek. Some consider him to be the same as the Obadiah who superintended the restoration of the temple under Josiah, 627 B.C. (2Ch 34:12). But Oba 1:11-16, Oba 1:20 imply that Jerusalem was by this time overthrown by the Chaldeans, and that he refers to the cruelty of Edom towards the Jews on that occasion, which is referred to also in Lam 4:21-22; Eze 25:12-14; Eze 35:1-15; Psa 137:7. From comparing Oba 1:5 with Jer 49:9, Oba 1:6 with Jer 49:10, Oba 1:8 with Jer 49:7, it appears that Jeremiah embodied in his prophecies part of Obadiah's, as he had done in the case of other prophets also (compare Isa. 15:1-16:14 with Jer. 48:1-47). The reason for the present position of Obadiah before other of the minor prophets anterior in date is: Amos at the close of his prophecies foretells the subjugation of Edom hereafter by the Jews; the arranger of the minor prophets in one volume, therefore, placed Obadiah next, as being a fuller statement, and, as it were, a commentary on the foregoing briefer prophecy of Amos as to Edom [MAURER]. (Compare Amo 1:11). The date of Obadiah's prophecies was probably immediately after the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, 588 B.C. Five years afterwards (583 B.C.). Edom was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah must have incorporated part of Obadiah's prophecies with his own immediately after they were uttered, thus stamping his canonicity.

JEROME makes him contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos. It is an argument in favor of this view that Jeremiah would be more likely to insert in his prophecies a portion from a preceding prophet than from a contemporary. If so, the allusion in Oba 1:11-14 will be to one of the former captures of Jerusalem: by the Egyptians under Rehoboam (1Ki 14:25-26; 2Ch 12:2, &c.), or that by the Philistines and Arabians in the reign of Joram (2Ch 21:16-17); or that by Joash, king of Israel, in the reign of Amaziah (2Ch 25:22-23); or that in the reign of Jehoiakim (2Ki 24:1, &c.); or that in the reign of Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:8-16). On all occasions the Idumeans were hostile to the Jews; and the terms in which that enmity is characterized are not stronger in Obadiah than in Joe 3:19 (compare Oba 1:10; Amo 1:11-12). The probable capture of Jerusalem alluded to by Obadiah is that by Joash and the Israelites in the reign of Amaziah. For as, a little before, in the reign of the same Amaziah, the Jews had treated harshly the Edomites after conquering them in battle (2Ch 25:11-23), it is probable that the Edomites, in revenge, joined the Israelites in the attack on Jerusalem [JAEGER].

This book may be divided into two parts: (1) Oba 1:1-6 set forth Edom's violence toward his brother Israel in the day of the latter's distress, and his coming destruction with the rest of the foes of Judah; (2) Oba 1:17-21, the coming re-establishment of the Jews in their own possessions, to which shall be added those of the neighboring peoples, and especially those of Edom.

JFB: Obadiah (Outline)

• DOOM OF EDOM FOR CRUELTY TO JUDAH, EDOM'S BROTHER; RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. (Oba. 1:1-21)

TSK: Obadiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Oba 1:1, The destruction of Edom, Oba 1:3, for their pride, Oba 1:10. and for their wrong unto Jacob; Oba 1:17, The salvation and victory of Jacob.

Poole: Obadiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 1

MHCC: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

The first part denounces the destruction of Edom, dwelling upon the injuries they inflicted upon the Jews. The second foretells the restoration of the Jews, and the latter glories of the church.

MHCC: Obadiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(v. 1-16) Destruction to come upon Edom. Their offences against Jacob.

(Oba 1:17-21) The restoration of the Jews, and their flourishing state in the latter times.

