Book Of Obadiah

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Obadiah, Book Of The questions as to the origin and Interpretation of this, the shortest book of the OT, are numerous and difficult. The title describes the book as ‘a vision’ (cf.   Isaiah 1:1 ,   Nahum 1:1 ) and ascribes it to Obadiah. Obadiah is one of the commonest of Hebrew names, and occurs both before and after the Exile: see preceding article. Some fruitless attempts have been made to identify the author of the book with one or other of the persons of the same name mentioned in the OT.

The book of Obadiah stands fourth in order (in the Greek version, fifth) of the prophets whose works were collected and edited in (probably) the 3rd cent. b.c.; the collection since the beginning of the 2nd cent. b.c. has been known as ‘The Twelve’ (see Canon of OT; cf. Micah [Bk. of], ad init .). By the place which he gave this small book in his collection the editor perhaps intended to indicate his belief that it was of early, i.e . pre-exilic, origin. But the belief of an editor of the 3rd cent. b.c. is not good evidence that a book was written earlier than the 6th century. The relative probabilities of the different theories of its origin must be judged by internal evidence; this, unfortunately, is itself uncertain on account of ambiguities of expression.

It will be convenient to state first what appears on the whole the most probable theory, and then to mention more briefly one or two others.

The book contains two themes: (1) a prophetic Interpretation of an overwhelming disaster which has already befallen Edom (  Obadiah 1:1-7;   Obadiah 1:10-14;   Obadiah 1:16 b); (2) a prediction of a universal judgment and specifically of judgment on Edom which is now imminent (  Obadiah 1:8-9;   Obadiah 1:16 a,   Obadiah 1:16-21 ).

1. The prophetic interpretation of Edom’s fall . The prophet describes the complete conquest of the Edomites and their expulsion from their land (  Obadiah 1:7 ) by a number of nations (  Obadiah 1:1 ) once their friends and allies (  Obadiah 1:7 ). In this calamity the writer sees Jahweh’s judgment on Edom for gloating over the fall of the Jews described as Edom’s brother (  Obadiah 1:12 ) and participating with foreign and alien enemies (  Obadiah 1:11 ) in the infliction of injuries on them. This interpretation is stated in simple and direct terms in   Obadiah 1:10-11 , and dramatically in   Obadiah 1:12-14 , where the writer, throwing himself back to the time of the Edomites’ ill-treatment of the Jews, adjures them not to do the things they actually did. The section closes with the effective assertion of the retributive character of the disasters that had befallen Edom and still affect it ‘As thou hast done, is it done unto thee; thy dealing returns upon thine own head’ (  Obadiah 1:15 b).

The verses thus summarized have these points in common: ( a ) the tenses are historical except in   Obadiah 1:10 (‘shame doth cover thee, and thou art cut off for ever’) and   Obadiah 1:15 b, which may be rendered as presents, and interpreted as at the end of the preceding paragraph; and ( b ) after   Obadiah 1:1 , where Edom, in the present text, is spoken of in the 3rd person, Edom is throughout addressed in the 2nd pers. sing. Among these verses are now interspersed others,   Obadiah 1:6 , which speaks of Esau (=Edom) in the 3rd person (pl. in clause a , sing, in b ) and which may be an aside in the midst of the address, but is more probably an Interpolation; and   Obadiah 1:8-9 (together with the last clause of   Obadiah 1:7 ), which speak of Edom in the 3rd person and unmistakably regard the disaster as still future: these verses are best regarded as an addition by an editor who wished the prophetic interpretation of past fact to be read as a prophetic description of the future.

If now  Obadiah 1:1-7 (or   Obadiah 1:1-5;   Obadiah 1:7 )   Obadiah 1:10-15 b, which are held together by the common features just noticed, be a unity; the prophecy is later than b.c. 586; for   Obadiah 1:11 cannot well be interpreted by any other disaster than the destruction of Jerusalem in that year. The prophecy also appears in   Obadiah 1:5;   Obadiah 1:7 to allude to the extrusion of the Edomites from ancient Edom owing to the northward movement of Arabs people who had often satisfied themselves with plundering expeditions (cf.   Obadiah 1:5 ), but now permanently evicted settled populations from their lands (cf.   Obadiah 1:7 ). This northward movement was already threatening at the beginning of the 6th cent. b.c. (  Ezekiel 25:4-5;   Ezekiel 25:10 ); before b.c. 312, as we learn from Diodorus Siculus, Arabs had occupied Petra, the ancient capital of Edom. Between those two dates, perhaps in the first half of the 5th cent. b.c. (cf.   Malachi 1:2-5 ), the prophecy appears to have been written.

