Bible Commentaries
Obadiah 1

Verse 1

There is no personal history of Obadiah, and it is impossible to fix accurately the date of his prophecy. The only ground on which it may be fixed is the capture of Jerusalem, to which reference is so clearly made. Certain passages in Jeremiah, apparently quoted from this book, make it probable that the capture referred to is that by Nebuchadnezzar. The corrected tense in verses obd 1:12-24 in the Revised Version, "Look not," instead of, "Thou shouldest not have looked," would seem to indicate that the prophecy was uttered before the fall of Jerusalem, and not after it. At that time the nation was a hive of political disturbance. The people were divided into factions. Fierce passions characterized them, and evil counsels prevailed. The whole nation was rushing headlong toward a great catastrophe. Obadiah had a vision of the attitude of Edom toward the chosen people in their calamity, and his message concerned them. It was not spoken to Edom, but to Israel, and was intended as a word of comfort for those who, loyal to Jehovah, were yet suffering with the whole nation. Its message falls into two parts: verses Obadiah 1:2-16, the judgment of Edom; verses Obadiah 1:17-21, the restoration of Israel.