Matthew Henry: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Prophecy of Obadiah

This is the shortest of all the books of the Old Testament, the least of those tribes, and yet is not to be passed by, or thought meanly of, for this penny has Caesar's image and superscription upon it; it is stamped with a divine authority. There may appear much of God in a short sermon, in a little book; and much good may be done by it, multum in parvo - much in a little. Mr. Norris says, " If angels were to write books, we should have few folios." That may be very precious which is not voluminous. This book is entitled, The Vision of Obadiah. Who this Obadiah was does not appear from any other scripture. Some of the ancients imagined him to be the same with that Obadiah that was steward to Ahab's household (1Ki 18:3); and, if so, he that hid and fed the prophets had indeed a prophet's reward, when he was himself made a prophet. But that is a conjecture which has no ground. This Obadiah, it is probable, was of a later date, some think contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos; others think he lived about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, when the children of Edom so barbarously triumphed in that destruction. However, what he wrote was what he saw; it is his vision. Probably there was much more which he was divinely inspired to speak, but this is all he was inspired to write; and all he writes is concerning Edom. It is a foolish fancy of some of the Jews that because he prophesies only concerning Edom he was himself an Edomite by birth, but a proselyte to the Jewish religion. Other prophets prophesied against Edom, and some of them seem to have borrowed from him in their predictions against Edom, as Jer 49:7, etc.; Eze 25:12, etc. Out of the mouth of these two or three witnesses every word will be established.

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. Now here we have, after the preface (Oba 1:1). I. Threatenings against Edom, 1. That their pride should be humbled (Oba 1:2-4). 2. That their wealth should be plundered (Oba 1:5-7). 3. That their wisdom should be infatuated (Oba 1:8, Oba 1:9). 4. That their spiteful behaviour towards God's Israel should be avenged (Oba 1:10-16). II. Gracious promises to Israel; that they shall be restored and reformed, and shall be victorious over the Edomites, and become masters of their land and the lands of others of their neighbours (Oba 1:17-20), and that the kingdom of the Messiah shall be set up by the bringing in of the great salvation (Oba 1:21).

Constable: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title and Writer

As is true of all the other prophetical books in the Old Testament, the title of this one evidently comes from the name of its writer. "Obadiah" means "servant of Yahweh" or "worshipper of Yahweh" depending on the form (vocalization) of his name in Hebrew, which is debated. There are 13 men who bear this name in the Old Testament, from Davidic to postexilic times, assuming the writer was not one of the other 12. It appears that he was not since attempts to identify him with one of the others have proved unsatisfying. A few scholars have favored the view that this "Obadiah" was not the name of an individual but a symbolic title of the writer who was an unidentified servant or worshipper of the Lord. This seems unlikely since all the other prophetical books bear the proper names of their writers.

Exactly who Obadiah was remains a mystery. Usually something about the writer accompanies his name at the beginning of each prophetical books, generally his father's name, some of his ancestors, and or his hometown. This descriptive information is absent in only two of the prophetical books: Obadiah and Malachi.

Unity

Some scholars have contended that this small book, the shortest one in the Old Testament but not in the Bible, is a collection of prophecies that two or more unidentified prophets uttered. There are two reasons for this view. First, since the identity of Obadiah is obscure, some students of the book have concluded that "Obadiah" is a title describing prophets in general, as servants of the Lord, rather than the name of one specific individual. Second, the content of the book may consist of from two to five oracles. This has led some scholars to posit two or more prophecies and two or more prophets. However, since "Obadiah" was a common Hebrew name and since the other prophetical books bear the names of their writers, it is more natural to assume that one prophet named Obadiah wrote the whole book. Furthermore, since many other writing prophets recorded several oracles, it is reasonable to assume that one prophet named Obadiah did the same in this book if, indeed, it consists of more than one oracle. The whole brief book fits together nicely as a single composition.¹

Date

Since we do not know who the writer was, other than that his name was Obadiah, it is very difficult to date this book and to determine where it came from.

"This shortest book in the Old Testament, consisting of only twenty-one verses, bears the distinction of being the most difficult of all the prophecies to date."²

There are three clues concerning when the prophet wrote it: references to historical events in the book, the book's place in the Hebrew canon, and possible quotations or allusions to the writings of other Old Testament prophets.

First, Obadiah referred to a time in the apparently recent past when the Edomites had gloated over a successful invasion of Jerusalem (vv. 10-14, 16). There are at least seven occasions during the ministry of the writing prophets when we know Jerusalem experienced invasion and suffered a defeat. One of these must be the event he referred to.

