Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. 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. Obadiah is a particularly useful book of prophecy, since it summarizes the basic outline of most old testament prophets. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to the southeast. Nothing in this book connects the author to any other biblical figure. Book of obadiah an old testament book telling obadiahs prophecies.
Since the date of the book is disputed, it is impossible to fix its authorship. The form of obadiah s name used in the septuagint is obdios. As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. Book of obadiah, the destruction of edom, judahs misfortune. Book of obadiah definition of book of obadiah by the. The tiny book of obadiah introduces itself as a message from god, in the same way as nahum, isaiah, and micah. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. Joel, obadiah, malachi the niv application commentary. The prophetic book of obadiah, though shortest in the hebrew portion of the bible, is no slouch in robust impact. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18.
The vision of obadiah obadiah was given a vision by god about the future of edom. Some have guessed that he was the earliest of the minor prophets, while others have said that he lived after the babylonians destruction of jerusalem. The name here is a unique reference in that it does not deal with israel or judah. Almost the same message was delivered by joel, the only difference is that joel prophesied to the nation of judah. He is also call edom, meaning red, owing to the sale of his birthright in exchange for some. Consequent upon the overthrow of edom is the enlargement of the borders of judah and the establishment of the kingship of yahweh. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel.
Only 21 verses, it can be read in just a few minutes. The prophet no source outside his book mentions obadiah. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament but it covers such a significant portion of that historical period. The book begins by calling itself a vision which is an indication also shared by isaiah 1.
The form of obadiahs name used in the septuagint is obdios. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. 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. Human intervention, crucial though it is, is not the ultimate answer to this cry for justice. Worshiper of yahweh or servant of yahweh year written. Obadiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The animosity between the edomites and the israelites is one of the oldest examples of a discord in human relationships. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. In latin it is translated as abdias while in arabic it is. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. We do not know anything of the book s author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah. And the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. In their concluding comments on the book of obadiah, authors william lasor, david hubbard and frederic bush state. Obadiah synonyms, obadiah pronunciation, obadiah translation, english dictionary definition of obadiah.
If the book is dated in the reign of jehoram, the author may be the obadiah of 2 chronicles 17. The final bit is, which is the abbreviated form of. In it they read the future of their own people and of christendom. More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical with the prophet. Obadiah, book of holman bible dictionary bible dictionary. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. 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. An envoy was sent to the nations to say,rise, let us go. In hebrew the book is titled hydbu meaning servant of yahweh. People still chafe under injustices in this world, and yearn for a day when things will be as they should be. The book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to.
Joel, obadiah, malachi the niv application commentary baker, david w. To digest it properly, it may prove helpful to read it a number of times, from several different translations, asking the lord for insight. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. Book of obadiah synonyms, book of obadiah pronunciation, book of obadiah translation, english dictionary definition of book of obadiah. Book of obadiah an old testament book telling obadiah s prophecies. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. Meaning servant of yahweh, it reflects his parents faith and spiritual ambitions for their child. The prophecy was not a product of obadiahs reflection, nor was it his keen insight into the religious and political conditions of the day.
Obadiah 17 the first step in the future successes of the jews is the recovery of what was previously their own speakers commentary. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21. Obadiah is a biblical theophorical name, meaning servant or slave of god or worshiper of yahweh. Obadiah, book ofconsists of one chapter, concerning e. Apr 30, 2006 joel, obadiah, malachi the niv application commentary baker, david w. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. The kingship belongs to yhwh hearing the message of. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the. The book of obadiah is a favorite study of modern jews. Meaning servant of yahweh, it reflects his parents faith and spiritual ambitions for. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom.
The first known use of obadiah was in the 14th century. Therefore, we must look in the text of the book for historical clues that point to the date. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The common name obadiah is the hebrew obadyah, literally meaning, a worshipper of yahweh. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. The first part of the name obadiah comes from the root abad, meaning servant or to serve.
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. Obadiah probably lived in the southern kingdom of judah. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. We do not know anything of the books author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah.
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 smallest old testament account, the book of obadiah is a vision written by the lords prophet known as obadiah, who prophesied against israels relative nation edom. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a. Obadiah, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. He obviously was given sights, visions, pictures before his mind, but he only gives us the meaning of the prophecy. The form of obadiahs name used in the septuagint is. An israelite who was chief in the household of king ahab 1 kings 18. 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. Obadiah the lords message about edom and what edom represents in the end times the book has only this one chapter. There are on record the account of four captures of jerusalem, 1 by shishak in the reign of rehoboam 1 kings 14. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of obadiah. Book of obadiah definition of book of obadiah by the free.
Obadiah definition of obadiah by the free dictionary. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. The translated bible text has been through advanced checking. This fact makes it difficult to date the time of writing. It is very difficult to know when obadiah was written because there is nothing in the heading or introduction of the book to pinpoint the date. Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to god, and interposed to protect the lords prophets, an hundred of whom he hid at great personal risk in a cave 4. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how. Some believe obadiah may have been a contemporary of. About obadiah we know only that his name means servant of the lord. This is what the sovereign lord says about edomwe have heard a message from the lord. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app.
Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Obadiah s name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to the southeast. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Information and translations of book of obadiah in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The animosity between edom and the israelites, and edoms punishment because of that, is the literal theme of the book of obadiah. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word book of obadiah. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible. Obadiah was a common ot name, meaning worshiper of yahweh. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Other occurrences of the name are not known to be for the same person.
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