Old Testament · Prophecy · book 31 of 66 · 1 min read
The book of Obadiah
The shortest book in the Old Testament, twenty-one verses long, and all of it aimed at a nation that stood by and watched.
“As you have done, it will be done to you. Your deeds will return upon your own head.”
At a glance
- Chapters
- 1
- Author
- Obadiah
- Written
- Probably shortly after 586 BC
- Written for
- Judah, watching a neighbour profit from its destruction
- Themes
- the bystander, pride, reversal, Edom
What it is about
Obadiah is a single chapter addressed to Edom, Israel's neighbour and, in the tradition, its relative — Edom descends from Esau, Israel from Jacob.
The charge is not that Edom attacked Jerusalem but that it stood at the crossroads while the city fell, gloated, and cut off those escaping. The specific sin named is standing aside on the day of disaster.
Its central line states the principle the whole book turns on: as you have done, it will be done to you.
Where to start
The whole thing. It is twenty-one verses and takes three minutes.
The chapters worth knowing
- Obadiah 1 — The whole book: twenty-one verses on standing aside while a neighbour is destroyed.
What people get wrong about it
That it is a minor book about an ancient grudge. Its subject is the guilt of the bystander, which is one of the few places in Scripture where that is addressed directly.
Questions
How long is the book of Obadiah?
Twenty-one verses in a single chapter — the shortest book in the Old Testament.
Who is Obadiah written against?
Edom, for standing by while Jerusalem was destroyed and profiting from it. The offence named is inaction and gloating rather than attack.