1. During Rehoboam's reign (930-913 B.C.; 1 Kings 14:25-26; 2 Chron. 12:2-9)

2. During Jehoram's reign (853-841 B.C.; 2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chron. 21:8-10, 16-17; cf. Amos 1:6)

3. During Amaziah's reign (796-767; 2 Kings 14:13-14; 2 Chron. 25:23-24)

4. During Ahaz's reign (732-715 B.C.; 2 Chron. 28:16-18)

5. During Jehoiakim's reign (609-598 B.C.; 2 Kings 24:1-4; 2 Chron. 36:6-7)

6. During Jehoiachin's reign (598-597 B.C.; 2 Kings 24:10-16; 2 Chron. 36:10)

7. During Zedekiah's reign (597-586 B.C.; 2 Kings 25:3-7; 2 Chron. 36:15-20; cf. Lam. 4:21-22; Ps. 137:7)

Of these, the invasions that seem to fit Obadiah's description of the Edomites' behavior were the one in King Jehoram's reign and the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Most scholars believe one of these instances is in view, and most believe the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. is.³ The second most popular view is that the invasion of Jerusalem during Jehoahaz's reign is what Obadiah referred to.⁴ This would make Obadiah a contemporary of Elijah and Elisha (cf. 2 Chron. 21:12-15).

The second clue to the date of Obadiah's prophecy is the place of the book in the Hebrew canon. The Minor Prophets are called "minor," of course, because they are shorter than the Major Prophets. The Jews put all 12 of the Minor Prophets on one scroll for convenience sake and to keep them from getting lost. The order in which they appear in the Hebrew Bible is basically chronological, and this order continued in later translations of the Old Testament including English translations. This would lead us to conclude that the ancient Jews regarded Obadiah as one of the earlier prophetical books.⁵

"In the arrangement of The Twelve in the Hebrew Bible the chronological principle which seems to have determined the over-all order was as follows: (1) the prophets of the Assyrian period were placed first (Hosea to Nahum); (2) then followed those of the Babylonian period (Habakkuk and Zephaniah); (3) the series closed with the three prophets of the Persian period after the exile (Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi)."⁶

The third clue concerning the date of Obadiah is evidence that one prophet depended on another. There are similarities between Obadiah 1-6 and Jeremiah 49:9 and 14-17 and between Obadiah 10-18 and Joel 1:15; 2:1, 32; 3:3-4, 17, and 19. There are also similarities between Obadiah 9, 10, 14, 18, and 19 and Amos 1:2, 6, 11-12, and 9:13. However, in all these instances it is really impossible to determine if Obadiah referred to the other prophets, if they referred to Obadiah, if they all depended on another common source, of if the Holy Spirit simply led each prophet independently to express himself in similar terminology.

Unfortunately, none of these sources of information enables us to date the book certainly. All things considered, I tend to favor an early date for Obadiah, about 850 B.C. However, those who prefer a date shortly after 586 B.C. could be correct. Fortunately, discovering the correct date of this prophecy is not crucial to understanding it.

Place of Composition

Since Obadiah's concern was the Edomites' rejoicing over an invasion of Jerusalem, it seems most probable that the prophet lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The scholars do agree on this.

Audience and Purpose

Since Obadiah's concern was Jerusalem, and since it seems likely that he lived in Judah, the original audience that received his prophecy may also have been the residents of Judah.

Obadiah wrote to announce coming divine judgment on Edom and to give the people of Israel hope by reminding them of the future that God promised them.

"Prophetic oracles against foreign nations, though full of the language of doom, are also implicitly messages of hope for God's people. Such oracles look forward to a time when the predicted demise of the nation under attack will open the way for the restored, purified Israel to blossom once again as the flower of all God's plantings.

"Obadiah's message fits this pattern and in some ways even typifies it."⁷

"In a sense Obadiah is a miniature profile of the message of all the writing prophets."⁸

"Edom . . . was tenaciously and rather constantly hostile from beginning, i.e., after the exodus, to end, i.e., after the exile. This factor would itself be enough to cause such a small nation to receive such regular, even prominent mention in prophetic oracles against foreign nations. But Edom's prominence as an enemy was additionally noteworthy because of its historical position as a brother nation to Israel (Gen 25). There are, then, at least three factors that made Edom so prominent among Israel's enemies that it could sometimes function virtually as a paradigm for all of them: (1) the sheer chronological length of its enmity as alluded to in Ezek 35:5; (2) the consistency and intensity of its enmity (as in Obad 10-14); (3) the treasonous' nature of its enmity (as in Amos 1:11). No other nation quite shared these characteristics.

