Obadiah

1. SUPERSCRIPTION (1a)

Obadiah contains no information about the prophet or the book’s provenance. “Vision” is a technical term related to receiving a revelatory word from God and may account for Obadiah’s graphic imagery and detail.

2. THE LORD’S MESSAGE AGAINST EDOM (1b–14)

A. Edom’s judgment pronounced and reaffirmed (1b–9). 1b–4. The mention of the Lord’s “message” or “declaration” identifies the prophetic word’s source and authority and marks verses 1b–4 as a distinct utterance. The title “Lord Yahweh” (“Lord God”) underscores God’s rule over heaven, earth, and human history (1b).

Edom will be reduced (i.e., “cut down to size”), made desolate, and despised by her neighbors (2). The self-deception induced by a false sense of security in the heights of the surrounding terrain will only compound Edom’s abasement (3). The wordplay in verse 3 is striking: the term for rocks (Hb sela) is akin to the name of the Edomite capital, Sela. Edom’s perceived invincibility, similar to that of the soaring eagle that nests high in the crags, takes no account of the fact that even the eagle can soar and nest only at the express command of God (4).

5–9. Obadiah’s second pronouncement expands the message of judgment. Verses 5–6 address the degree of Edom’s punishment. Thieves steal only what they want, and grape pickers may overlook a few grapes. However, looters will take everything from Edom.

Verse 6 begins with a variant form of the word that opens Lamentations: “How?” Reference to the treachery of former allies (Lm 1:2, 19) heightens the parallel to Lamentations (7). Those who once shared a meal will entrap Edom. Edom’s reputation for wisdom was widespread (see Jr 49:7), yet despite this wisdom, Edom will be deceived by treacherous allies (8). Pride distorts reality and blinds to the truth. Edom’s pride (cf. v. 3) carries the seeds of its own destruction (Pr 11:2; 16:16–18; Is 16:6; 25:11). Teman, an important city in Edom, is used as an appellative for the nation (9). Military prowess will also prove useless in the day of God’s wrath.

B. Indictments (10–14). This section explains why God decreed divine judgment against Edom. The charges (labeled “violence,” 10) levied against Edom are weightier because the wrongdoing has been perpetrated by a brother against a brother (see Gn 25:24–34; Dt 23:7). Edom failed to ally with Judah (11); delighted in Judah’s calamity (12); trespassed and looted the ruins of Jerusalem (13); and ambushed fugitives fleeing from the Babylonians and returned them to the enemy (14).

3. THE DAY OF THE LORD (15–21)

The shift to the broader themes of judgment on the nations and restoration of Israel lends perspective to Obadiah’s concern for divine justice and bolsters future hope among the remnant by validating the eschatological paradigm of God’s final triumph (e.g., Is 24–27; Jr 29–33; Ezk 33–34; Hs 13–14).

A. Universal judgment (15–16). Judah witnessed the truth of the retribution principle (15) when God used Assyria to punish Samaria, crushed the Assyrian Empire by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, and, tragically, used this same Babylonian king to destroy Judah because of her guilt (Jr 25:8–14).

“You have drunk on my holy mountain” (16) is an expression for God’s cup of wrath (Is 51:17–23; cf. Zch 12:2). The cup of wrath once tasted by Samaria is passed on to Judah (Ezk 23:31–34); finally, the nations will drink it. [Day of the Lord]

B. Zion delivered (17–18). The conjunction “but” (17) alerts the reader to the contrast between Edom’s judgment (vv. 1b–14) and Israel’s future blessing and restoration (vv. 17–21). “Mount Zion” refers to Jerusalem (2 Sm 5:7; 1 Kg 8:1). That it will be “holy” indicates the extent of Jacob’s salvation, restoration, and renewed relationship with God.

The principle of retribution, or “an eye for an eye,” is well founded in biblical teaching (Ex 21:24–25; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21). Israel’s wisdom tradition echoes this belief (Pr 26:27; cf. Ps 7:15–16), as does the NT (Gl 6:7–8). However, in contrast to Obadiah’s statement, “As you have done, it will be done to you” (15), Jesus teaches, “Whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them” (Mt 7:12).

The word pair “Jacob/Joseph” (18) heightens the foil between Jacob and Esau and may indicate the larger collection of Israelite tribes (see Ps 77:15; Zch 10:6; cf. Ezk 37:16–19). The holiness of the restored remnant in Zion transforms Israel into an instrument of God’s judgment. The consuming fire of God’s wrath (Ex 15:7; Is 10:12–19; 29:5–6) is now unleashed against the Edomites. Unlike Israel, where the Lord has preserved a remnant from Mount Zion, not one survivor will escape from the mountain of Esau (vv. 9, 19). The concluding phrase “the LORD has spoken” serves as a colophon, solemnizing the prophecy regarding the day of the Lord and emphasizing the certainty and finality of Esau’s judgment.

C. The Lord’s kingdom established (19–21). 19–20. Obadiah’s oracle concludes with the promise of restoration for the remnant of Israel. The promise of people claiming territories formerly occupied by enemies (19) builds on verse 17. Jacob and Joseph will again inhabit regions in the south (the Negev and Edom), the west (the Judean foothills and the coastal plain of Philistia), and the north and east (Zarephath, Samaria, and Gilead). Obadiah’s appeal to history intends to instill hope in the Babylonian exiles by reinforcing their faith in God. The prophet here indicates that Edom’s fall will set in motion the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

21. Israel’s restoration parallels the final outcome of human history. This theme occurs frequently in the OT (e.g., Ezk 37:24–28; Dn 7:21–27; Zch 12:3–4). The juxtaposition of the terms “saviors” and “rule” is theologically significant. The Hebrew judge was a divinely appointed savior for Israel, the oppressed, and the socially disadvantaged (Jdg 3:9, 15; 2 Kg 13:5; Neh 9:27). By raising up these deliverers, God would judge Edom’s sin, avenge Israel, and establish his dominion on earth.