2 . The prediction of universal judgment . In contrast with   Obadiah 1:10-14  Obadiah 1:10-14 , the tenses in   Obadiah 1:15-21 , are consistently imperfects (naturally suggesting the future), the persons addressed (2nd pl.) are Israelites, not Edomites, and Edom is referred to in the 3rd person. The prophecy predicts as imminent: ( a ) a universal judgment (  Obadiah 1:15 a,   Obadiah 1:15 , in which the annihilation of Edom by the Jews (not [nomadic] nations as in   Obadiah 1:1;   Obadiah 1:5;   Obadiah 1:7 ) and Israelites forms an episode which is specially described (  Obadiah 1:18 ), and ( b ) the restoration of the exiles alike of the Northern and of the Southern Kingdom (  Obadiah 1:18 , cf.   Obadiah 1:17 ), who are to re-occupy the whole of their ancient territory the Negeb in the S., the Shephçlah in the W., Ephraim to the N., Gilead in the E. (  Obadiah 1:19 , which after elimination of glosses reads, ‘And they shall possess the Negeb and the Shephçlah, and the field of Ephraim and Gilead’); in particular, the Israelites will re-occupy as far N. as Zarephath (near Tyre), and the Jews as far south as the Negeb (  Obadiah 1:20 ). The prophecy closes with the announcement of Jahweh’s reign from Zion (  Obadiah 1:21 ).

The prediction ( Obadiah 1:15-21 ) scarcely appears to be the original and immediate continuation of the former part of the chapter, but is, like   Obadiah 1:8-9 , a subsequent addition. The theory of the origin and interpretation of the book just described is substantially that of Wellhausen; it has been adopted in the main by Nowack and Marti; and, so far as the separation of   Obadiah 1:15-21 (with   Obadiah 1:15 b) from the rest of the chapter is concerned, and the assignment of the whole to a date after the Exile, by Cheyne ( EBi [Note: Encyclopædia Biblica.] ).

One fact has appeared to many scholars an insuperable difficulty in the way of assigning the whole book to a date after 586. It is admitted by all that the resemblances between  Obadiah 1:1-5;   Obadiah 1:5;   Obadiah 1:8 and   Jeremiah 49:14-15;   Jeremiah 49:9-10 a,   Jeremiah 49:7 are so close as to imply the literary dependence of one of the two passages on the other; it is further admitted by most, and should be admitted, that the common matter is in its more original form in Obadiah, and that therefore so much at least of Obadiah is prior to   Jeremiah 49:14-16;   Jeremiah 49:9-10 a,   Jeremiah 49:7 , and therefore prior to the year b.c. 604, if the theory that was commonly held with regard to the date of   Jeremiah 46:1-28;   Jeremiah 47:1-7;   Jeremiah 48:1-47;   Jeremiah 49:1-39 be admitted. But of recent years many have questioned whether   Jeremiah 46:1-28;   Jeremiah 47:1-7;   Jeremiah 48:1-47;   Jeremiah 49:1-39 , at least in its present form , is the work of Jeremiah at all, and consequently whether it was necessarily written before 586.

