The twelve minor writing prophets have shorter books than the major prophets. These writing prophets range from the 8th to the 5th century BCE. These include Hosea from the 8th century BCE, Joel from the 8th -5th century BCE, Amos from the 8th century BCE, Obadiah and Jonah from the 6th century BCE, Micah and Nahum from the 8th century BCE, Habakkuk and Zephaniah from the 7th century BCE, Haggai and Zechariah from the 6th century BCE, and Malachi from the 5th century BCE. Some of these prophets had an influence on New Testament Christian writers.
Obadiah
The Israelites will possess the neighboring lands (Ob 1:19-1:21)
“Those of the Negeb
Shall possess
Mount Esau.
Those of the Shephelah,
The land of the Philistines,
Shall possess
The land of Ephraim
With the land of Samaria.
Benjamin
Shall possess Gilead.
The exiles
Of the Israelites
Who are in Halah,
Shall possess
Phoenicia
As far as Zarephath.
The exiles of Jerusalem
Who are in Sepharad
Shall possess
The towns
Of the Negeb.
Those who have been saved
Shall go up
To Mount Zion
To rule Mount Esau.
The kingdom
Shall be Yahweh’s.”
This short chapter and book ends and a new larger Israel, as their long standing enemy neighbors will no longer exist. Israel shall rule them. The area of the Negeb was the arid southern land that would change from the land of Edom or Mount Esau into Israel. Israel was going to possess the Shephelah, the western area along the Mediterranean coast where the Philistines lived. They were also going to have the land of Samaria and the territory of Ephraim, north of Judah. The territory of Benjamin would include land on the east side of the Jordan River, the Gilead. The exiled Israelites in Halah in the upper Mesopotamia region and those in the Phoenician town of Zarephath, as well as the exiles in Asia Minor in Shephard would all return to live in the arid southern Negeb region. All the saved Israelites would return to Mount Zion, as Mount Esau and all of Edom would go away and be under the Israelites.
The fire (Ob 1:18-1:18)
“‘The house of Jacob
Shall be a fire.
The house of Joseph
Shall be a flame.
The house of Esau
Shall be stubble.
They shall burn them.
They shall consume them.
There shall be
No survivor
Of the house of Esau.’
Yahweh has spoken.”
The house of Jacob and the house of Joseph would be like a fire or a flame. They were going to turn Esau into a stubble, since these fiery flames would burn and consume them. Thus, there would be no survivors in the house of Esau or Edom. Yahweh, according to Obadiah, had spoken very clearly.
Holy Mount Zion (Ob 1:17-1:17)
“But on Mount Zion,
There shall be
Those that escape.
It shall be holy.
The house of Jacob
Shall take possession
Of those who dispossessed
Them.”
At holy Mount Zion, it will be another story. There, the house of Jacob would take possession of those who had dispossessed them.
Drinking on the mountain (Ob 1:16-1:16)
“As you have drunk
On my holy mountain,
All the nations
Around you
Shall drink.
They shall drink.
They shall gulp it down.
They shall be
As though
They had not been.”
Just as the Israelites had drunk wine on the holy mountain, other countries would drink wine, just as they did. In fact, they would gulp down their drinks. However, they would become as if they had never existed.
The day of Yahweh (Ob 1:15-1:15)
“The day of Yahweh
Is near
Against all the nations.
As you have done,
It shall be done
To you.
Your deeds
Shall return
On your own head.”
Obadiah warned that the day of Yahweh, as in the prophet Amos, was coming to all the countries, since it was near. As they have done, so it shall be done to them, since their deeds would return to their own head.
The indictment of Edom (Ob 1:12-1:14)
“You should not
Have gloated
Over your brother
On the day of his misfortune!
You should not
Have rejoiced
Over the people of Judah
On the day of his misfortune!
You should not
Have boasted
On the day of distress!
You should not
Have entered
The gate of my people
On the day of their calamity!
You should not
Have joined in the gloating
Over Judah’s disaster
On the day of his calamity!
You should not
Have looted his goods
On the day of his calamity!
You should not
Have stood at crossings
To cut off his fugitives!
You should not
Have handed over
His survivors
On the day of distress!”
Yahweh, via Obadiah, listed the various things that Edom did on the day of the invasion of Jerusalem. First, they gloated over their brother Judah. Then they rejoiced at the problems of the people of Judah. These Edomites even boasted and entered the gates of Jerusalem. They joined with the others, as they looted the goods of the people in Jerusalem. They kept others from escaping. They even handed over the survivors to the foreign attackers. They were really complicit in this attack on Jerusalem.
The terrible actions of Edom (Ob 1:10-1:11)
“The slaughter
With the violence
Done to your brother Jacob
Means that shame
Shall cover you!
You shall be cut off forever!
On the day
That you stood aside,
On the day
That strangers
Carried off his wealth,
On the day
That foreigners
Entered his gates,
On the day
That they cast lots
For Jerusalem,
You too were
Like one of them.”
For all the violence and slaughter that was done to Edom’s brother Jacob, shame would come upon the Edomites. They would be cut off forever. In other words, these Edomites were as guilty as the strangers who attacked Jerusalem. On that day of attack on the holy city, when the foreigners and strangers entered the gates of Jerusalem and took their wealth, the Edomites were like the attackers who were casting lots for Jerusalem. They were just like these invaders in their complicity. They did nothing to help the people of Jerusalem and Judah.
Oracle of Yahweh (Ob 1:1-1:1)
“Thus says Yahweh
Concerning Edom.
We have heard a report
From Yahweh.
A messenger has been sent
Among my nations.
‘Rise up!
Let us rise against it
For battle.’”
The Israelites had a long history with Edom because they believed that Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, had founded this country. The Book of Genesis listed the kings of Edom in chapter 36. The country of Edom was south of the Dead Sea, south of Moab and south of Judah. It eventually stopped being a country with most of the people drifting into southern Judah. Many of the prophets had spoken against the Edomites, including Jeremiah, chapter 49, Isaiah, chapter 34, Ezekiel, chapter 25, Amos, chapter 1, and Joel, chapter 3. This was a report from Yahweh, since he had sent his messengers to the various countries. They were to rise up and get ready for the battle.
Title (Ob 1:1-1:1)
“The vision of Obadiah.”
Who is Obadiah? We know very little about him, since this was a common name. There is not even any mention of his father as was the usual custom. He seems to be a 6th century BCE prophet around the time of the captivity of Jerusalem. Part of this work seems similar to Jeremiah, chapter 49, against Edom. Like many prophets he had a vision.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 