Some of the ancients imagined him to be the same with that obadiah that was steward to ahabs household 1 ki. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. Obadiah is a little book, but it is an example of an atomic bomb in the bible. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. This book is wholly concerning edom, a nation nearly allied and near adjoining to israel, and yet an enemy to the seed of jacob, inheriting the enmity of their father esau to jacob.
God says to the messiah, sit here on the right side of me. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. The book of nehemiah is a book of the hebrew bible, thought to be a continuation of the book of ezra, and is sometimes called the second book of ezra. Other occurrences of the name are not known to be for the same person.
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. Obadiah is classified as a minor prophet in the christian bible due to the brevity of the writing only 21 verses and. Obadiah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. The edomites record of brutality and aggression against israel is found throughout scripture. When a chapter or section is finished, you will see at the bottom of the page.
Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Book of obadiah christianity knowledge base fandom. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament. Norris says, if angels were to write books, we should have few folios. Obadiah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of obadiah for bible study or sunday school lessons. In this book, we learn that god will completely defeat his enemies. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. The scriptures have that beautiful faculty of appearing to be one thing on the surface, but on a deeper level, yielding rich and mighty treasures. Go to the bottom of that page to see the index chapters, which are hot links. This works ended up being a thick work for a part of the bible thats only 21 verses.
Gods judgment on the unbelieving gentiles who opposed god. John a martin, an outline of obadiah, unpublished class notes in 304 preexlic and exilic prophets, dallas theological seminary. Those who are in a state of selfintelligence will pervert the word. And the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of obadiah. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring. Nothing is known of the author, although his prophecy against edom, a neighbor and rival of israel, indicates a date of composition sometime after the babylonian destruction of jerusalem in 587 b. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. Book of nehemiah simple english wikipedia, the free.
Click on a book listed below which will take you to its introduction page. Obadiah free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Its authorship is generally attributed to a person named obadiah, which means servant or worshipper of the lord. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. Obadiah niv obadiahs vision the vision of bible gateway. And it came to pass in the month chisleu, in the twentieth year, as i was in shushan.
As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. Go and present yourself to ahab, and i will send rain on the land. Books of the bible explained scripture by scripture. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. This fact makes it difficult to date the time of writing. The book begins by calling itself a vision which is an indication also shared by isaiah 1. Obadiah predicts the coming of the day of the lord and the establishment of. The book of obadiah is found in both the hebrew bible and the old testament of the christian bible, where it is the shortest book, only one chapter long. The hebrew bibles profoundly monotheistic interpretation of human life and.
The book of obadiah meaning servant of the lord, a minor prophet in the old testament, is a prophecy written to the southern kingdom of judah and alternates to the nation of edom. The word of god is precious and far beyond human wisdom isa. Introduce the book of obadiah by explaining that we do not know much about the prophet obadiah except that he may have prophesied after the capture of jerusalem by the babylonians in 586 b. We have heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. 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. The book of obadiah introduction to the book of obadiah in the bible. It is about the return from exile and the rebuilding of jerusalem opening. They debate its author and date of composition, and they point to the striking similarity between passages in obadiah and jeremiah to question whether obadiah. The shortest book in the old testament and among all the writing prophets, obadiah provides an overview of the message presented in each of the writing prophets. Only 21 verses, it can be read in just a few minutes. Kretzmanns popular commentary of the bible navigate to obadiah using the menu on the left.
The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. An exposition of the scriptures by dallas seminary faculty. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. The book of obadiah may be small, but it packs a powerful punch against the arrogance of edom and other ungodly nations. The translated bible text has been through advanced checking words in boxes are from the bible. Study guide for obadiah by david guzik blue letter bible. Obadiah 17 the first step in the future successes of the jews is the recovery of what was previously their own speakers commentary. Pusey said, god has willed that his name alone and this brief prophecy should be known to the world. The prophetic book of obadiah, though shortest in the hebrew portion of the bible, is no slouch in robust impact. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app. More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical with the prophet. To digest it properly, it may prove helpful to read it a number of times, from several different translations, asking the lord for insight. It is primarily speaking of the condemnation and destruction of edom from god.
The book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. The vision of obadiah the name of this prophet signifies, a servant, or a worshipper, of the lord. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make. Jacob and esau were brothers, twins and so they should have cared for each other and looked after each other. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. So obadiah is just a prophet who wrote one of the great prophecies of the scripture.
Freeman, an introduction to the old testament prophets, 14041. Who this obadiah was does not appear from any other scripture. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. So, whenever you open the sacred word, also open your heart to god in prayer, allowing the words of this commentary to direct your thoughts to the scriptures and to the one they tell us about. Obadiah is not only the shortest prophecy, but also the shortest book of the old testament. The prophecy is largely concerned with the condemnation of edom descendants of esau for treachery toward their brother israel descendants of jacob and the resultant punishment.
This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. This is the central message of the bible so clearly presented in the little book penned by an ancient prophet named obadiah. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament. Earlier, we saw esaus personal hatred and murderous vow against jacob genesis 27. The form of obadiahs name used in the septuagint is obdios. Edom was enemies of israel, even though they were related by blood. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the. We do not know anything of the books author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah.
Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is. The name here is a unique reference in that it does not deal with israel or judah. David guzik commentary on obadiah 1 describes the vision the prophet. 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. The author holds to the unity of the book of obadiah which might seem somewhat unusual to run across something like this for this bible commentary series, which dabble so heavily on historical critical method. A summary of inner meaning of the book of obadiah heres what obadiah is saying, in this onechapter book of the word. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word. But he has promised the holy spirit to help us understand john 16. We have heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Such he undoubtedly was, and also a prophet, but what he was in other respects we are not informed. The herods of the new testament are of edomite heritage. This onechapter book of the bible has some important concepts.
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