". . . of the ancient non-superpowers (i.e., leaving aside Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon) Edom is the subject of more separate oracles against foreign nations (seven [i.e., Isa. 21:11-12; Jer. 49:7-22; Ezek. 25:12-14; 35; Amos 1:11-12; Obad.; Mal. 1:2-5]) and more brief or passing hostile references (four [i.e., Isa. 11:14; Jer. 25:21; Lam. 4:21; Joel 3:19]) in the prophetical books than any other nation."⁹

"The Edomites played such a consistently adversarial role in Israel's history that the prophetic literary category of oracles against foreign nations' was bound to include predictions of judgments against Edom. Edom, indeed, becomes in the OT a kind of metonymy for hostile nations.'"¹⁰

Edom is the subject of the little Book of Obadiah as Assyria is of the larger Book of Nahum. The New Testament does not quote from or allude to the Book of Obadiah.

Message¹¹

The very fact that this book consists of only one chapter should alert us to its importance. If it was unimportant, God would not have preserved it, and it would have disappeared long ago. Its length also simplifies our task of discovering its message. Like all the Bible books, this one has a message that is vital for us today as well as for its original readers centuries ago.

Obadiah reveals the culmination of sibling rivalry and the national antagonism that developed between the descendants of Jacob and Esau, the Israelites and the Edomites. The conflict between these two boys and their respective descendants began before they were born; the infants struggled in the womb of their mother Rebekah (Gen. 25:22). Moreover, God loved Jacob, but He hated Esau (Mal. 1:2-3). The terms "love" and "hate" reflect God's elective purpose for both sons. When God said He loved Jacob but hated Esau, He meant that He chose to bless Jacob in a way that He did not choose to bless Esau. The statement expresses polar opposites to make the difference clearer. Often when God wanted to say He chose to bless someone, He said He loved that person, in the Old Testament.

The line of Jacob finally produced Jesus Christ. The line of Esau produced the Herods. Both Jesus and the Herods were "the king of the Jews." Jesus never spoke to Herod Antipas, though He did send him a message once (Luke 13:32), illustrating the antagonism between them. This antagonism consistently marked the relationship between the Edomites and the Israelites.

Esau is in the foreground of the Book of Obadiah, and Jacob is in the background. Jacob and his descendants passed through suffering and chastisement, and their ultimate destiny is restoration and usefulness. Esau and his descendants were proud, rebellious, defiant, and their end was ultimate destruction. Jacob was the more unattractive personality originally, and Esau was more attractive. Yet God overruled what was natural to produce what He wanted in the lives of both of these men in view of their choices. Divine sovereignty and human choices are so intertwined that it is impossible for us to separate them. The Scriptures consistently present both as real and significant factors in the course of human affairs.

Obadiah tells the story of the destruction of Edom, the nation that descended from Esau. It also shows that God will destroy all that Edom stood for and represented. Edom is Esau projected into national proportions. In Obadiah we see the essential evil of Esau, the supreme manifestation of that evil, and the inevitable result of that evil. But we also see a ray of hope even for "the mount of Esau."

The essential evil of Esau and Edom was pride. This comes through in verse 3: "The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, who will bring me down to earth?" The Edomites lived in a rocky, reclusive region around a town that later became known as Petra. The Nabateans, the Arabians who later drove the Edomites out, actually carved this town out of solid rock. The habitation of the Edomites says much about them. They were self-reliant isolationists and fiercely independent. In some ways they were like the survivalists of our own day. They preferred to be by themselves. They distrusted others. They wanted to control their own destiny. They took refuge in a part of the wilderness from which they thought they could defend themselves against all enemies.

Pride is one of those sins that is most difficult to deal with. It's much easier to deal with lying, stealing, adultery and other blatant sins. Pride, on the other hand, is something we can practice without too many people discovering it, if we are clever enough. Pride is a root from which many more overt sins grow. Pride is an attitude that declares itself able to get along without God. The Edomites had their idols, but they did not bow to the true and living God.

Esau had no use for the promises of God, and his descendants, too, thought they could get along quite well without God. The New Testament calls Esau a "profane person" (Heb. 12:16), literally a person "against the temple." A profane person cares nothing for spiritual things because he or she glories in his or her own animal abilities. Such a person acts as though he or she were independent of God, never prays, never worships, never thinks of heaven.

