This page has suggested 5W/H Study questions for each verse to facilitate teaching or leading a class verse by verse through Obadiah.
Obadiah 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom– We have heard a report from the LORD, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, “Arise and let us go against her for battle”–
HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY OBADIAH (TYPE OF LITERATURE)? Prophecy
HOW IS IT RECEIVED (OR GIVEN BY GOD)? Vision (What happens when there is no vision? see Pr 29:18)
WHO IS SPEAKING? Lord God (LORD)
HOW WAS THE MESSAGE CONVEYED? report, envy
WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE (THE COMMAND)? Arise and let us go up... (TO WHOM IS THE COMMAND? Who is "us"? preceding context = nations)
WHO IS "HER" IN CONTEXT? Edom
Obadiah 1:2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised.
WHAT DOES BEHOLD CAUSE (or should cause) READER TO DO? pay close attention
WHO GOES AGAINST EDOM? WHO IS "COMMANDER"? Yahweh
WHAT IS ANOTHER NAME FOR "NATIONS"? Gentiles (Hebrew "goyim")
Obadiah 1:3 “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’
Petra in Edom Lofty in the Cefts of the Rock
WHAT WAS EDOM'S ROOT PROBLEM AND WHERE WAS IT CENTERED? arrogance, heart
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARROGANCE? - zadon = insolence, presumptuousness, pride, primarily used in contexts which describe people whose pride causes them to oppose God and exalt themselves. David's brother's accusation against David (1 Sa 17:28+)
WHAT IS EMPHASIZED ABOUT EDOM'S GEOGRAPHY? Clefts, loftiness
WHAT HAD EDOM'S HEART DONE? deceived her to think she was invulnerable because of her high location
HOW DOES THE LORD RESPOND TO ARROGANCE? See following verses
Jeremiah 48:42 Isaiah 10:12 Jeremiah 50:29-32 Zephaniah 2:8-11
GOOD SUMMARY - Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
Ro 1:28-32 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
2 Ti 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Obadiah 1:4 “Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
WHAT ARE THE TWO FIGURES OF SPEECH TO DESCRIBE EDOM'S "LOFTY" POSITION? high like (simile) eagle, nest among the stars (metaphorical hyperbole)
DESPITE HER GEOGRAPHICAL ADVANTAGE, WHAT WILL BE HER REALITY? brought down (BY WHOM? Yahweh)
Obadiah 1:5 “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night– O how you will be ruined!– Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings?
WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE RHETORICAL QUESTION "WOULD THEY NOT LEAVE SOMETHING?"? yes
WHAT POINT DO THE TWO COMPARISONS MAKE (thieves/robbers and grape gatherers)? both leave something
WHAT IS THE IMPLIED POINT ABOUT GOD'S JUDGMENT ON EDOM? not partial but complete
Obadiah 1:6 “O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out!
WHO IS ESAU? Jacob's twin, used here as synonym for Edom
HOW DOES THIS VERSE AMPLIFY OR SUPPORT THE IMPLIED CONCLUSION WE MADE IN V5? they still had hidden treasures
Obadiah 1:7 “All the men allied with you Will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you Will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.)
WHAT DOES V7 DESCRIBE AS HAPPENING TO EDOM? betrayed by allies and supposed friends (peaceful relations externally)
WHAT WILL THE BETRAYERS DO TO EDOM? deceive and overpower
WHAT DOES THE PICTURE OF "EAT YOUR BREAD" CONVEY IN CULTURE OF NEAR EAST? fellowship
WHAT WILL THOSE IN FALSE FELLOWSHIP DO TO EDOM? ambush
EXTRA - How is this similar to what happened to Jesus? read Ps 41:9 ~ Judas' betrayal
Principle - Deepest treachery comes not from obvious enemy but from one with whom you shared bread/fellowshipped
Obadiah 1:8 “Will I not on that day,” declares the LORD, “Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
WHO WILL DESTROY EDOM? Yahweh
WHAT DID YAHWEH PROPHESY IN V1 AND V4?
