Mount tzion, the symbol of justice and peace, and the mountain of esau or mount seir, which is the symbol of esaus treachery and greed. Lost somewhere in the dark corner of your bible is a brief, but largely unfamiliar book called obadiah. There are a number of helpful commentaries on obadiah, and the. Book of obadiah, also spelled abdias, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. Dec 06, 2012 just as i have favorite books in the bible, i also have a few i struggle with. Some have thought that this is the same obadiah that was ahabs steward in 2 chronicles 17.
In judaism and christianity, its authorship is attributed to a prophet who lived in the assyrian period and named himself in the first verse, obadiah. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of obadiah. Studying the bible from a hebraic perspective simply. To digest it properly, it may prove helpful to read it a number of times, from several different translations, asking the lord for insight. The jesus focus in the book of obadiah lifecoach4god. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Simply, the book is a prophecy against the nation of edom. An envoy was sent to the nations to say, rise, let us go against her for battle see, i will make you small among the nations. Reading the bible through the jesus lens in obadiah from biblical book to biblical hook charts adapted from dr. The book of obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, the 4th book of the twelve minor prophets. Youll likely agree with some on my list, but others may surprise. As the jewish scholar moshe goshengottstein put it. In the conclusion of ovadyas description of edoms downfall, two mountains face off against each other.
To encourage judahites facing trouble from edom to hope in divine justice and for eventual victory over all enemies. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. In studying the book of amos chapter 1, we found out that edom means out of earth or bloody. The jewish scriptural canon in cultural perspective. Using the method of rhetorical criticism the study examines how the text of obadiah was put together in terms of the various hebraic rhetoricalliterary devices and artistic features of. Nevertheless, i believe that the prophesy occurred sometime immediately after 586 b. The prophet obadiah cannot be easily identified with any other person named obadiah in the old testament. Why judaism and christianity interpet the bible differently time. He has many resouces about why and how to study the bible from a hebraic perspective. The current issue of christianity today features an interesting interview with christopher wright, international ministries director for langham partnership international and author of the newest entry in ivp academics the bible speaks today series. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. The bible book of obadiah with full chapters, footnotes and bible commentary to aid your bible search, reading, and study.
The prophetic book of obadiah, though shortest in the hebrew portion of the bible, is no slouch in robust impact. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make. Obadiah, book of, servant of yah, the shortest ot book, stands fourth among the minor prophets in the mt, but fifth in the lxx. The barking fox examining scripture from a hebraic perspective. Her writings are a little less academic then dwights and. There are a number of helpful commentaries on obadiah, and the following are five of the best.
The hebrew bible, which is also called the tanakh or sometimes the mikra, is the canonical. Overview of the book of obadiah third millennium ministries. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Consequent upon the overthrow of edom is the enlargement of the borders of judah and the establishment of the kingship of yahweh. Why did god judge edom so harshly in the book of obadiah. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Feb 14, 2009 the book of obadiah, the shortest in the old testament, is a brief oracle against the nation of edom. This summary of the book of obadiah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of obadiah. While several options have been proposed by scholars, the best argument places obadiah in the 840s bc, making him the earliest writing prophet, a few years prior to joel, and a contemporary of elisha.
Jun 03, 2011 dwight was one of the pioneers of the jewish roots movement in the usa. The theme of this book is the abuse of gods people, gods land, and gods holy hill, the temple mount in jerusalem. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom. An israelite who was chief in the household of king ahab 1 kings 18. Edom represents all nations that are hostile to god and to his kingdom. Obadiah is a book of recompense and deliverance, ending with the kingdom will be the lords. The jews, the recipients of leviticus, have greatly advanced the world whereas in stark contrast, the canaanites who were disobedient to the commandments of.
Arise yee, and let vs rise vp against her in battell. Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to god, and interposed to protect the lords prophets, an hundred of whom he hid at great personal risk in a cave 4. Twice in the magazines introduction lamentations is described as one of the bibles most. Their fortified cities included sela petra, teman and bozrah. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. After more than two decades of work, a new hebrew bible to rival. But edoms downfall before babylon becomes an image of how god will one day bring down all arrogant and violent nations and establish his kingdom of justice over them. Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the bible, and the part of the torah the law of moses. Tower of the elephant and other stories secrets of a porn star g street chronicles presents the. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. The book of obadiah includes a prophecy that, at the end of days, edom rome will attempt to come up against jerusalem a second time. Tower of the elephant and other stories secrets of a porn star g street chronicles presents the chronicles of narnia.
Keren has a devotion book that takes you through the 5 books of moses following the weekly torah portion. Those who have gone through the american school system have, i am sure, studied it, or, at least, read this poem at one time or the other during the. In its introduction to the book of obadiah, the oxford annotated bible suggests another explanation for the similarities. There are on record the account of four captures of jerusalem, 1 by shishak in the reign of rehoboam. We have heard a message from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the nations. The prophet obadiah prophesied judgment upon the nation of edom for taking pleasure in the destruction of jerusalem by the babylonians, and they also attacked judah during this invasion. Remember that many of the minor prophets are of supreme importance in understanding scripture and prophecy in particular. Frank shallieu in 1992 and circa 1970 before actually commencing the study, we would like to consider some historical background that is essential for understanding verse 1. Ten most difficult books in the bible a bible a day. It can most specifically mean the first five books of the 24.
