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Book of Obadiah
[Categories: Old Testament books, Jewish texts/Nevi'im]Overview of Contents
The Book of Obadiah is found in both the (Click link for more info and facts about Hebrew Bible)Hebrew Bible and the (The collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible)Old Testament of the (The sacred writings of the Christian religions)Christian Bible, where it is the shortest book. Its authorship is generally attributed to a person named Obadiah, which means “servant (or worshipper) of the Lord”. Obadiah is classified as a “minor prophet” in the Christian Bible due to the brevity of the writing (only 21 verses) and the content (prophetic material). An (The collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible)Old Testament prophet was not only a person who was given divine insight into future events, but a person whom the Lord used to declare his word.The first nine verses in the book foretell total destruction in the land of (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom at the hand of the Lord. Obadiah writes that this destruction will be so complete that it will be even worse than a thief who comes at night, for not even a thief would destroy everything. The Lord will allow all allies of (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom to turn away and help chase (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom out of its land. What is the reason for such a harsh punishment? Verses ten through fourteen explain that when Israel (the Lord’s chosen people) was attacked, (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom refused to help them, thus acting like an enemy. What is even worse is that (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom and (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel share a common blood line through their founders who were brothers, Jacob and Esau. Because of this gross neglect of a relative, (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom will be covered with shame and destroyed forever. The final verses, fifteen through twenty-one, depict the restoration of (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel and the wiping out of the Edomites. Verse eighteen says that there will be no survivors from the house of Esau once the destruction is complete. (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel will become a holy place and its people will return from exile and inhabit the land once inhabited by the Edomites. The final verse of the prophecy places the Lord as King who will rule over all the mountains of (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom.
Historical Context
The date of composition is disputed among scholars and is difficult to determine due to the lack of personal information about Obadiah, his family, and his historical milieux. The date of composition must therefore be determined based on the prophecy itself. (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom is to be destroyed due to its lack of defense for its brother nation, Israel, when it was under attack. There are two major historical contexts within which the Edomites could have committed such an act. These are during 853 – 841 B.C. when (Capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel; a holy city for Jews and Christians and Muslims; was the capital of an ancient kingdom)Jerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the reign of Jehoram (recorded in (The second of two Old Testament books telling the histories of the kings of Judah and Israel)2 Kings 8:20-22 & (The second of two Old Testament books telling the history of Judah and Israel until the return from the Babylonian Captivity in 536 BC)2 Chronicles 21:8-20 in the (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christian(The collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible)Old Testament) and 605 – 586 B.C. when (Capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel; a holy city for Jews and Christians and Muslims; was the capital of an ancient kingdom)Jerusalem was attacked by King Nebuchadnezzer of (The chief city of ancient Mesopotamia and capitol of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia)Babylon, which led to the Babylonian exile of (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel. The earlier period would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophet (Click link for more info and facts about Elisha)Elisha, and the later would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophet (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah, both of whom were prophets in the respective time periods. The later period appears to be the scholarly consensus as Obadiah 1-9 parallels (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah 49:7-22 from the (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christian(The collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible)Old Testament. The passage in (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah dates from the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim (604 B.C.), and therefore Obadiah 11-14 seems to refer to the destruction of (Capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel; a holy city for Jews and Christians and Muslims; was the capital of an ancient kingdom)Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (586 B.C.). It is more likely that Obadiah and (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah together were drawing on a common source presently unknown to us than (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah drawing on previous writings of Obadiah as his source. There is also much material found in Obadiah 10-21 which (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Jeremiah does not quote, and which, had he had it laid out before him, would have suited his purpose admirably. Despite everything, however, there are a number scholars who support both dates and even some who support dates other than the two major possibilities presented. Therefore any date for the composition Obadiah must be held tentatively.Themes
The overwhelming theme found in Obadiah is the destruction of enemies of God’s people. Unlike some other prophets, Obadiah does not present a “turn or burn” message, simply a message of inevitable doom as a consequence of previous actions. A (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christian with a knowledge of the (The collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other Epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)New Testament of the (The sacred writings of the Christian religions)Bible would say that although God’s grace and forgiveness abound in situations, there are consequences which result from bad decisions. Even more than all this, Obadiah shows that judgment falls even within the family of God, as (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel and (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom descended from twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. One can therefore expect that Obadiah's purpose was to make it known that according to his God, (A name for the God of the Old Testament as transliterated from the Hebrew consonants YHVH)Yahweh, if members of the same family were to treat each other in the same manner as (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom treated the Israelites, they too may be subject to the wrath of God.There is a second theme which lies under the surface of Obadiah's writing which may be relevant for (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christians as a faith group. Just as there is perpetual conflict between the two nations of (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel and (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom who once struggled together within a single womb, Christians may understand from (The collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other Epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)New Testament teaching that there is a similar conflict found within their very lives. Paul’s (A New Testament book containing the epistle from Saint Paul to the Galatians)Epistle to the Galatians in the (The collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other Epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)New Testament presents the idea that the spirit and the flesh are in constant conflict within a person. Coming from within a single being, just like the two nations in Obadiah’s prophecy, either the spirit or the flesh will ultimately overcome and the other will fail (just as Israel overcame and Edom failed). It is the (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christian perspective that the spirit will ultimately prevail when the flesh becomes obsolete at the time in which (A religious person who believes Jesus is the Christ and who is a member of a Christian denomination)Christians believe God will establish his new kingdom on earth.
