Obadiah Verses 9 thru 13

OBADIAH (SERVENT OF YAHWEH

There is at least twelve people name Obadiah in the Bible. Smiths Bible Dictionary 

The book itself does not include much information about Obadiah, nor the date and place of the book being written. 

The book of Obadiah is about Edom’s judgment and Israel’s restoration.

According to Mark Rooker: “The book of Obadiah is a condemnation of Edom for her evil treatment of Judah during the time of Judah’s greatest crisis, the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian empire.” 

In this morning’s study we will continue to ‘Unravel the Words of Obadiah’. We will take a look at verses 9 thru 13. 

Obadiah means “Servant of Yahweh”. As a servant of Yahweh our desire is to work for Him and also to be pleasing to Him. This is really where it begins for each of us. Yahweh is not going to teach us, illuminate Biblical texts for us, or give us insight if we are not interested in serving Him or doing His work. 

So far we have learned that Obadiah is a prophetic message against Edom, highlighting Yahweh’s judgment for pride and injustice. It emphasizes divine justice, warning that Edom’s betrayal and violence will lead to their downfall. Ultimately, it promises the restoration and deliverance of Israel, affirming Yahweh’s sovereignty and the establishment of His kingdom.

In our last study we learned in verse 6 that Esau is the ancestor of the Edomites. The book references him to highlight the family connection between Edom and Israel, as Esau was the brother of Jacob.

We also seen in verse 8 that this refers to the mountainous region inhabited by the Edomites. It symbolizes the stronghold and pride of Edom, which will be brought low as part of Yahweh's judgment.

9    Mighty ones: = The wise ones. 

Teman: = The Hebrew name for Yemen of today -south of what is traditionally a part of Edom. This is one of the coalition partners of Edom.

Slaughter = A massacre.

10    Violence = It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for violence is “khaw-mawce'” [although the organization called ‘Hamas’ (a Palestinian Islamic group that rules the Gaza Strip) say the meaning in Arabic is ‘zeal, bravery’ etc] Incidentally this word is the same word used in the account of the flood (Genesis 6:13). The violence referred to here is the violence of those who love to cause suffering to others.

Jacob = not merely his own brother, but his twin brother

11  in the day = Beyom  = when.  It is the figure Synecdoche or transfer, by which a part is put for the whole, or the whole for a part.  What that "part" is must be determined by the context in each particular case. 

in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces = that is, at the time that the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and carried captive as many of the forces of the Jews as fell into their hands

12   thou shouldest not have looked on, &c. = All these are Prohibitive in Hebrew: i.e. they are addressed to Edom as from a spectator looking on and saying; "Look not thou, "&c. Looked upon the day of your brother: It is not good to look upon and gloat over the punishment of others. Instead of being grieved over what had happened to Jacob’s descendants Esau took pleasure in it and rejoiced over the captivity, destruction, and distress of his kin.

the day of thy brother = his day of disaster.

spoken proudly. = Hebrew enlarged thy mouth [with laughter].

neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress = or "magnified thy mouth"; opened it wide in powerful scoffing, and insulting language

 Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!

Have any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com