If the argument that  Obadiah 1:1;   Obadiah 1:6;   Obadiah 1:8 is pre-exilic be accepted, it is necessary to account for what are now generally admitted to be the allusions to the events of 586 in   Obadiah 1:10-14 . This has been done by assuming that Ob. and Jer. alike quote from a pre-exilic prophecy, but that Obadiah himself prophesied after b.c. 586. As to the amount of matter cited by Obadiah, scholars differ: e.g . Driver considers that   Obadiah 1:1-9 is derived from the old prophecy; G. A. Smith, that   Obadiah 1:1-5;   Obadiah 1:8-10 are quotations, but that   Obadiah 1:7 , which he admits presupposes later conditions, is by Obadiah himself. The weakness of these theories lies in the fact that the distribution of the parts to the two authors does not follow the concrete differences of style indicated above, and that   Obadiah 1:7 either receives no adequate interpretation, or is torn away from   Obadiah 1:5 , with which it certainly seems closely connected. As to the more precise date of   Obadiah 1:1-9 (  Obadiah 1:10 ) or so much of the verses as may be pre-exilic, no agreement has been reached among those who hold them to be pre-exilic; no known circumstances explain the allusions. It is also very uncertain whether any inference can safely be drawn from the allusion to Sepharad (wh. see) in   Obadiah 1:20 .

For further discussion of many details, some of which have of necessity been left unmentioned here, and for an account of other theories as well as those described above, the English reader will best consult Driver, LOT [Note: OT Introd. to the Literature of the Old Testament.]  ; G. A. Smith, Book of the Twelve , ii. 163 184 (with a critical translation); Selbie’s art. in Hastings’ DB [Note: Dictionary of the Bible.] , and Cheyne’s in EBi [Note: Encyclopædia Biblica.] .

G. B. Gray.

Holman Bible Dictionary

The Prophet No source outside his book mentions Obadiah. “Obadiah” is a common name in the Old Testament. Meaning “servant of Yahweh,” it reflects his parents' faith and spiritual ambitions for their child. The title “The vision of Obadiah” turns attention to the divine author, “vision” being a technical term for a prophetic revelation received from God.

The Situation Historically, the book belongs to the early postexilic period, at the end of the sixth century B.C. Its central section,  Obadiah 1:10-14 , deals with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., concentrating on the part the Edomites played in that tragic event. Edom was a state to the southeast of Judah. Despite treaty ties (“brother,”  Obadiah 1:10 ) the Edomitea, along with others, had failed to come to Judah's aid and had even helped Babylon by looting Jerusalem and handing over refugees. Moreover, the Edomites filled the vacuum caused by Judah's Exile by moving west and annexing the Negeb to the south of Judah and even its southern territory (compare  Obadiah 1:19 ).

Judah reacted with a strong sense of grievance. Obadiah's oracle responded to an underlying impassioned prayer of lament, like  Psalm 74:1 ,  Psalm 79:1 , or 137, in which Judah appealed to God to act as providential trial Judge and Savior to set right the situation.

The Message The response begins with a prophetic messenger formula which reinforces the thrust of the title, that God is behind the message.  Obadiah 1:2-9 give the divine verdict. Addressing Edom, God promised to defeat those supermen and topple the mountain capital which reflected their lofty self-conceit. Their allies would let them down, and neither their framed wisdom nor their warriors would be able to save them. This seems to look fearfully ahead to the Nabateans' infiltration from the eastern desert and their eventual takeover of Edom's traditional territory. The end of   Obadiah 1:1 appears to be a report from the prophet that already a coalition of neighboring groups was planning to attack Edom.

The catalog of Edom's crimes ( Obadiah 1:10-14 ) functions as the accusation which warranted God's verdict of punishment. Repetition raises “day” to center stage . The underlying thought is that Judah had been the victim of “the day of the Lord” when God intervened in judgment, and had drunk the cup of God's wrath ( Obadiah 1:15-16; compare  Lamentations 1:12;  Lamentations 2:21 ). In Old Testament theology the concept of the day of the Lord embraces not only God's people but their no-less-wicked neighbors. This wider dimension is reflected in  Obadiah 1:15-16 (compare   Lamentations 1:21 ). The fall of Edom was to trigger this eschatological event in which order would be restored to an unruly world. Then would come the vindication of God's people, not for their own sakes but as earthly witnesses to His glory; and so “the kingdom shall be the Lord's” ( Obadiah 1:21 ).

The Meaning Like the Book of Revelation, which proclaims the downfall of the persecuting Roman Empire, the aim of Obadiah is to sustain faith in God's moral government and hope in the eventual triumph of His just will. It brings a pastoral message to aching hearts, that God is on the throne and cares for His own.

