Obadiah, the shortest old testament book with only twentyone verses, was probably written shortly after the fall of judah and jerusalem to the babylonians in 587 b. A book of the old testament of the bible, and of the tanakh. Obadiah feared the lord, and so he hid five hundred prophets in caves and fed them, when jezebel cut off the prophets of jehovah i kings 18. The destruction of the edomites, yahuah judgment on esau for his violence against his brother jacob. Obadiah is one of the few old testament books specifically addressed to a nation other than israel. Meaning and definitions of book of obadiah, translation of book of obadiah in punjabi language with similar and opposite words. Obadiah definition of obadiah by the free dictionary. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament.
The author, unknown apart from his name heading this message from god, brings hope to gods people who have been devastated by the recent events. The form of obadiah s name used in the septuagint is obdios. The book of obadiah contains only one chapter and is the shortest book of the whole old testament. 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. This passage also warns every nation that defies god that there will be a reckoning. The meaning of obadiah, book of in the bible from international standard bible encyclopedia obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament. Obadiah, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. Obadiah, book of holman bible dictionary bible dictionary. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. Excerpt from the lexham bible dictionary, the most advanced bible dictionary. Obadiah is a a series of divine judgment poems against ancient edom. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1.
The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. 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. The book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. Consists of one chapter, concerning edom, its impending doom 1. Chapters available obadiah coffman commentaries on the. In just a few words, it delivers a warning of judgment on edom, one of israels oldest enemies. 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 pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make. Metaphysical meaning of obadiah mbd obadiah, obadlah heb. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18.
See more ideas about bible, books of the bible, read bible. The book itself does not directly tell us what was going on, but there are good historical and literary reasons to believe that obadiah was written in the aftermath of the philistinearabian invasion of jerusalem around 850 b. We do not know anything of the book s author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. Obadiahs vision of saviors on mount zion religious. 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 meaning of obadiah, what does obadiah mean. The author was obadiah, whose name means the servant of the eternal. The book of obadiah was probably written sometime after 587 b. This may have been a popular name as with ahabs steward who met elijah cf. Like other prophetic books, obadiah takes the name of the prophet who is its. What book of obadiah means in punjabi, book of obadiah meaning in punjabi, book of obadiah definition, explanation, pronunciations and examples of book of obadiah in punjabi. If youore as charmed by obadiah as i am, there are three more books about him n thy friend obadiah, rachel and obadiah, and the adventures of obadiah.
Although it is only has 21 short verses, the book of obadiah has a major message to deliver. The final bit is, which is the abbreviated form of. Obadiah provides us with a message that speaks to us today. Information and translations of book of obadiah in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The book of obadiah stoke poges is a small village in england not too far from windsor castle. Obadiah, book of consists of one chapter, concerning edom, its impending doom 1. Its lengthy, packed full of characters, and sometimes difficult to tie into daily life. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring. If the book is dated in the reign of jehoram, the author may be the obadiah of 2 chronicles 17. This small book has, amazingly and providentially, survived more than 2500 years, and while it contains a message of judgment for an ancient neighbor of israel, it has many relevant messages for us today. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to the southeast.
In hebrew baby names the meaning of the name obadiah is. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and. While edomite participation in the destruction of jerusalem is not specifically described in the old testament, it is mentioned in the apocryphal 1 esdras 4. Obadiah is not only the shortest prophecy, but also the shortest book of the old testament. Obadiahs name, meaning worshipper of yahweh, offers an interesting counterpoint to the message of judgment he pronounced on edom, judahs neighbor to. More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical with the prophet. Although the shortest book in the bible, obadiah delivered a prophecy of destruction against edom and the edomites, who were the direct descendants of esau. Spoken pronunciation of book of obadiah in english and in punjabi. 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. Obadiah was a common ot name, meaning worshiper of yahweh. Obadiah, book of biblical meaning of obadiah, book of in. The book doesnot just lecture about what it means to be a good man, the father embodies it.
Obadiah feared the lord, and so he hid five hundred prophets in caves and fed them, when jezebel cut off the prophets of jehovah i. Starting with verse 15, the warning of judgment shifts from edom to all the nations who reject god and his commandments. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. Bible dictionaries eastons bible dictionary obadiah, book of. May 23, 2010 what can the shortest book in the old testament, obadiah, teach us about the story of jacob and esau, the war between flesh and spirit, current events, forgiveness, judgment and the ongoing conflict in the middle east. Obadiah is a biblical theophorical name, meaning servant or slave of god or worshiper of yahweh. The book of obadiah is based on a prophetic vision concerning the fall of edom, a mountain dwelling nation whose founding father was esau. 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. Obadiah 17 the first step in the future successes of the jews is the recovery of what was previously their own speakers commentary. Meaning servant of yahweh, it reflects his parents faith and spiritual ambitions for their child. Obadiah was the prophet who wrote the shortest book in the old testament.
