Difference between revisions of "Obad 1:1-15"

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Historical setting

Edom was descended from Jacob’s brother Esau and was therefore the nation most closely related to Israel. But the two nations were not friendly. Although Israel was forbidden to destroy Edom (Deut 2:2-6), Israel often brought Edom into submission, fulfilling the prophecy to Isaac and Rebekah that their older son Esau would serve the younger Jacob but break free (Gen 25:23; Gen 27:27-40).

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered and carried off by the Assyrians in 721 BC.

The Southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon in 597 BC. Continuing Jewish resistance led to two more invasions over the following decade. During the third invasion in 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed the Temple of Solomon.

Obadiah’s prophecy refers to Edom’s conduct when Judah was invaded, probably by Babylon. This would place Obadiah either during or soon after the Babylonian Captivity.

Israel felt betrayed by the failure of its brother and ally Edom to jointly defend against an obvious common threat. Despite the conquest of Judah, Obadiah prophesies that Israel will ultimately be restored. Edom, though still independent for the moment, will be conquered and erased.

Outline and summary

A. Judgment against Edom by the nations (1-7)

a. the Lord calls upon the nations to rise up against Edom (1)

b. Edom’s heart is exalted and over-confident,

but the Lord will bring Edom down and make it small (2-4)

b. even thieves and harvesters leave gleanings behind,

but Edom will be plundered thoroughly (5-6)

a. Edom will be betrayed and brought down by its allies (7)

B. In that day Edom will receive violence for violence (8-10)

a. in that day Edom will be confused and slaughtered (8-9)

b. Edom will be destroyed for violence against its brother Israel (10)

C. Edom should not have acted as a stranger and: (11-14)

• failed to aid its ally Israel in the day that Jerusalem fell (11)

• rejoiced in the affliction of its brother Israel (12)

• plundered Jerusalem’s gleanings after others already plundered (13)

• and prevented those of Israel who fled for safety (14)

B. In the day of the Lord the nations will receive as they dealt (15-16)

b. as the nations have done to Israel, so will it be done to them (15)

a. they have drunk the cup of Lord’s wrath and will be destroyed (16)

A. Israel will be restored and consume the nations (17-21)

a. Mt Zion will be restored as a place of deliverance and holiness (17)

b. Jacob will be as a fire that consumes the stubble of Edom (18)

b. Israel will possess surrounding lands including Mt Esau (19-20)

a. saviors on Mt Zion will judge Mt Esau in the day of Lord’s kingdom (21)

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, consisting of only 21 verses in a single chapter.

The middle section (11-14) is the indictment, an itemization of the evil conduct that justifies Obadiah's prophecy of woe against Edom. This middle section can be seen to more broadly include all of verses 8-16. Verses 10, 15-16 explicitly state that Edom and other nations will receive back from the Lord as they have measured out to the Lord’s people Israel, and that the woe prophesied against them is therefore just. This is the central message of Obadiah.

The opening section (1-7) refers to Edom’s capitol Sela (later Petra), which was built high on Mount Seir in an excellent defensive position. Edom securely asks “Who can bring me down to the ground?” “I will bring thee down,” saith the Lord. And when brought down, Edom will be picked more thoroughly clean than if it had been robbed or harvested of fruit, just as when Edom followed behind the original invaders of Jerusalem and plundered the gleanings that remained. “Gleanings” are the stray stalks of wheat left behind as farmers move through a field at harvest time. This opening section can be seen to more broadly include all of verses 1-10, which are similar to the prophecy against Edom found in Jer 49:7-22. This opening section likely refers to the fall of Edom in ancient times.

The ancient destruction of Edom foretold in the first half of Obadiah (1-10) is a type of the destruction that will befall all heathen nations in the last days as foretold in the second half (15-21).

The closing section (17-21) describes Israel being restored to its possessions and consuming the heathen nations in the latter days. It is clear from verses 15-16, 21 that this restoration occurs in the Day of the Lord when the kingdom is the Lord's.

Detailed discussion

Verses 17, 21

In Biblical prophecy, mountains often represent kingdoms. Verses 17, 21 both refer to mountains in this way, and the two verses can be read as a pair. Together they state that deliverance shall be only upon Mount Zion, not upon Mount Esau or any of the other heathen nations that are to be judged. The phrase “Saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau” (KJV) is rendered in other translations as “For liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau” (JPS), “And deliverers shall go up on Mount Zion to rule and judge Mount Esau” (Amplified), and “Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau” (NIV). In each of those translations the clearest meaning refers to those who will participate in restoring Israel or Zion, the Lord’s latter-day kingdom.

Mountaintops also represent places to commune with God, and the reference to holiness upon Mount Zion (17) is suggestive of temples. So it is understandable that Joseph Smith, while discussing proxy temple work, would refer to those who perform that work as “saviors on Mount Zion.” There at least four accounts of Joseph Smith using this phrase (TPJS 189, 191, 223, 330 quoting HC 4:360; 4:424-25; 4:599; 6:184). In two of these accounts he is reported to have said that the Latter-day Saints can become saviors on Mount Zion only by performing temple work. In the other two he is reported to have used the term while speaking more broadly on the duty of the priesthood toward their living relatives or the world at large. In D&C 103:9, after the Saints were expelled by mobs from Jackson County, Missouri, the Lord used the term "saviors of men" in the same breath as being a light unto the world. So the application of the phrase "saviors on Mount Zion" to vicarious temple work need not prevent it also being applied to those who build up Zion.

Parallel passages quoted from or in other scriptures

• Click the edit link above and to the right to add parallel passages

Questions for further thought and study

Verse 18

The prominence given in verse 18 to the house of Joseph is interesting since Ephraim, Manasseh and the other Northern tribes had already been carried off by Assyria.

Footnotes

Additional sources and links

• Books

• LDS Church Education System. Jeremiah, Obadiah: Prophecies of a Latter-day Gathering. In LDS Institute Old Testament Student Manual, Vol. 2, ch. 25, p. 253-59. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1982.