WHAT WAS THE REPUTATION OF EDOM (HOW CONTRADICTED IN V7)? wise men, understanding
Obadiah 1:9 “Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
WHAT DOES "THEN" USUALLY SIGNIFY IN SCRIPTURE? progression in the narrative
WHO/WHAT IS TEMAN? WHO IS ESAU? stand for Edom
Teman, like Sela, was a prominent city of Edom. The name Teman is derived from the name of a grandson of Esau (cf. Gen 36:11). Here it is a synecdoche (a part of something stands for the whole) standing for all of Edom.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON THIS DAY?
HOW COMPLETE WOULD BE THE DESTRUCTION? everyone cut off by slaughter
Obadiah 1:10 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever.
BECAUSE = TERM OF EXPLANATION - WHAT IS OBADIAH EXPLAINING? telling them why the preceding judgment would happen
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS JUDGMENT? violence to your brother Jacob (Violence is a strong word - NET renders it "you violently slaughtered your relatives.")
WHAT HAD GOD PROMISED ABRAM, JACOB'S ANCESTOR IN GENESIS 12?
Ge 12:2-3 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
WHAT ARE THE TWO PROPHECIES REGARDING EDOM? shame, cut off
WHAT IS THE IDEA OF CUT OFF? Edom would cease to exist
EXTRA CREDIT - WHERE DID THIS "VIOLENCE" (STRUGGLE) BEGIN? the womb!
Ge 25:22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
Obadiah 1:11 “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem– You too were as one of them.
WHAT/HOW IS EDOM'S "VIOLENCE" TO JACOB DESCRIBED? stood aloof -- were with the perpetrators = You too were as one of them.
WHAT 3 EVILS PERPETRATED AGAINST JERUSALEM?
Obadiah 1:12 “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress.
WHAT WAS EDOM GUILT OF? gloat, rejoice, boast. The NLT helps see this (also the NET version)...
12 "You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune. You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble.
HOW WAS EDOM'S BROTHER'S DAY IDENTIFIED? misfortune, destruction, distress
Obadiah 1:13 “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster.
13 You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity.
WHAT WAS EDOM DOING? entering the gate, gloating, looting --
HOW DOES GLOATING CORRELATE WITH EDOM'S BASIC HEART PROBLEM? Gloating = feel or display smug or malicious satisfaction.
Commoly associated with feelings of pride, arrogance, or joy over a rival's failure
WHAT DOES THE PHRASE "MY PEOPLE" CONVEY? God's chosen people whom He loves - "MY" despicts ownership and relationship. The UPHOST is that Edom was not just dealing with Jacob, but with Yahweh! (already alluded to with Ge 12:3)
WHAT WOULD BE THE DAY OF THEIR DISASTER (IF WRITTEN IN 840 BC)? destruction of city of Jerusalem
Obadiah 1:14 “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape. You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble. (NLT)
WHAT ARE THE PROHIBITIONS? WHAT WAS EDOM DOING? the inhabitants of Edom would station themselves at strategic locations, whether at a breached wall, a mountain pass or a fork in the road, to cut down their fugitives
SUMMARY - Edom stood aloof, watching the enemy ravish the nation of Israel. She plundered the leftovers of the people after the invasion forces had departed. By guarding the escape routes, she betrayed, intercepted, and handed over to the enemy those who were fleeing the travesties of war.
Obadiah 1:15 “For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.
WHAT IS THE INDICATION THAT THERE IS A MAJOR SHIFT IN OBADIAH'S EMPHASIS? (1) Day of the LORD on all the nations (worldwide, global)(not just Edom)
HOW IS THIS DAY DESCRIBED DIFFERENTLY COMPARED TO ALL OTHER "THE DAY'S"? This one is "of the LORD"
WHAT RESPONSE SHOULD THE PHRASE "DRAWS NEAR" ELICIT? be ready, be alert, be watching
WHAT PATTERN DO WE OFTEN SEE WITH DAY OF THE LORD? near and far fulfillment
WHERE HAVE WE JUST SEEN A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEAR FULFILLMENT ON EDOM? Oba 1:2-9
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE FAR FULFILLMENT WILL BE (not from text but from Bible in general)? Revelation
WHO IS "YOU" IN THIS VERSE? WHAT IS PROMISED? WHAT PRINCIPLE DO YOU SEE? Edom, pay back - done to you, on your head, law of sowing/reaping
Obadiah 1:16 “Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, All the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow And become as if they had never existed.