In this case, as in other scriptures, edom is just one example of gods wrath on nations who rebel against god isaiah 34. Now that you have an overview of obadiah in mind, you can apply what you know to interpret specific passages in obadiah. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament. You will be surprised at how relevant and applicable this short section of scripture is to our world today. Lost somewhere in the dark corner of your bible is a brief, but largely unfamiliar book called obadiah. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Obadiah is a particularly useful book of prophecy, since it summarizes the basic outline of most old testament prophets. His book is known in hebrew literature as sefer ovadiah. Obadiah describes an encounter with god, who addresses edoms arrogance and charges them for their violent actions against their brother nation, the house of jacob israel. The end of obadiahs prophecy involves the division of land during the end times. It is the shortest book in the old testament, at only 21 verses. Obadiah s use of the term savior has interested christian scholars. The common name obadiah is the hebrew obadyah, literally meaning, a worshipper of yahweh. The book of obadiah introduction to the book of obadiah in the bible.
This fact makes it difficult to date the time of writing. Jun 14, 2004 in hebrew the book is titled hydbu meaning servant of yahweh. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. Thirteen different men are named obadiah in the bible, including the minor prophet who wrote the book of obadiah. Book of obadiah noun the noun book of obadiah has 1 sense 1. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Nov 08, 2019 the book closes with the promise of deliverance for zion. Since the date of the book is disputed, it is impossible to fix its authorship.
Obadiahs vision of saviors on mount zion religious studies. 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. The predictions of obadiah will impact the middle east in the years ahead. Obadiah, book of international standard bible encyclopedia. Obadiah niv obadiahs vision the vision of bible gateway. Book of obadiah explained discover books of the bible. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. Meaning servant of yahweh, it reflects his parents faith and spiritual ambitions for. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. And the house of jacob shall possess their possessions. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom.
Also question is, what is the meaning of the book of obadiah. The tiny book of obadiah introduces itself as a message from god, in the same way as nahum, isaiah, and micah. It consists of 7 letters and 4 syllables and is pronounced obadiah. Consequent upon the overthrow of edom is the enlargement of the borders of judah and the establishment of the kingship of yahweh. Obadiah, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. They denote the saving power of god, which brings to the world. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. It rehearses, with powerful candour, gods hatred of sin, his righteous demand for vengeance on his enemies, and his judgement on the gentile nations, who oppress his people. Because of what this book says of edom and jerusalem, we can gather a date for obadiahs ministry. The definition of the word obadiah, book of king james.
Methodist reformer john wesley identified the saviorsdeliverers with jesus christ, his apostles, and other preachers of the gospel, both past and present. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, with only one chapter of 21 verses. In judaism and christianity, its authorship is attributed to obadiah, a prophet who lived in the assyrian period. 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. Utilize observation, interpretation, contextualization, and application to dissect the meaning of this passage. There are on record the account of four captures of jerusalem, 1 by shishak in the reign of rehoboam 1 kings 14.
Yhwh the first part of the name obadiah comes from the root abad, meaning servant or to serve. The people learned the meaning of obadiahs words, as thou hast. 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. 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. The book of obadiah destruction of esau kjv youtube. Obadiah probably lived in the southern kingdom of judah. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. Obadiah, book of definition of obadiah, book of by the free. Read about gods judgment upon edom for their pride and violence in obadiah 121.
The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21. You may, like me, have trouble separating the pages between amos and jonah just to get to it. Some believe obadiah may have been a contemporary of elisha. He was the rebellious twin brother of jacob, who despised his birthright and sold it for a measly mess of pottage. Obadiah, book of synonyms, obadiah, book of pronunciation, obadiah, book of translation, english dictionary definition of obadiah, book of. Nothing in this book connects the author to any other biblical figure. Book of obadiah an old testament book telling obadiah s prophecies. In particular, nations are threatened to be paid back in the same way they have harmed others. In this post, the bible project breaks down the book into digestible pieces so we can understand and apply its truths. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Obadiah chapter 1 explained discover books of the bible. The prophet no source outside his book mentions obadiah. The book of obadiah this book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. The first known use of obadiah was in the 14th century.
221 796 543 640 446 638 52 1576 1617 1393 418 492 266 374 1271 1181 640 572 296 874 310 1381 1193 490 1549 442 1382