Obadiah says that as Edom (and others) have “drunk on my holy mountain,” so “all the nations shall drink continually,” and they will be “as though they had never been” (Obadiah 1:16). The image is used to describe coming judgment and reversal (Obadiah 1:16).
Obadiah 1:15–16 widens the focus from Edom to “all the nations.” The prophet announces that Yahweh’s “day” is near and that it will operate by a matching principle: what nations have done will come back on them. The passage then pictures the nations “drinking” in a way that leads to their undoing, reversing what happened on Yahweh’s holy mountain. These verses conclude the book’s main message. Earlier, Obadiah accused Edom of violence and opportunism when Jerusalem was devastated, especially standing aloof, gloating, and joining in the plunder (Obadiah 1:10–14).
Obadiah 1:15–16 presents “the day of Yahweh” as imminent (“near”) and aimed not only at Edom but at all nations.
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with Obadiah 1:16, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
16For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. Yes, they will drink, swallow down, and will be as though they had not been.