1:1 The vision that Obadiah saw. The Lord God says this concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord. An envoy was sent among the nations, saying, “Arise! Let us make war against Edom!”
Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.” Nothing else is known about him, but internal evidence suggests that he may have lived in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew for “the Lord God” is אֲדֹנָ֨י יְהוִ֜ה (Adonai Jehovah), meaning the sovereign-promise-keeping-covenant-keeping-God. אֲדֹנָ֨י (Adonai) is sovereign God over all of the Gentile nations. יְהוִ֜ה (Jehovah) is the Israelite covenant name of God.
The Hebrew word for “vision” is חֲז֖וֹן (chazur), meaning a supernatural vision from God. God transported Obadiah into the future and showed him a vision of Edom.
The Hebrew word for “Edom” is אֱדוֹם (edom), meaning red. The Edomites descended from Esau. Esau was the brother of Jacob. After God gave the patriarchal blessing to Jacob, Esau’s descendants moved to the area of Mount Seir. They became a hostile enemy to their brother Israel. Since the Edomites were a brother of Israel, they were given more light and harsher judgment.
Both Joel and Jeremiah quoted Obadiah, so Obadiah must have written this book before 845 B.C. This means that Obadiah was the first writing prophet.
The Hebrew word for “report” is שְׁמוּעָה (shmueh), meaning report, news, or rumor. The “we” in Obadiah were the prophets who were warning Israel to return back to Jehovah. They heard a report from Jehovah Himself which they were to deliver to Israel.
The Hebrew word for “envoy” is צִיר (txir), meaning ambassador or messenger. Either a human ambassador or an angelic messenger was sent with a message from God.
The Hebrew word for “nations” is גּוֺיִם (goyim), meaning Gentiles. The ambassadors were sent with a message from God to incite the Gentiles against Edom.
Obadiah and the prophets heard about a Gentile international plot to overthrow the Edomites.
1:2 The Lord says, “Look! I will make you a weak nation; you will be greatly despised!
Jehovah was going to make Edom a weak nation. Edom was going to be hated by the international Gentiles.
1:3 Your presumptuous heart has deceived you— you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs, whose home is high in the mountains. You think to yourself, ‘No one can bring me down to the ground!’
Edom lived in the rock city of Petra. The only entrance into the city was a narrow valley through the cliffs which could be easily defended. They lived high in mountainous country, meaning that they always possessed the high ground. They thought that their city was impregnable.
1:4 Even if you were to soar high like an eagle, even if you were to make your nest among the stars, I can bring you down even from there!” says the Lord.
There is no defense that any nation can establish that Jehovah cannot bring down to the ground.
1:5 “If thieves came to rob you during the night, they would steal only as much as they wanted! If grape pickers came to harvest your vineyards, they would leave some behind for the poor! But you will be totally destroyed!
When thieves come to steal at night, they usually do not take everything. They steal only what they want. They leave some things behind.
When grape pickers come to glean a field, they do not pick every single grape. They leave some behind.
1:6 How the people of Esau will be thoroughly plundered! Their hidden valuables will be ransacked!
This will not be the case with Edom. Every single item of Edom will be plundered. There will be nothing left.
1:7 All your allies will force you from your homeland! Your treaty partners will deceive you and overpower you. Your trusted friends will set an ambush for you that will take you by surprise!
Edom not only trusted in their geographical defenses, but they trusted in their huge alliance treaties. However, Edom’s alliance will betray her. Their alliances will deceive Esau and ambush them in a surprise sneak attack.
1:8 At that time,” the Lord says, “I will destroy the wise sages of Edom! The advisers from Esau’s mountain!
The wise sages of Edom built strong defenses in the rocks and made protection treaties with their allies. However, all of these wise advisors will be killed.
1:9 Your warriors will be shattered, O Teman, so that everyone will be destroyed from Esau’s mountain!
Teman was the major military city of the Edomites. These soldiers were the special forces of Edom. These warriors will be shattered by the Gentile armies, which will destroy the morale of the other Edomite soldiers.
1:10 “Because you violently slaughtered your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed forever.
Esau was the brother of Jacob. Edom was the brother of Israel. Edom had more light. When they attacked their brother Israel, the crime was even more hideous. This was a violation of the Abrahamic Covenant. Since Edom tried to exterminate Israel, they will receive a kind-for-kind cursing. Edom will be exterminated. There will be no Edomites alive when the Millennial Kingdom begins. The price for cursing Israel is extinction.
1:11 You stood aloof while strangers took his army captive, and foreigners advanced to his gates. When they cast lots over Jerusalem, you behaved as though you were in league with them.
When the Philistines and Arabs attacked, sacked, raped, and plundered Israel, the Edomites refused to come to the aid of their brother nation. They were inactive, uninvolved, and apathetic. Later, the Edomites even joined in taking the spoil.
1:12 You should not have gloated when your relatives suffered calamity. You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. You should not have boasted when they suffered adversity.
The Edomites cheered when Israel was attacked, sacked, raped, and plundered.
1:13 You should not have entered the city of my people when they experienced distress. You should not have joined in gloating over their misfortune when they suffered distress. You should not have looted their wealth when they endured distress.
The Philistines and Arabs attacked Jerusalem and spoiled the city. The Edomites did not join the attack, but they did join in spoiling the plunder.
1:14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road to slaughter those trying to escape. You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity.