Outline

I. God Knows and Will Judge the Sins of His People's Enemies (1–14).

A. Pride deceives people into thinking they can escape God's judgment. (1–4).

B. Deceitful people will be deceived by their “friends” (5–7).

C. Human wisdom cannot avoid divine judgment (8–9).

D. Conspiracy against “brothers” will not go unpunished (10–14).

II. The Day of the Lord Offers Judgment for the Nations but Deliverance for God's People (15–21).

A. Sinful peoples will receive just recompense (15–16).

B. God will deliver His people in holiness (17–18).

C. God's remnant will be restored (19–20)

D. The Kingdom belongs to God alone (21)

Leslie C. Allen

Morrish Bible Dictionary

There is nothing in this prophecy to fix its date. The whole of it relates to Edom or the Edomites. Edom (Esau) is characterised in scripture by his deadly hatred to his 'brother Jacob,'  Obadiah 10 . His pride is spoken of, exalting himself as the eagle, setting his nest in the firmament of heaven, and seeking his safety in the high caves of the rocks, which well answers to their habitations in Idumea.

Part of the prophecy may refer to the time when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon. In  Psalm 137:7,8 , Edom is associated with Babylon as against Jerusalem.  Obadiah 12 to 14 of the prophecy exactly describe the manner of a people like the Arabs when a city was captured. There are seven reproaches against them: they helped to pillage the place, stood in by-places to cut off any that escaped, and delivered them up to their enemies. These intimations of their assisting in the destruction of Jerusalem have led to the prophecy being usually dated B.C. 587, the year following the destruction.

The prophecy, however, probably looks onward to the last days, when Israel, restored to their land, will be attacked by Edom, and kindred nations.  Psalm 83 . Idumea will be their rendezvous, and the sword of the Lord will be filled with blood.  Isaiah 34:5,6 . Obadiah depicts the Jews themselves as God's instruments for the destruction of Esau; which agrees with  Isaiah 11:14;  Daniel 11:41 . "Upon mount Zion shall be deliverance . . . . the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble."  Obadiah 17,18 . The destruction shall be complete: "every one of the mount of Esau" shall be cut off by slaughter; "there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau."  Obadiah 9,18 . Their land shall be possessed by Israel, for God's ways are retributive. The prophecy ends with "the kingdom shall be Jehovah's."

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

The book of Obadiah is largely an announcement of judgment upon Edom for its part in helping Babylon in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC ( Obadiah 1:10-14; cf.  Psalms 137:7;  Ezekiel 35:5;  Ezekiel 35:12;  Ezekiel 35:15). Edom, being descended from Esau, was a brother nation to Israel-Judah, and therefore should have helped Jerusalem in its final hour (cf.  Genesis 25:23-26;  Genesis 32:28;  Genesis 36:1;  Genesis 36:8-9). Instead the Edomites took the opportunity to plunder the helpless city ( Obadiah 1:11;  Obadiah 1:13). They even captured the fleeing Jerusalemites and sold them to the Babylonian conquerors ( Obadiah 1:14; for map and other details see Edom ).

Contents of the book

Edom prided itself in the strength of its mountain defences and the cleverness of its political dealings. Neither, however, would save it from the divine judgment that would fall upon it because of its active cooperation in the destruction of Jerusalem ( Obadiah 1:1-16).

But whereas God would destroy Edom totally, he would bring Judah out of captivity and back to its land, where it would rebuild its national life. It would even spread its power into former Edomite territory ( Obadiah 1:17-21).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

