THE VISION OF OBADIAH (OBADIAH 1) · TWO KINGDOMS

Obadiah. Twenty-one verses against Edom, for standing by when strangers entered Jerusalem's gates.

SCRIPTURE CALLS

Prophet

ERA

Two kingdoms 930–586 BC

IN THE DAYS OF

No ruler named beside him

BOOK

Obadiah

HOW THE WORD CAME

The book is called “The vision of Obadiah”, and the words are the LORD's: “Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD”.

THE CALL

How the word came

  • The book is called “The vision of Obadiah”, and the words are the LORD's: “Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD”. Obadiah 1:1

THE MESSAGE

The word in its main themes

Edom's pride brought down

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock”

Obadiah 1:3 (KJV) →

“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”

Obadiah 1:4 (KJV) →

Violence against thy brother Jacob

“For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.”

Obadiah 1:10 (KJV) →

As thou hast done

“as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.”

Obadiah 1:15 (KJV) →

Mount Zion, and the kingdom the LORD's

“And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”

Obadiah 1:21 (KJV) →

THE WORD TO …

To whom the word was spoken

TO EDOM

“Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity”

Obadiah 1:13 (KJV) →

THE BOOK

The book of Obadiah

  • 1 Edom brought down Obadiah 1:1–9
  • 2 The day of thy brother Obadiah 1:10–14
  • 3 The day of the LORD; Zion and the kingdom Obadiah 1:15–21

HOW THE STORY ENDS

Scripture says, tradition says

SCRIPTURE SAYS

  • From the textScripture says nothing of this Obadiah beyond the title of his book. Obadiah 1:1

TRADITION SAYS

No tradition is recorded here.

OPEN QUESTIONS

Where readers have differed

Under Jehoram of Judah

C. F. Keil (1868)

Philistines and Arabians broke into Judah in Jehoram's day (2 Chr 21:16–17). Keil: “there only remains the taking of Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabians in the time of Jehoram”. 2 Chronicles 21:16–17 [9]

In Amaziah's reign

Seder Olam, as reported by the Jewish Encyclopedia (1905)

“The prophecy of Obadiah occurred in the time of Amaziah, King of Judah”.[42]

Early, foretelling the Babylonian capture

E. B. Pusey (The Minor Prophets, 1860–77)

Pusey reads verses 11–14 as a prediction of Nebuchadnezzar's siege, and holds that since Obadiah came before Jeremiah “it was probably long anterior to it.”[47][45]

After the fall of Jerusalem in 586

S. R. Driver (1891); G. A. Smith (1898), for verses 10–21

Driver: the expressions in verses 11–14 “are most naturally referred to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldaeans in 586”. Smith takes verses 10–21 so, but holds that verses 1–9 “probably reflect earlier events”. Obadiah 1:11–14 Psalms 137:7 [3][45]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 2

Obadiah 1 Jeremiah 49

PASSAGES · 2

Obadiah 1:1–21 Jeremiah 49:7–22

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture gives no father, home, king or date for Obadiah.
  • The text does not say whether he is any of the other men named Obadiah, such as Ahab's steward (1 Kgs 18:3).
  • The book does not name the strangers who entered Jerusalem's gates (Obad 11); which attack is meant is the question of its date.
  • The New Testament does not quote Obadiah.