The Edomites built their nests high, like the eagles, so high they appeared to be among the stars (v. 4). The eagle is often a picture of deity in the Bible. In the Edomites' case, they had deified themselves and made themselves their god. They thought they could protect themselves from danger and enemies by building their homes high in the cliffs of the Edom wilderness. But God said that He would bring them down (v. 4).

If pride was Edom's essential sin, violence was the supreme manifestation of that pride. They not only protected themselves, but they did wrong to others and rejoiced when they harmed others. Verses 10 and 11 say, "Because of violence to your brother Jacob you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you too were as one of them." When the Edomites saw their brother Israelites suffering, they not only complacently did nothing, but they even rejoiced and added to those sufferings.

The Israelites represented faith in Yahweh. They stood for this ideal, though admittedly they failed to be consistent in their witness. Nevertheless, they continued to believe in God and to follow Him. The Edomites' unnatural violence against the Israelites revealed their hatred for what the Israelites stood for, not just the Israelites themselves. So when the Israelites suffered, the Edomites rejoiced. Even though they were the Israelites' brothers according to the flesh, they consistently opposed them for what the Israelites stood for. For example, the Edomites refused to allow the Israelites to pass through their territory on the way to the Promised Land.

The result of such godless pride that leads to violence against the people of God is divine retribution. The Edomites thought they were secure (v. 4), but God said He would bring them down (v. 4). "Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy wise men from Edom and understanding from the mountain of Esau? Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, in order that every one may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter" (vv. 8-9). The God whom the Edomites thought they could disregard would visit and destroy them. God is higher than even the eagles. He is the One who formed the mountains in which the Edomites foolishly trusted for safety.

God would bring the Edomites down by overruling the plans the Edomites made. "All the men allied with you will send you forth to the border, and the men at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread [as covenant partners] will set an ambush for you " (v. 7). The Edomites trusted in other nations for their security rather than in God. But the Lord would use the very objects of Edom's trust to destroy them. He always uses the false gods that people rely on instead of Himself to do this. Allies in ungodliness turn out to be enemies eventually.

As usual, God would deal with Edom in poetic justice, or talionic judgment, if you please. What they had sowed they would reap (cf. Gal. 6:7-8). Esau had sowed to the flesh, and in the end the flesh became the instrument of the Edomites' destruction. "As you have done, it will be done to you" (v. 15).

But this prophecy does not end with promises of Edom's destruction. It ends with promises of Israel's final victory and the vindication of Israel's God. First, despised Israel would be delivered from her proud enemy. "The house of Jacob will possess their possessions" (v. 18). "Deliverers will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau" (v. 21).

Then "the kingdom will be the LORD's" (v. 21). The conflict between the people of the world and people of faith still continues, but the kingdom will eventually become the Lord's. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns to the earth and sets up His rule of righteousness. He will then put down all the proud, violent antagonists of His people and all that they stand for.

The Edomites were the most fleshly enemies of Israel, to use a New Testament term. Therefore this book shows us the ultimate destiny of all such enemies of God's people throughout history, as well as the Edomites. It is for that reason that we have this little book in our Old Testaments. The church has its Edomites. The Christian has his or her Edomites. This book gives us hope. God will eventually destroy all Edomite types just as He already destroyed the historic Edomites in fulfillment to Obadiah's prophecy.

This book also challenges us to examine our own hearts. What sort of person am I? Am I like Esau, or am I like Jacob? Jacob was far from perfect, but God transformed him into Israel, "a prince with God," eventually. The difference between these brothers, and the nations that followed them, was that Jacob valued God's promises concerning the future, but Esau preferred a pot of stew that made him feel good right away. Jacob valued the spiritual; Esau valued the physical. What does the way you live your life, the way you spend your time, the places you go and the people you like to hang out with say about what you value?

God will take Jacobs to the woodshed, as He did at the Jabbok and as He did with Jacob's descendants throughout their history. But He will do so because He has a future for us and intends to prepare us for it. He doesn't bother with the Esaus of this world. He may allow them to become materially successful, to build secure nests, to soar like eagles, to be their own gods, to snub their noses at and even violently persecute believers, but He will destroy them eventually.