There are on record the account of four captures of Jerusalem, (1) by Shishak in the reign of Rehoboam ( 1 Kings 14:25 ); (2) by the Philistines and Arabians in the reign of Jehoram ( 2 Chronicles 21:16 ); (3) by Joash, the king of Israel, in the reign of Amaziah ( 2 Kings 14:13 ); and (4) by the Babylonians, when Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 586). ( Obadiah 1:11-14 ) speaks of this capture as a thing past. He sees the calamity as having already come on Jerusalem, and the Edomites as joining their forces with those of the Chaldeans in bringing about the degradation and ruin of Israel. We do not indeed read that the Edomites actually took part with the Chaldeans, but the probabilities are that they did so, and this explains the words of Obadiah in denouncing against Edom the judgments of God. The date of his prophecies was thus in or about the year of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Edom is the type of Israel's and of God's last foe ( Isaiah 63:1-4 ). These will finally all be vanquished, and the kingdom will be the Lord's (Compare  Psalm 22:28 ).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. The theme of the book is the destruction of Edom. Consequent upon the overthrow of Edom is the enlargement of the borders of Judah and the establishment of the kingship of Yahweh. Thus far all scholars are agreed; but on questions of authorship and date there is wide divergence of opinion.

1. Contents of the Book:

(1) Yahweh summons the nations to the overthrow of proud Edom. The men of Esau will be brought down from their lofty strongholds; their hidden treasures will be rifled; their confederates will turn against them; nor will the wise and the mighty men in Edom be able to avert the crushing calamity ( Obadiah 1:1-9 ). (2) The overthrow of Edom is due to the violence and cruelty shown toward his brother Jacob. The prophet describes the cruelty and shameless gloating over a brother's calamity, in the form of earnest appeals to Edom not to do the selfish and heartless deeds of which he had been guilty when Jerusalem was sacked by foreign foes ( Obadiah 1:10-14 ). (3) The day of the display of Yahweh's retributive righteousness upon the nations is near. Edom shall be completely destroyed by the people whom he has tried to uproot, while Israel's captives shall return to take possession of their own land and also to seize and rule the mount of Esau. Thus the kingship of Yahweh shall be established ( Obadiah 1:15-21 ).

2. Unity of the Book:

The unity of Obadiah was first challenged by Eichhorn in 1824,  Obadiah 1:17-21 being regarded by him as an appendix attached to the original exilic prophecy in the time of Alexander Janneus (104-78 BC). Ewald thought that an exilic prophet, to whom he ascribed   Obadiah 1:11-14 and   Obadiah 1:19-21 , had made use of an older prophecy by Obadiah in  Obadiah 1:1-10 , and in  Obadiah 1:15-18 of material from another older prophet who was contemporary, like Obadiah, with Isaiah. As the years went on, the material assigned to the older oracle was limited by some to   Isaiah 1:1-9 and by others to   Isaiah 1:1-6 . Wellhausen assigned to  Obadiah 1:1-5 ,  Obadiah 1:7 ,  Obadiah 1:10 ,  Obadiah 1:11 ,  Obadiah 1:13 ,  Obadiah 1:14 ,  Obadiah 1:15 , while all else was regarded as a later appendix. Barton's theory of the composition of Obadiah is thus summed up by Bewer: " Obadiah 1:1-6 are a pre-exilic oracle of Obadiah, which was quoted by Jeremiah, and readapted with additions (  Obadiah 1:7-15 ) by another Obadiah in the early post-exilic days;  Obadiah 1:16-21 form an appendix, probably from Maccabean times" ( ICC , 5). Bewer's own view is closely akin to Barton's. He thinks that Obadiah, writing in the 5th century BC, "quoted  Obadiah 1:1-4 almost, though not quite, literally; that he commented on the older oracle in   Obadiah 1:5-7 , partly in the words of the older prophet, partly in his own words, in order to show that it had been fulfilled in his own day; and that in  Obadiah 1:8 ,  Obadiah 1:9 he quoted once more from the older oracle without any show of literalness." He ascribes to   Obadiah 1:10-14 and   Obadiah 1:15 . The appendix consists of two sections,  Obadiah 1:15 ,  Obadiah 1:16-18 and   Obadiah 1:19-21 , possibly by different authors,  Obadiah 1:18 being a quotation from some older prophecy. To the average Bible student all this minute analysis of a brief prophecy must seem hypercritical. He will prefer to read the book as a unity; and in doing so will get the essence of the message it has for the present day.

3. Date of the Book:

Certain preliminary problems require solution before the question of date can be settled.

(1) Relation of Obadiah and  Jeremiah 49 .

