The prophet whose book is the shortest in the Old Testament is shrouded in mystery. In the words of Abbe Trochon, in Le petits prophetes, "nothing is known of Abdias; his family, station in life, place of birth, manner of death are equally unknown to us". The introduction in the New American bible suggests "the fifth century B.C.". Still other sources have suggested dates ranging anywhere from 900-600 B.C.
Abdias is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Obadiah", which means "the servant (or worshipper) of Yahweh". Obadiah doesn't necessarily have a "story" of his life or what he did. It is possible that he was the Obadiah that was the servant of Elijah. His powerful prophecy that composes his entire book (a link to it is found at the bottom of this page) can be summarized like this: God warns Edom of its demise, punishment for its helping the Chaldeans capture Judah's people. He also says that Judah shall be restored to its former glory.
| Obadiah 1:10: Because of violence to your brother Jacob,disgrace shall cover you and you shall be destroyed forever. | Obadiah 1:15: As you have done, so shall it be done to you, your deed shall come back upon your own head" | Obadiah 1:17: And the house of Jacob shall take possession of those that dispossessed them." |
Take the Quiz!
1. When was Obadiah born? Where did he live?
2. Against which nation did Obadiah prophesize?
3. Which great nation, according to the prophecy of Obadiah, will be spared and restored?
Quiz answers found on this page
My source bibliography
Obadiah's New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia page
Obadiah's Bible.org page
Al Maxey's Obadiah analyzation
The Book of Obadiah from Bible Gateway Email any questions, comments, or corrections to DTHoefel@aol.com