Obadiah
Chapter 1
The Vision of Obadiah
This is what the Lord God says about Edom:We have heard news from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent out to the nations to say: “Rise, let us go against Esau.”
Punishment of Edom
The day has arrived: you are now insignificant among the nations; you are completely despised.
Your arrogance has led you astray,you, who live in the clefts of the rock;you, who make the heights your home;you, who say to yourself:Who can bring me down to the ground?
Though you soar like the eagle and build your nests among the stars, I will bring you down again.
If thieves or looters come at night, what disaster awaits you then! Would they not ransack everything until they have enough? If grape pickers worked in your vineyard,would they not leave only scraps?
See how Esau has been looted, even his hidden treasures stolen!
You have been pushed to the very edges: and those were your friends! Those who shared your bread secretly set a trap for you.
The Lord declares: Shall I not destroy the wise men of Edom on that day, and take away the sages from the mountain of Esau?
Your warriors, O Teman, will be filled with fear, and everyone from Mount Esau will be slaughtered.
Because of the violence done to Jacob, your brother, you will be disgraced and destroyed forever.
At the Fall of Jerusalem
You stood aside and watched,while strangers took his wealth;when foreigners entered his gatesand cast lots for Jerusalem,you were just as guilty as everyone else.
Do not go to gloat over your brother’s misfortune. Do not rejoice over Judah’s ruin, nor boast on the day of her destruction.
Do not enter my people’s gateon the day of their disgrace;nor gloat over them in their misfortuneon the day of their adversity;nor lay your hands on their possessionson the day of their destruction.
Don’t wait at the crossroad to kill their stragglers; nor betray their survivors on the day of their disaster.
The Day of the Lord
The day of the Lord is near for every nation. As you have done to others, so it will be done to you. Whatever you have done will come back on your head.
For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will the surrounding nations drink; drink, and drink to the fullest… Then they shall be as if they had never existed.
But there will be survivors on Mount Zion—a holy remnant. The house of Jacob will claim its inheritance.
The nation of Jacob will be a fire, the nation of Joseph a flame; but those of Esau will be stubble. They will burn and consume them. And of Esau’s house, none will remain,for it is the Lord who has spoken.
People from the Negeb will settle in Esau’s mountains; those from the plains will settle in the land of the Philistines. They will inhabit Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will take Gilead.
The Israelite exiles in Canaan will seize Phoenicia up to Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem now in Sepharad will take control of the towns of the Negeb.
Deliverers will ascend Mount Zion to rule over Esau’s mountains—then the Lord will reign.
Commentaries
Title of the Book.
“Vision of Obadiah”. The prophet sees a vision that prompts him to call on the nations to punish Edom.
Punishment of Edom.
According to biblical tradition, the patriarchs of Edom and Israel are the sons of Isaac, Esau, and Jacob, respectively. The Edomites had already established themselves as a monarchy when they prevented Moses and the people coming from the exodus from passing through (Nm 20:14-21). Edom deceives itself by trusting in its seemingly impregnable geography (3-4) and its defensive tactics (8-9).
At the Fall of Jerusalem.
Edom is condemned for having allied itself with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the destruction of Jerusalem in 687 B.C., participating in the plundering of the city (13) and the slaughter of its inhabitants (14).
The Day of the Lord.
The Lord’s judgment will intoxicate them like wine and cause confusion not only for Edom but also for all nations (15-16). Those who do not take advantage of God’s gift, but instead misuse it to rebel against Him, remain drunk, deceived by their own ambition, resentment, and greed; therefore, they are heading toward their own destruction. Edom represents all nations that oppose God and His chosen people, the inheritors of the promise for all humanity. Israel will be renewed and restored on its holy mountain of Zion, the exiles will return, and its inhabitants will regain the land they lost because of their sins. Jesus came to gather “the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15:24) and offer salvation to all nations (cf. Mt 28:19).