A few Edomites abandoned the typical Edomite lifestyle, believed in Yahweh, and moved to Israel to become a part of the people of God. A few people from all of Israel's pagan neighbors did this. Ruth the Moabitess is a notable example. So there is hope for any individual. Judgment is not inevitable for individuals as long as there is time to repent. Nevertheless what the Edomites stood for as a nation fell under divine judgment and they perished.

Constable: Obadiah (Outline)

Outline

I. Edom's coming judgment vv. 1-9

A. The introduction to the oracle v. 1

B. The breaching of Edom's defenses vv. 2-4

C. The plundering of Edom's treasures vv. 5-7

D. The destruction of Edom's leadership vv. 8-9

II. Edom's crimes against Judah vv. 10-14

A. The statement of the charge v. 10

B. The explanation of the charge vv. 11-14

III. The restoration of Israel's sovereignty vv. 15-21

A. The judgment of Edom and the nations vv. 15-18

B. The occupation of Edom by Israel vv. 19-21

Constable: Obadiah

Obadiah

Bibliography

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Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.

Allen, Leslie C. The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976.

Archer, Gleason L., Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Revised ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1974.

Armerding, Carl E. "Obadiah." In Daniel-Minor Prophets. Vol. 7 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and Richard P. Polcyn. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985.

Baker, David W. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series. Leicester, Eng., and Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988.

Baker, Walter L. "Obadiah." In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, pp. 1453-59. Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. Wheaton: Scripture Press Publications, Victor Books, 1985.

Bright, John. A History of Israel. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1959.

Chisholm, Robert B., Jr. "A Theology of the Minor Prophets." In A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, pp. 397-433. Edited by Roy B. Zuck. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991.

Dyer, Charles H., and Eugene H. Merrill. The Old Testament Explorer. Nashville: Word Publishing, 2001.

Feinberg, Charles Lee. Joel, Amos, and Obadiah. The Major Messages of the Minor Prophets series. New York: American Board of Missions to the Jews, 1948.

Finley, Thomas J. Joel, Amos, Obadiah. The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1990.

Freeman, Hobart E. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets. Chicago: Moody Press, 1968.

Gaebelein, Frank E. Four Minor Prophets (Obadiah, Jonah, Habakkuk, and Haggai): Their Message for Today. Chicago: Moody Press, 1970.

Glueck, Nelson. The Other Side of the Jordan. Cambridge, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1970.

Harrison, R. K. Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969.

Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Toward an Old Testament Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.

Keil, Carl Friedrich. The Twelve Minor Prophets. 2 vols. Translated by James Martin. Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Reprint ed. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1949.

Livingston, G. Herbert. "Obadiah." In The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, pp. 839-42. Edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison. Chicago: Moody Press, 1962.

Merrill, Eugene H. Kingdom of Israel: A History of Old Testament Israel. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987.

The New Bible Dictionary. 1962 ed. S.v. "Sepharad," by D. J. Wiseman.

Smith, Billy K., and Frank S Page. Amos, Obadiah, Jonah. The New American Commentary series. N.c.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995.

Stuart, Douglas. Hosea-Jonah. Word Biblical Commentary series. Waco: Word Books, 1987.

Student Map Manual: Historical Geography of the Bible Lands. Jerusalem: Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est., 1979.

Watts, John D. W. Obadiah: A Critical Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969.

Wood, Leon J. The Prophets of Israel. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979.

Young, Edward J. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Revised ed. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1960.

Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

THE PROPHECY OF ABDIAS.

INTRODUCTION.

Abdias, whose name is interpreted the servant of the Lord, is believed to have prophesied about the same time as Osee, Joel, and Amos: though some of the Hebrews, who believe him to be the same with Achab's steward, make him much more ancient. his prophecy is the shortest of any in number of words, but yields to none, says St. Jerome, in the sublimity of mysteries. It contains but one chapter. (Challoner) --- He foretells the destruction of Edom, for its pride and enmity against the Jews: whose return and the redemption of mankind are also announced. (Worthington) --- Abdias seems to have prophesied after the destruction of Jerusalem, and before Nabuchodonosor attacked Edom, &c., which took place within five years. (Calmet)