When the Israelites ran out of the city to escape rape and death from the Philistines and Arabs, the Edomites stood at the fork in the road and killed or captured those who were trying to escape. Those Israelites who were captured were turned back over to become slaves to the Philistines and Arabs. This terrible crime against God’s chosen people would cost Edom’s extinction.
1:15 “For the day of the Lord is approaching for all the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be done to you. You will get exactly what your deeds deserve.
If Obadiah was the first writing prophet, then this was the first mention of “the Day of the Lord.” The Day of the Lord is divine judgment which will fall upon Israel and the Gentile nations in the latter days immediately before the literal 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom. The other prophets will give more details about the Day of the Lord in their prophecies to Israel. Jesus called it “the Great Tribulation.” All nations will experience the Day of the Lord (Great Tribulation). Just as the Edomites killed and slaughtered God’s chosen people, the same thing will happen to Edom and to all Gentile nations who oppress Israel in the latter days.
1:16 For just as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink, and they will gulp down; they will be as though they had never been.
After Edom plundered, enslaved, and killed the Israelites, they held a large drunken celebration on Mount Zion. They swallowed up Israel. Now, God will swallow them up.
In Zechariah 12:2–3, Jerusalem is pictured as a huge bowl of wine that the nations drink from and acquire drunken dizziness. During the Great Tribulation, Edom will experience this drunken dizziness. They will fall into a drunken stupor and lose control of their spiritual senses. They will drink themselves into extinction.
1:17 But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, and it will be a holy place once again. The descendants of Jacob will conquer those who had conquered them.
During the Great Tribulation, 2/3 of the Jews will be killed by the Antichrist. The 1/3 of the Jews who escape this genocide are called the “remnant of those who escape.”
All of the Edomites will die during the Great Tribulation. None of them will enter into the Millennial Kingdom. One third of the Jews will survive the Great Tribulation and enter into the Millennial Kingdom as messianic believers in Jesus.
Obadiah made three points about this Jewish remnant. First, they will escape the Great Tribulation. Second, Israel will become a holy place once again, meaning that Jesus will be worshiped as the God-man. Third, Israel will conquer all of the combined Gentile nations who were attempting to exterminate them.
1:18 The descendants of Jacob will be a fire, and the descendants of Joseph a flame. The descendants of Esau will be like stubble. They will burn them up and devour them. There will not be a single survivor of the descendants of Esau!”
During the Great Tribulation, Israel will be a fire and Edom will be the stubble. When fire is applied to stubble, it quickly burns. The fire of Israel will completely consume the stubble of Edom, so that there will not be one single Edomite who survives the Great Tribulation.
This latter days’ war between Israel and Edom during the Great Tribulation was taught by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 25:12-14. Other prophets taught the complete destruction of Edom as well. (Isaiah 34:8‑15; Jeremiah 49:14–22; Ezekiel 35:14–15).
1:19 The people of the Negev will take possession of Esau’s mountain, and the people of the Shephelah will take possession of the land of the Philistines. They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, and the people of Benjamin will take possession of Gilead.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will control all of the land which was promised to them through the Abrahamic Covenant.
The “people of the Negev” refers to the tribe of Simeon. Between the 400 silent years of the Old and New Testament, the Edomites moved down from Mount Seir and settled in the Negev Desert. During the Millennial Kingdom, the Tribe of Simeon will retake this land, as well as the Mount Seir territory of the Edomites.
The “people of the Shephelah” (or the people of the low hills) was the tribe of Judah. The Philistines took this area during the days of King Ahaz. During the Millennial Kingdom, the tribe of Judah will control this Shephelah area, plus the territory of the Philistines.
At the time of this writing, the ten tribes of Israel had lost all of their land to the Assyrians, including Ephraim and Samaria. Israel will regain and control all of this land during the Millennial Kingdom.
The Tribe of Benjamin was a small tribe who controlled the smallest amount of land (except for Dan). During the Millennial Kingdom, the tribe of Benjamin will also possess land on the east bank of the Jordan River where Gilead is located.
1:20 The exiles of this fortress of the people of Israel will take possession of what belongs to the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will take possession of the towns of the Negev.
Obadiah predicted that the Jews who are scattered all over the world will return to Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation.
When the Jews return to their land during the Millennial Kingdom, they will possess Zarephath. At the time of this prophetic writing, Zarephath was under Phoenician control. During famine, Elijah lived here for three years and supernaturally took care of a Gentile widow. Zarephath is modern Lebanon today. All of the land of modern Lebanon will return to Israel.
Obadiah predicted a worldwide Jewish dispersion where Jews would be scattered into Spain. The Jews will return from Spain and possess the land of Israel once again.
1:21 Those who have been delivered will go up on Mount Zion in order to rule over Esau’s mountain. Then the Lord will reign as King!
“Those who have been delivered” are the messianic Jews who survive the Great Tribulation. During the Millennial Kingdom, they will go up to Mount Zion, which is Jerusalem. Since all of the Edomites will be killed during the Great Tribulation, Israel will rule over the current Edomite territory. During the Millennial Kingdom, King Jesus will reign as King!
In summary, verses 1-9 predicted that all of the Edomites will be exterminated. In verses 10-14, Obadiah gave reasons why Edom would be destroyed. In verse 15-16, Obadiah gave the time of this judgment as the Day of the Lord (Great Tribulation). In verses 17-21, there will be no Edomites in the Millennial Kingdom, but there will be a remnant of messianic Jews in the kingdom. The Jews will return to their own land, but Gilead, the mountains of Esau, and Lebanon will be controlled by Israel as well.