Obadiah

THE BOOK OF

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

Ob 11-16, 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

La 4:21, 22;

Eze 25:12-14; 35:1-15;

Ps 137:7.

From comparing

Ob 5

with Jer 49:9,

Ob 6

with Jer 49:10,

Ob 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

Am 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

Ob 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 Ob 10);

Am 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)

Ob 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)

Ob 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.