Gill: Obadiah (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO OBADIAH

The title of this Book, in the Hebrew copies, is usually "Sepher Obadiah", the Book of Obadiah: the Vulgate Latin version calls it the Prophecy of Obadiah; and so the Arabic version: and in the Syriac version it is, the Prophecy of the Prophet Obadiah. His name signifies a "servant" or "worshipper of the Lord". Who he was, what his parentage, and in what age he lived, are things uncertain. The Seder Olam Zuta ^a places him in the reign of Jehoshaphat: and he is thought by some to be that Obadiah that was one of the princes he sent to teach the people, 2Ch 17:7. The ancient Jewish Rabbins take him to be the same with him that lived in the times of Ahab, and in his court, who hid the prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them, 1Ki 18:3; to which Aben Ezra objects, because he is not called a prophet, only one that feared the Lord; whereas to be a prophet is something greater. They also say he was an Edomite by birth, but was proselyted to the Jewish religion, and so a fit person to be employed in prophesying against Edom; and it is a tradition with them that his widow is the woman whose cruse of oil Elisha multiplied, 2Ki 4:1. Some have been of opinion that he was the captain of the third fifty, whose life Elijah spared in the times of Ahaziah; and who upon that left the king's service, and followed the prophet, and became a disciple of his; so Pseudo-Epiphanius ^b, and Isidorus Hispalensis ^c, who say that he was of Sychem, a city of Samaria, and of the field of Bethachamar, or Bethaccaron. Others would have him to be one of the overseers of the workmen in the house of the Lord, in the times of Josiah, 2Ch 34:12; to which Mr. Lively ^d inclines; though others, going according to the order of the books in the canon of Scripture, which is not to be depended on, place him earlier, and make him contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos, as Grotius ^e, Huetius ^f, and Lightfoot ^g: but he seems rather to be contemporary with Jeremiah and Ezekiel, with whose prophecies this agrees, as may be observed by comparing it with Jer 49:1; and to have lived and prophesied after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; in which the Edomites, against whom he prophesies, had a concern; see Oba 1:11; though Dr. Lightfoot thinks these prophecies refer either to the sacking of Jerusalem by Shishak king of Egypt, 1Ki 14:25; or by the Philistines and Arabians, 2Ch 21:16; or by Joash king of Israel, 2Ch 25:21; so that, upon the whole, it is not certain; and, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi own, it is not known in what age this prophet lived: Bishop Usher ^h places his prophecy in the twelfth year of Jeconiah's captivity. However, there is no doubt to be made of the authenticity of the prophecy; as may be concluded, not only from the title of it, and the solemn manner in which it begins; but from the matter of it, and the accomplishment of what is contained in it; as well as from the testimony borne to it in the New Testament, in which not only the book of the minor prophets, in which this stands, is quoted, Act 7:42; but a passage in it, Oba 1:8; is referred to in 1Co 1:19; as is thought by some learned men. I have only to observe, that, according to Pseudo-Epiphanius ⁱ, he died in Bethachamar, where he is said to be born, and was buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors; but, according to Jerom ^k and Isidore ^l, his sepulchre is in Sebaste or Samaria; which remained to the times of Jerom, near those of the Prophet Elisha and John the Baptist. Monsieur Thevenot ^m says that John Baptist here lies buried between the Prophets Elisha and Abdias.

Gill: Obadiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO OBADIAH 1

This prophecy of Obadiah is the least of the minor prophets, consisting but of one chapter; the subject of it is Edom, whose destruction is foretold, and is to be considered as a type of the enemies of Christ and his kingdom, and especially of the Roman antichrist. After the preface, the rumour of war, and preparation for it, which would issue in the ruin of Edom, are observed, Oba 1:1; because of their pride, confidence, and security, Oba 1:3; which should be complete and entire, Oba 1:5; notwithstanding their allies, who would deceive them; and the wisdom of their wise men, which should be destroyed; and the strength of their mighty men, who would be dismayed, Oba 1:7; and this should come upon them, chiefly because of their ill usage of the Jews at the time of Jerusalem's destruction, which is enlarged upon, Oba 1:10; and this would be when all the nations round about them would be destroyed, Oba 1:15; and then deliverance is promised to the Jews, who should not only enjoy their own possessions, but the land of the Edomites, wasted by them, Oba 1:17; and the book is concluded with a glorious prophecy of the kingdom of the Messiah, Oba 1:21.