( a ) Did Obadiah quote from Jeremiah? Pusey thus sets forth the impossibility of such a solution: "Out of 16 verses of which the prophecy of Jeremiah against Edom consists, four are identical with those of Obadiah; a fifth embodies a verse of Obadiah's; of the eleven which remain, ten have some turns of expression or idioms, more or fewer, which recur in Jer, either in these prophecies against foreign nations, or in his prophecies generally. Now it would be wholly improbable that a prophet, selecting verses out of the prophecy of Jeremiah, should have selected precisely those which contain none of Jeremiah's characteristic expressions; whereas it perfectly fits in with the supposition that Jeremiah interwove verses of Obadiah with his own prophecy, that in verses so interwoven there is not one expression which occurs elsewhere in Jer" ( Minor Prophets , I, 347). ( b ) Did Jeremiah quote from Obadiah? It is almost incredible that the vigorous and well-articulated prophecy in Obadiah could have been made by piecing together detached quotations from Jer; but Jeremiah may well have taken from Obadiah many expressions that fell in with his general purpose. There are difficulties in applying this view to one or two verses, but it has not been disproved by the arguments from meter advanced by Bewer and others. ( 100 ) Did both Obadiah and Jeremiah quote from an older oracle? This is the favorite solution among recent scholars, most of whom think that Obadiah preserves the vigor of the original, while Jeremiah quotes with more freedom; but Bewer in Icc , after a detailed comparison, thus sums up: " Our conclusion is that Obadiah quoted in  Obadiah 1:1-9 an older oracle, the original of which is better preserved in Jer 49 ." The student will do well to get his own first-hand impression from a careful comparison of the two passages. With  Obadiah 1:1-4 compare   Jeremiah 49:14-16; with  Obadiah 1:5 ,  Obadiah 1:6 compare   Jeremiah 49:9 ,  Jeremiah 49:10; with  Obadiah 1:8 compare   Jeremiah 49:7; with  Obadiah 1:9 compare   Jeremiah 49:22 . On the whole, the view that Jeremiah, who often quotes from earlier prophets, draws directly from Obadiah, with free working over of the older prophets, seems still tenable.

(2) Relation of Obadiah and Joel.

There seems to be in  Joel 2:32 (Hebrew 3:5) a direct allusion to   Obadiah 1:17 . If Joel prophesied during the minority of the boy king Joash (circa 830 BC), Obadiah would be, on this hypothesis, the earliest of the writing prophets.

(3) What Capture of Jerusalem Is Described in  Obadiah 1:10-14 ?

The disaster seems to have been great enough to be called "destruction" ( Obadiah 1:12 ). Hence, most scholars identify the calamity described by Obadiah with the capture and destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans in 587 BC. But it is remarkable, on this hypothesis, that no allusion is made either in Obadiah or Jer 49:7-22 to the Chaldeans or to the destruction of the temple or to the wholesale transportation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem to Babylonia. We know, however, from  Ezekiel 35:1-15 and   Psalm 137:7 that Edom rejoiced over the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans in 587 BC, and that they encouraged the destroyers to blot out the holy city. Certain it is that the events of 587 accord remarkably with the language of   Obadiah 1:10-14 . Pusey indeed argues from the use of the form of the direct prohibition in  Obadiah 1:12-14 that Edom had not yet committed the sins against which the prophet warns him, and so Jerusalem was not yet destroyed, when Obadiah wrote. But almost all modern scholars interpret the language of   Obadiah 1:12-14 as referring to what was already past; the prophet "speaks of what the Edomites had actually done as of what they ought not to do." The scholars who regard Obadiah as the first of the writing prophets locate his ministry in Judah during the reign of Jehoram (circa 845 BC). Both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles tell of the war of rebellion in the days of Jehoram when Edom, after a fierce struggle, threw off the yoke of Judah (  2 Kings 8:20-22;  2 Chronicles 21:8-10 ). Shortly after the revolt of Edom, according to  2 Chronicles 21:16 f, the Philistines and Arabians broke into Judah, "and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons." Evidently the capital city fell into the hands of the invaders. It was a calamity of no mean proportions.

