This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. But the inhabitants of edom refused to help when the people from israel suffered. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. What shows the message, rather than the messenger, to be important. Obadiah 1, amplified bible, classic edition ampc the. Unlike a short letter like philemon, which was composed at the same time of colossians, there is really no text that obadiah can be amended to as a kind of appendix. I have received a message from yahweh, a herald has been sent throughout the nations. The book of obadiah introduction to the book of obadiah in the bible. Gods judgment on the unbelieving gentiles who opposed god. Obadiah 1, new living translation nlt the bible app.
This was one of the most common names in the hebrew bible. 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. Obadiah niv obadiahs vision the vision of bible gateway. More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical with the prophet. The vision of obadiah the name of this prophet signifies, a servant, or a worshipper, of the lord. 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 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 is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. Arise yee, and let vs rise vp against her in battell. The form of obadiahs name used in the septuagint is obdios. Introduction the author the author of the book is named obadiah which means servant of yahweh. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of. Study guide for obadiah by david guzik blue letter bible. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, only 21 verses long. Such he undoubtedly was, and also a prophet, but what he was in other respects we are not informed.
This obadiah is in the time of king ahab and elijah is not the same obadiah the prophet that wrote the book named after him. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. 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. May 07, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Bible book number 31obadiah watchtower online library. The only time markers we have in the book are the attack against jerusalem obadiah 1.
Book of obadiah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Some have thought that this is the same obadiah that was ahabs steward in 2 chronicles 17. Its also the least read book of all the books in the bible. 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. 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.
The book concerns obadiahs vision in which he is shown the destruction of edom which was the region south of the kingdom of judah. An envoy was sent to the nations to say,rise, let us. Obadiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. Obadiah king ahabs servant hid one hundred prophets. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of obadiah. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app. This fact makes it difficult to date the time of writing. We have heard tidings from the lord, and an ambassador is sent forth among the nations saying, arise, and let us rise up against edom. The people from edom were relatives of the people from israel. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. It is comprised of a single oracle, spoken by a prophet of that name.
The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Some of the ancients imagined him to be the same with that obadiah that was steward to ahabs household 1 ki. The recording is dramatized, from the king james bible. However it is quoted in several places by the prophet joel and jeremiah. This is the vision that the sovereign lord revealed to obadiah concerning the land of edom. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. We do not know anything of the book s author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah. 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. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b.
See more ideas about bible, old testament and city of petra. Obadiah is the shortest book in the ot and is not quoted in the nt. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. Book of obadiah, also spelled abdias, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. 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. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins. There is no additional information about this prophet, even though the name obadiah is frequently found in the old testament, identifying at least a dozen different persons. Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word.
Obadiah, chapter 1 united states conference of catholic bishops. This is the central message of the bible so clearly presented in the little book penned by an ancient prophet named obadiah. You may, like me, have trouble separating the pages between amos and jonah just to get to it. This was created to assess how well you know the book. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. 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. Obadiah has the dubious distinction of being the shortest book in the old testament. Author and date nothing is known for certain about the author. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. In just 21 verses, obadiah, the shortest book of the hebrew scriptures, proclaims a judgment of god that resulted in the end of a nation, while foretelling the eventual triumph of the kingdom. The holy bible book 31 obadiah kjv dramatized audio. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make.
This is what the sovereign lord says about edomwe have heard a message from the lord. Consequent upon the overthrow of edom is the enlargement of the borders of judah and the establishment of the kingship of yahweh. Obadiah meansservant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the ot, referring to at least 20 other ot individuals. Why did god judge edom so harshly in the book of obadiah. The translated bible text has been through advanced checking. The form of obadiah s name used in the septuagint is obdios. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. The book concerns obadiah s vision in which he is shown the destruction of edom which was the region south of the. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of obadiah. Yet, all the prophecies of obadiah have been fulfilled with the exception of vs 21 that is yet to be completely fulfilled.
Obadiah, book of international standard bible encyclopedia. This is, in my opinion, the best and most beautiful. In this, the shortest book of the old testament, it seems the prophet obadiah considered each word a highpriced commodity. Study scripture verses and use highlighting, underlining, and take notes in the bible.
Go and present yourself to ahab, and i will send rain on the land. This is the holy book of obadiah, known simply as obadiah. This summary of the book of obadiah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of obadiah. This works ended up being a thick work for a part of the bible thats only 21 verses. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of obadiah. Thats because, although obadiah is an easy read only 21 verses long, it is in the running for the most forgotten book in our bibles. As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. Apr 21, 2020 lost somewhere in the dark corner of your bible is a brief, but largely unfamiliar book called obadiah.
It is a warning to all people everywhere that gods eye is on his people. The metaphor drinking the cup of gods wrath occurs often in the bible. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. When they orchestrate events in the lives of people to cause them to stumble, sin, fall, get injured, sick suffer some troublecalamity, they are entertained by the suffering, and would want the rest of society to believe that people are suffering because they are evil, or committed some sincrime, and therefore are reaping the judgement. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. 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. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible.
The book of obadiah contains a short message about the country called edom. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Who this obadiah was does not appear from any other scripture. The book of obadiah obadiah chapter 1 from the original 1611 kjv king james bible. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament.
The book of obadiah was written by obadiah, but we dont know anything else about him. 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. When were obadiah s prophecies against edom fulfilled obadiah 1. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18. On the other hand, if you care for the old widow or the single mom in your church or in some church in a part of the world you. Obadiah is viewed throughout christianity as an old testament minor prophet who wrote the book of obadiah. If you behead little children in syria because they love jesus gods eyes is on you. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord. Wee haue heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen.
Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. It is not improbable that he had other visions, or revelations, from god, besides this which is here recorded, but this only has been preserved for the benefit of future ages.
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