Edom was another name for esau, the brother of jacob. Theme obadiah 10 gods vengeance god will avenge edoms mistreatment of israel. At this point, it seems prudent to ask if these theories have any spiritual importance for us. Wee haue heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen. In judaism, obadiah is considered a later prophet, one of the twelve prophets in the final sec. The evans practical bible commentary by roderick l. When were obadiahs prophecies against edom fulfilled obadiah 1.
This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. From this account, which was likely written during the reign of josiah itself, evidently the torah as we know it didnt exist yet. A new translation with introduction and commentary. When tzion defeats seir, gods rule over the world will be complete. The book of obadiah is a sustained denunciation of the edomites, melting into a vision of the future glories of zion when the arm of the lord should have wrought her deliverance and have repaid double upon her enemies.
Ensuing jewish accomplishments serve to underscore the importance of a nations alignment with the spiritual principles found in this book. When were obadiahs prophecies against edom fulfilled. Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. This corresponds to the threefold division of the book, namely, 1. The villain, the guilty party, will end up belittled, loathed, and devastated. Obadiah accuses the nation of edom, israels neighbor and relative, of violence and injustice. The far side of the world the reverse of the medal the letter of marque the chronicles of conan, vol. You may, like me, have trouble separating the pages between amos and jonah just to get to it. Summary of the book of obadiah quick overview of obadiah.
The barking fox blog entered the world on december 31, 20, with a post entitled silent night in september. Aug 24, 2015 the current issue of christianity today features an interesting interview with christopher wright, international ministries director for langham partnership international and author of the newest entry in ivp academics the bible speaks today series. In favor are the many similarities between the book of obadiah and jeremiah 49. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. Because of the violence done to your brother jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be. Study guide for obadiah by david guzik blue letter bible. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible. Overview of the book of obadiah reformed answers to. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. The prophesy is entirely against edom, the descendants of esau, the brother to jacob who was the father of the. The purpose of this study is to examine the book of obadiah seeking to look closely at the literary artistry of obadiah s text and its theological message. This consensus echoes a traditional jewish view which gives ezra, the leader of the jewish community on its return. Since its first publication in the fall of 2015 hebrew year 5775, comments on the reading plan indicate that it is serving the intended purpose of providing a way for students of the bible to incorporate the annual torah cycle with reading of the entire tanakh and apostolic writings or old and new. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries.
A clue to the structure of the book is detected in the repetition of the word hear. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. Thats because, although obadiah is an easy read only 21 verses long, it is in the running for the most forgotten book in our bibles. Their fortified cities included sela petra, teman and. The barking fox examining scripture from a hebraic. Only 21 verses, it can be read in just a few minutes. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. Jerusalem experienced four different invasions in old testament times, yet only two fit the time period. What a shock when christians encounter a jewish mode of reading these same books.
May 05, 2020 book of obadiah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. This book of obadiah is only one chapter long, with 21 verses in the king james version. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. It may be that the annual bible reading plan is the most popular feature on the barking fox. The word bible, from the greek, ta biblia, is plural and means books. Just as i have favorite books in the bible, i also have a few i struggle with. The evans practical bible commentary evans, roderick l. Book of obadiah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. The book of obadiah is fourth in the listing of the 12 minor prophets. Biblical prophecy from book of obadiah reveals popes.
Who decided what books the hebrew bible would contain. The book of obadiah, the shortest in the old testament, is a brief oracle against the nation of edom. Obadiah niv obadiahs vision the vision of bible gateway. This is not a long book so we dont need to spend a lot of time figuring out what its about. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of. The hebrew bible includes small portions in aramaic mostly in the books of daniel and. The prophet mentions a recent invasion of jerusalem 1. The books name essentially means second law and is so named because the basics of. Introduction the author the author of the book is named obadiah which means servant of yahweh. In rabbinic literature the word torah denotes both the five books hebrew. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah.
God warns but will eventually judge those who persecute his people. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible in judaism and christianity, its authorship is attributed to a prophet who lived in the assyrian period and named himself in the first verse, obadiah. A major factor in determining when obadiah s prophecies against edom were fulfilled rests on when the book was written. Edom was the land southeast of the dead sea reaching down to the gulf of acaba on the dead sea. Breast cancer from a jewish perspective curated by sharsheret. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. Obadiahs book is the shortest of all the old testament books. In this commentary, we will examine the shortest book of the old testament. The book of obadiah stoke poges is a small village in england not too far from windsor castle. Obadiah bible book with full chapters new living translation.