Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. This may have been a popular name as with ahabs steward who met elijah cf. The book begins by calling itself a vision which is an indication also shared by isaiah 1. 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. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. The author was obadiah, whose name means the servant of the eternal. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18. The book of obadiah contains only one chapter and is the shortest book of the whole old testament.
Book of obadiah definition of book of obadiah by the. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. The overall theme of the book is the kingship belongs to yhwh. 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. 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.
Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. The form of obadiah s name used in the septuagint is obdios. Obadiah definition of obadiah by the free dictionary. There are on record the account of four captures of jerusalem, 1 by shishak in the reign of rehoboam 1 kings 14. As is true of all the other prophetical books in the old testament, the title of this one evidently comes from the name of its writer. The final verse of obadiah is an emphatic declaration that the battle is the lords and the victory is certain. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. Obadiahs prophecy converges on the same end as described by hannahs prayer 1 sam 2. And the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. Information and translations of book of obadiah in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Obadiah synonyms, obadiah pronunciation, obadiah translation, english dictionary definition of obadiah. Nothing is known historically about the author from the book or from other background materials iii.
Obadiah was a common ot name, meaning worshiper of yahweh. Book of obadiah synonyms, book of obadiah pronunciation, book of obadiah translation, english dictionary definition of book of obadiah. 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. Go and present yourself to ahab, and i will send rain on the land. The common name obadiah is the hebrew obadyah, literally meaning, a worshipper of yahweh.
The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament. The book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. Obadiah 1, new international version niv the bible app. 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. The edomites trace their origin to esau, the firstborn twin, son of isaac. The first known use of obadiah was in the 14th century. Study guide for obadiah by david guzik blue letter bible. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament.
Book of obadiah, the destruction of edom, judahs misfortune. Obadiah definition and meaning collins english dictionary. 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. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration. 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 announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. 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. Obadiahs name means servant of yahweh, and he delivered a message regarding the edomites who had helped the babylonians in their conquest of jerusalem in 586 bc during the reign of king zedekiah of judah. If the book is dated in the reign of jehoram, the author may be the obadiah of 2 chronicles 17.
Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. 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. Yhwh the first part of the name obadiah comes from the root abad, meaning servant or to serve. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. Obadiah predicts the coming of the day of the lord and the establishment of. Obadiah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Nelsons compact illustrated bible dictionary, thomas nelson publishers, 1978, p. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both. The book of obadiah stoke poges is a small village in england not too far from windsor castle. 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 not only the shortest prophecy, but also the shortest book of the old testament. Except for a few passages in aramaic, appearing mainly in the apocalyptic book of daniel, these scriptures were written originally in hebrew during the period.
Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. The tiny book of obadiah introduces itself as a message from god, in the same way as nahum, isaiah, and micah. In hebrew the book is titled hydbu meaning servant of yahweh. Obadiah 17 the first step in the future successes of the jews is the recovery of what was previously their own speakers commentary. Obadiah is a book of recompense and deliverance, ending with the kingdom will be the lords. An israelite who was chief in the household of king ahab 1 kings 18.
Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word. The final bit is, which is the abbreviated form of. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations.
This summary of the book of obadiah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology. The theme of this book is the abuse of gods people, gods land, and gods holy hill, the temple mount in jerusalem. 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. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to. Obadiah, book ofconsists of one chapter, concerning e. Obadiah free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Obadiah, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The villain, the guilty party, will end up belittled, loathed, and devastated. For the day of the lord is near upon all the nations. Nothing in this book connects the author to any other biblical figure.
Obadiah the lords message about edom and what edom represents in the end times the book has only this one chapter. 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. In latin it is translated as abdias while in arabic it is. Obadiahs book is the shortest of all the old testament. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah.
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