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • L. C. L. Brenton (tr.), The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, translated into English (1844), Jeremiah in the Greek order: chs. 34:2 (Heb. 27:2, no verse 1), 35:1 (Heb. 28:1), 36:24 (Heb. 29:24), 46:1–18 (Heb. 39, verses 4–13 absent); read in the site's Brenton text (data/text/lxxe).
  • L. C. L. Brenton (tr.), The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament and Apocrypha (1851), the opening sentence of Lamentations (checked against the 1879 Bagster scan).
  • S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (1891), pp. 239–240 (Jer 10:11), 248, 253–254 (the Greek text of Jeremiah), 298–299 (Obadiah), 314–315 (Nahum), 317–319 (Habakkuk, Zephaniah), 432–435 (Lamentations).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah, vol. 1 (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), Introduction, pp. 31–35 (the Greek text; Graf 1862 quoted); scan of the 1880 printing.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Kennedy, The Prophecies of Jeremiah, vol. 2, with The Lamentations (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), Introduction to Lamentations, pp. 349–350.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. M. G. Easton, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Keil and Delitzsch) (1872), note on Dan 9:2, reporting Ewald (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Obadiah (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Nahum, quoting Vitringa (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Habakkuk (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Zephaniah (read on Bible Hub).
  • G. C. Workman, The Text of Jeremiah (1889), pp. 117–118, 222–223.
  • A. W. Streane, The Double Text of Jeremiah (1896), p. 13.
  • A. W. Streane, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, together with the Lamentations (Cambridge Bible) (1881), p. 172 (note on 25:11).
  • A. W. Streane, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Cambridge Bible, revised edition) (1913), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. W. Streane, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Cambridge Bible, revised edition) (1913), introductory note to Jer 39, reporting Giesebrecht, Duhm and Cornill (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. S. Peake, Jeremiah and Lamentations, vol. 2 (The Century Bible) (1910), p. 13 (note on 25:11).
  • M. Faulhaber, "Jeremias", Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 8 (1910), the text of the book; the tradition of his death (online text).
  • M. G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), entry "Jeremiah, Book of" (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. von Orelli, "Jeremiah", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), his death (online text; not checked against a scan of the printed edition; read on Bible Hub).
  • R. S. Hess, Review of E. Tov, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research, 3rd ed. (2015), Denver Journal (facts only) (2017), on 4QJer b and 4QJer d and the shorter Greek edition.
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 40:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Jer 40:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Zech 1:12 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament (1748–1763), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament (1746–1748), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and D. Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible (1871), note on Matt 27:9, quoting John Lightfoot's Horae Hebraicae (read on Bible Hub).
  • Augustine, tr. S. D. F. Salmond, The Harmony of the Gospels (NPNF First Series, vol. 6) (1888), 3.7.29–31.
  • M. B. Riddle (ed.), Editor's note to Augustine, Harmony of the Gospels 3.7 (NPNF First Series, vol. 6) (1888), note 1344 in the CCEL text.
  • M. L. Rodkinson (tr.), New Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tract Baba Bathra (1902), pp. 44–45 (Baba Bathra 14b–15a: the order of the prophets; who wrote which books).
  • I. H. Hall (tr.), "The Lives of the Prophets", Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 7 (1887), pp. 36–37 (Jeremiah), from a Syriac manuscript ascribed to Epiphanius of Cyprus.
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Scorpiace (ANF vol. 3) (1885), ch. 8.
  • Jerome, tr. W. H. Fremantle, Against Jovinianus (NPNF Second Series, vol. 6) (1893), 2.37.
  • J. Rendel Harris, The Rest of the Words of Baruch: A Christian Apocalypse of the Year 136 A.D. (1889), pp. 21, 24.
  • E. G. Hirsch, V. Ryssel, S. Schechter and L. Ginzberg, "Jeremiah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7 (1904), biblical data; in rabbinical literature (Seder Olam 26); the Christian legend.
  • M. Seligsohn, "Seder 'Olam Rabbah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11 (1905), authorship; the dates it gives the prophets.
  • Jewish Encyclopedia, "Hezekiah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 6 (1904), §2 (Zephaniah's ancestor; Ibn Ezra and Abravanel).
  • Origen, tr. F. Crombie, A Letter to Africanus (ANF vol. 4) (1885), sections 7–8.
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, vol. 2 (The Expositor's Bible) (1898), pp. 41, 47 (Zephaniah), 78, 85 (Nahum), 167, 171 (Obadiah), 193 (Zechariah's seventy years).
  • A. B. Davidson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah (Cambridge Bible) (1896), pp. 12–13 (Elkosh; date of Nahum), 45–46, 49, 53 (Habakkuk), 96–97 (Zephaniah).
  • E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets, with a Commentary (first published 1860–77; London printing of 1883) (1883), Introduction to Obadiah, pp. 227–229.
  • C. J. Gadd, The Fall of Nineveh: the newly discovered Babylonian Chronicle, No. 21,901, in the British Museum (1923), pp. 15–16, 40–41 (reverse, lines 38–45).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 2 (1927), §§776–778, pp. 295–296 (the Rassam Cylinder on Ni', Thebes).
  • T. Witton Davies, in R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, vol. 1 (1913), pp. 655–656 (Bel and the Dragon: date; verses 33–39).

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