The advocates of a late date call attention to three points that weaken the case for an early date for Obadiah: ( a ) The silence of 2 Kings as to the invasion of the Philistines and Arabians. But what motive could the author of Chronicles have had for inventing the story? ( b ) The absence of any mention of the destruction of the city by the Philistines and Arabians. It must be acknowledged that the events of 587 Bc accord more fully with the description in  Obadiah 1:10-14 , though the disaster in the days of Jehoram must have been terrible. ( c ) The silence as to Edom in  2 Chronicles 21:16 f. But so also are the historic books silent as to the part that Edom took in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587. It is true that exilic and post-exilic prophets and psalmists speak in bitter denunciation of the unbrotherly conduct of Edom (  Lamentations 4:21 ,  Lamentations 4:22;  Ezekiel 25:12-14;  Ezekiel 35:1-15;  Psalm 137:7;  Malachi 1:1-5; compare also Isa 34 and  Isaiah 63:1-6 ); but it is also true that the earliest Hebrew literature bears witness to the keen rivalry between Esau and Jacob ( Genesis 25:22 f;   Genesis 27:41;  Numbers 20:14-21 ), and one of the earliest of the writing prophets denounces Edom for unnatural cruelty toward his brother ( Amos 1:11 f; compare   Joel 3:19 (Hebrew 4:19)).

(4) The Style of Obadiah.

Most early critics praise the style. Some of the more recent critics argue for different authors on the basis of a marked difference in style within the compass of the twenty-one verses in the little roll. Thus Selbie writes in Hdb  : "There is a difference in style between the two halves of the book, the first being terse, animated, and full of striking figures, while the second is diffuse and marked by poverty of ideas and trite figures." The criticism of the latter part of the book is somewhat exaggerated, though it may be freely granted that the first half is more original and vigorous. The Hebrew of the book is classic, with scarcely any admixture of Aramaic words or constructions. The author may well have lived in the golden age of the Hebrew language and literature.

(5) Geographical and Historical Allusions.

The references to the different sections and cities in the land of Israel and in the land of Edom are quite intelligible. As to Sepharad ( Obadiah 1:20 ) there is considerable difference of opinion. Schrader and some others identify it with a Shaparda in Media, mentioned in the annals of Sargon (722-705 BC). Many think of Asia Minor, or a region in Asia Minor mentioned in Persian inscriptions, perhaps Bithynia or Galatia (Sayce). Some think that the mention of "the captives of this host of the children of Israel" and "the captives of Jerusalem" ( Obadiah 1:20 ) proves that both the Assyrian captivity and the Babylonian exile were already past. This argument has considerable force; but it is well to remember that Amos, in the first half of the 8th century, describes wholesale deportations from the land of Israel by men engaged in the slave trade ( Amos 1:6-10 ). The problem of the date of Obadiah has not been solved to the satisfaction of Biblical students. Our choice must be between a very early date (circa 845) and a date shortly after 587, with the scales almost evenly balanced.

4. Interpretation of the Book:

Obadiah is to be interpreted as prediction rather than history. In   Obadiah 1:11-14 there are elements of historic description, but   Obadiah 1:1-10 and   Obadiah 1:15-21 are predictive.

Literature.

Comms.: Caspari, Der Prophet Obadjah ausgelegt , 1842; Pusey, The Minor Prophets , 1860; Ewald, Commentary on the Prophets of the Old Testament (English translation), II, 277 ff, 1875; Keil (ET), 1880; T.T. Perowne (in Cambridge Bible ), 1889; von Orelli (English translation), The Minor Prophets , 1893; Wellhausen, Die kleinen Propheten , 1898; G.A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets , II, 163 ff, 1898; Nowack, Die kleinen Propheten , 1903; Marti, Dodekapropheton, 1903; Eiselen, The Minor Prophets , 1907; Bewer, Icc , 1911. Miscellaneous: Kirkpatrick, Doctrine of the Prophets , 33 ff; Intros of Driver, Wildeboer, etc.; Selbie in Hdb , III, 577-80; Barton in Je , IX, 369-70; Cheyne in Eb , III, 3455-62; Peckham, An Introduction to the Study of Obadiah , 1910; Kent, Students' Old Testament , III, 1910.