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The Book of
Obadiah
A brief prophecy that exposes Edom’s betrayal of Judah and expands to God’s coming day of payback for every nation.
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How to read Obadiah
Read it as a tightly focused prophetic indictment: vivid images, sharp accusations, and a moral logic of reversal. Follow the movement from Edom’s crimes to a wider claim about God’s accountability for all peoples, then to the hope centered on Zion.
Context
Big idea and book facts
Obadiah announces God’s judgment on Edom for proud self-confidence and for taking advantage of Jerusalem’s disaster. The prophecy widens to God’s near “day” when wrongdoing returns on every nation, ending with Zion’s rescue and God’s rule.
- Author
- Obadiah
- Date
- Probably after Jerusalem's fall, c. 586 BC
- Location
- Judah
- Audience
- Judah/Zion, with Edom addressed as the target of judgment
- Genre
- Prophetic oracle against Edom