Scholarly Issues
Aside from the scholarly debate surrounding the date of the prophecy which is discussed above, there is also discussion surrounding verse eighteen which says that once judgment has been carried out, “There will be no survivors from the house of Esau” (NIV). The problem arises when that statement is compared with (An Old Testament book telling Amos's prophecies)Amos 9:12. According to Obadiah there will not remain even a remnant after (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom’s judgment; however, (An Old Testament book telling Amos's prophecies)Amos talks about such a remnant whose possession will be given to (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel. Some scholars have suggested that (An Old Testament book telling Amos's prophecies)Amos’s reference to (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom is symbolic of all nations who were once enemies of (Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine)Israel and not meant to literally mean Edomites in the flesh. This is certainly the perspective of (One of the four Gospels in the New Testament; contains details of Jesus's birth and early life)Luke as he recites the passage from (An Old Testament book telling Amos's prophecies)Amos in (A New Testament book describing the development of the early Church from Christ's ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome)Acts 15:17. (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom is symbolic of the remnant of men and Gentiles who will eventually bear God’s name. Moreover, Frederick A. Tatford in Prophet of (Click link for more info and facts about Edom)Edom’s Doom says that Obadiah’s prophecy is fulfilled today as there is currently no trace of anyone who may be identified as an Edomite.There is also scholarly discussion about the captivity of Israelites in Sepharad mentioned in verse twenty. It is believed that, in ancient times, "Sepharad" was a name for the modern day land of (A parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power)Spain. If there was a (Click link for more info and facts about Jewish)Jewish colony of captives there, however, nothing is otherwise known of it; nor are any circumstances evident which would point to the existence of a colony of sufficient importance to be referred to in Obadiah. Therefore the location of Sepharad remains without a conclusive determination.
Parallels within Scripture
Although there are no direct parallels from Obadiah found within the (The collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other Epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)New Testament, there are thematic parallels which were discussed previously. Elsewhere in scripture, we can note that verses 1-8 appear with minor changes in the (A book in the Old Testament containing the oracles of the prophet Jeremiah)Book of Jeremiah 49:7-16, and the style and language found in Obadiah is very similar to the (An Old Testament book telling Joel's prophecies)Book of Joel, particularly the end.Obadiah frequently uses the term "the Day of the Lord," which also appears in the Book of Joel, as well as in (An Old Testament book consisting of Isaiah's prophecies)Isaiah 13, (An Old Testament book telling Amos's prophecies)Amos 5, (An Old Testament book telling the prophecies of Zephaniah which are concerned mainly with the approaching judgement by God upon the sinners of Judah)Zephaniah 1, and (An Old Testament book containing the prophecies of Malachi)Malachi 3.
ELIHU (2)
ELIHU (2) - ('elihu, 'elihu', "He is (my) God"; Elious): One of the disputants in the Book of Job; a young man who, having listened in silence to the arguments of Job and his friends, is moved to prolong the discussion and from his more just views of truth set both parties right. He is of the tribe of Buz (compare Gen 22:21), a brother-tribe to that of Uz, and of the family of Ram, or Aram, that is, an Aramean. He is not mentioned as one of the characters of the story until chapter 32; and then, as the friends are silenced and Job's words are ended, Elihu has the whole field to himself, until theophany of the whirlwind proves too portentous for him to bear. His four speeches take up chapters 32 through 37. Some critics have considered that the Elihu portion of the Book of Job was added by a later hand, and urge obscurities and prolixities, as well as a different style, to prove that it was the work of an inferior writer. This estimate seems, however, to take into account only the part it plays in a didactic treatise, or a theological debate. It looks quite different when we read it as a real dramatic element in a story; in other words, when we realize that the prevailing interest of the Book of Job is not dialectic but narrative. Thus viewed, the Elihu episode is a skillfully managed agency in preparing the denouncement. Consider the situation at the end of Job's words (31:40). Job has vindicated his integrity and stands ready to present his cause to God (31:35-37). The friends, however, have exhausted their resources, and through three discourses have been silent, as it were, snuffed out of existence. It is at this point, then, that Elihu is introduced, to renew their contention with young constructive blood, and represent their cause (as he deems) better than they can themselves. He is essentially at one with them in condemning Job (34:34-37); his only quarrel with them is on the score of the inconclusiveness of their arguments (32:3,1). His self-portrayal is conceived in a decided spirit of satire on the part of the writer, not unmingled with a sardonic humor. He is very egotistic, very sure of the value of his ideas; much of his alleged prolixity is due to that voluble self-deprecation which betrays an inordinate opinion of oneself (compare 32:6-22). This, whether inferior composition or not, admirably adapts his words to his character. For substance of discourse he adds materially to what the friends have said, but in a more rationalistic vein; speaks edifyingly, as the friends have not done, of the disciplinary value of affliction, and of God's means of revelation by dreams and visions and the interpreting of an intercessory friend (33:13-28). Very evidently, however, his ego is the center of his system; it is he who sets up as Job's mediator (33:5-7; compare 9:32-35), and his sage remarks on God's power and wisdom in Nature are full of self-importance. All this seems designed to accentuate the almost ludicrous humiliation of his collapse when from a natural phenomenon the oncoming tempest shows unusual and supernatural signs. His words become disjointed and incoherent, and cease with a kind of attempt to recant his pretensions. And the verdict from the whirlwind is: "darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge." Elihu thus has a real function in the story, as honorable as overweening self-confidence is apt to be.