Obadiah1

Obadiah prophesies the utter destruction of Edom due to their excessive pride and their violent actions against their brother nation, Jacob (Israel), during Jerusalem's calamity. The Lord declares that Edom, despite its high dwelling, will be brought low, and its allies will betray it. While Edom faces complete annihilation, Mount Zion will experience deliverance and holiness, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance, with the kingdom ultimately belonging to the Lord.
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Judgment Declared Against Edom

1
This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom— We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!”— ​
2
“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you will be deeply despised.
3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ​
4
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. ​

Edom's Destruction and Betrayal

5
“If thieves came to you, if robbers by night— oh, how you will be ruined— would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? ​
6
But how Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures sought out!
7
All the men allied with you will drive you to the border; the men at peace with you will deceive and overpower you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you without your awareness of it. ​
8
In that day, declares the LORD, will I not destroy the wise men of Edom and the men of understanding in the mountains of Esau? ​
9
Then your mighty men, O Teman, will be terrified, so that everyone in the mountains of Esau will be cut down in the slaughter.

The Charge: Violence Against Jacob

10
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. ​
11
On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. ​
12
But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress. ​
13
You should not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, nor loot their wealth in the day of their disaster. ​
14
Nor should you stand at the crossroads to cut off their fugitives, nor deliver up their survivors in the day of their distress. ​

The Day of the Lord is Near

15
For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head. ​
16
For as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp it down; they will be as if they had never existed. ​

Israel's Deliverance and Dominion

17
But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will reclaim their possession. ​
18
Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph a burning flame; but the house of Esau will be stubble— Jacob will set it ablaze and consume it. Therefore no survivor will remain from the house of Esau.” For the LORD has spoken. ​
19
Those from the Negev will possess the mountains of Esau; those from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. ​
20
And the exiles of this host of the Israelites will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev. ​
21
The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will belong to the LORD. ​

Study Notes for Obadiah 1

Verse 1

Obadiah means 'Servant of Yahweh.' This prophecy focuses entirely on the judgment of Edom (descendants of Esau), who were perpetual enemies of Israel (descendants of Jacob). The vision begins with God initiating war against Edom.

Verse 3

Edom’s homeland was characterized by high, defensible rock fortresses (like Petra). This physical security bred intense spiritual pride, which the prophet identifies as the root cause of their downfall.

Verse 4

This uses hyperbole (nest among the stars) to emphasize God's sovereignty. No matter how high or powerful Edom becomes, God will bring them down, demonstrating that human arrogance cannot evade divine judgment.

Verse 5

This rhetorical comparison emphasizes the completeness of Edom’s destruction. Unlike thieves or grape-gatherers who leave some remnant, Edom will be totally stripped bare by its invaders.

Verse 7

Edom relied on treaties with neighboring nations. This verse predicts that these allies ('men of thy confederacy') will betray them, driving them out and looting their resources, proving the futility of relying on human alliances.

Verse 8

Teman was a major city in Edom, famous throughout the ancient world for its wise men (cf. Jer. 49:7). God promises to destroy this famed wisdom, demonstrating that even Edom’s intellectual prowess will not save them.

Verse 10

This verse states the central crime: violence against 'thy brother Jacob.' The covenant relationship between the descendants of Esau and Jacob was violated, incurring severe judgment and lasting disgrace.

Verse 11

This refers to the catastrophic fall of Jerusalem, likely during the Babylonian invasion (587/586 BC). Edom stood aloof, acting 'as one of them' (the invaders), showing malicious indifference rather than kinship.

Verse 12

Verses 12-14 detail four specific actions Edom should not have taken. 'Looking on' signifies gloating pleasure at a brother’s misfortune, an act condemned as a failure of compassion and kin loyalty.

Verse 13

Edom is accused of actively participating in the looting of Jerusalem, laying hands on the substance of their brother and compounding the suffering of the besieged city.

Verse 14

Edom acted as an accessory to murder by blocking the escape routes of fleeing Judahites and handing over those who had survived the slaughter to the enemy.

Verse 15

The judgment against Edom expands here to include 'all the heathen.' This universalizes the principle of divine justice, often called *lex talionis*: God will repay nations exactly according to their deeds.

Verse 16

The image of drinking refers to drinking the cup of God’s wrath (cf. Jer. 25:15). Just as Judah suffered judgment ('drunk upon my holy mountain'), so too will all the Gentile nations suffer complete destruction.

Verse 17

This marks the pivot to restoration. While Edom faces destruction, Mount Zion (Jerusalem) is promised deliverance, holiness, and the repossession of the ancestral land, reversing the effects of the exile.

Verse 18

The house of Jacob (Judah) and Joseph (the Northern tribes) will be reunited and empowered by God to execute judgment. The image of fire consuming stubble signifies the total and irreversible destruction of the house of Esau.

Verse 19

This describes the expanded territory of the restored Israel, indicating that the covenant people will inherit the lands of their former enemies, including Edom and the Philistines.

Verse 20

Sepharad is likely a reference to Sardis or a location in Asia Minor, indicating the widespread dispersion of the exiles. Despite their location, they will return to claim the territories promised by God.

Verse 21

'Saviours' here refers to empowered leaders or deliverers from Zion who will execute the final judgment against Edom. The prophecy concludes with the affirmation that Yahweh's ultimate rule over all the earth will be established.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options