WHAT DOES THE PHRASE "JUST AS" INTRODUCE? introduces a comparison or analogy. It means “in the same way as” or “in the same manner as.”
WHAT IS THE PICTURE OF DRINKING THAT LEADS TO NON-EXISTENCE? cup of God's wrath
Obadiah 1:17 “But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.
WHAT IS THE CONTRAST INTRODUCED BY "BUT"? v16 not existed versus v17 escape
WHEN WILL THIS TAKE PLACE? in the Day of the LORD
WHAT IS MOUNT ZION? Jerusalem
WHAT WILL MOUNT ZION BE AT THIS TIME? holy, set apart
WHAT IS THE PROMISE TO JACOB? possess their possessions
Obadiah 1:18 “Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the LORD has spoken.
WHEN IS THEN IN CONTEXT? Day of the LORD
WHAT IS THE METAPHOR OF ISRAEL DESCRIBING? fire > destroys
WHAT IS THE SIMILE OF EDOM? stubble
WHAT'S THE RESULT OF THEIR INTERACTION? consumed, no survivor
HOW CAN WE BE SURE? LORD has spoken
Obadiah 1:19 Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
WHAT VERB IS REPEATED IN V17, 19, 20? possess
WHERE IS NEGEV? southern Israel
WHERE IS SHEPHELAH? west
WHERE IS EPHRAIM/SAMARIA? north
WHERE IS GILEAD? east
IN SUMMARY WHAT WILL SONS OF JACOB POSSESS? all the land of Israel
HOW DOES THIS FIT WITH GOD'S PROMISE IN Genesis 15:18? Israel finally possesses the full promised land
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
Obadiah 1:20 And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Will possess the cities of the Negev.
WHO POSSESSES THE NEGEV? the exiles of Israel (the saved Jewish remnant) who return to the land promised to their forefathers
Zarephath, located along the Phoenician coast between Tyre and Sidon, was a part of the original settlement plan under Joshua (Josh 19:28+). The location of Sepharad is unknown.
Obadiah 1:21 The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the LORD’S.
WHO WILL ASCEND AND JUDGE? deliverers
The Hebrew deliverers (yasha') emphasizes what they do (they save) while the Greek LXX (sozo in perfect tense = enduring effect) emphasizes what they are (permanently saved ones). Both are true, and together they yield the whole that the saved become saviors. Deliverers who once needed delivering. The LORD will raise up deliverers who will rule and execute justice in the Millennial Kingdom, (SEE 1 Cor 6:2) exercising delegated authority under Messiah, King of kings.
NET Obadiah 1:21 Those who have been delivered will go up on Mount Zion in order to rule over Esau's mountain. Then the LORD will reign as King!
NLT Obadiah 1:21 Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the LORD himself will be king!"
WHY MIGHT OBADIAH USE "MOUNTAIN OF ESAU" (4X TOTAL AND NO WHERE ELSE IN OT)? what might he be setting up as a contrast? Mountain of Esau vs Mt Zion
WHO ASCENDS TO MT ZION? better translation = NET = "Those who have been delivered (NLT = rescued)"
WHEN DOES THIS OCCUR? Day of the LORD - When gentile nation because as if they never existed
IS THERE YET A FUTURE JUDGMENT ON EDOM? No!
SUMMARY OF DAY OF THE LORD FROM OBADIAH - Deliverance of Zion > Israel Restored > Israel Possesses Promised Land > Finally we have the answer to "Thy kingdom come" and the Kingdom with have a King, Messiah, King of kings.