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Obadiah 1

1

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

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Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

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The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

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Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

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If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

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How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!

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All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.

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Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

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And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

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For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

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In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

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But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

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Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;

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Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

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For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

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For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

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But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

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And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

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And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

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And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

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And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

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Obadiah 1:15

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.”

Study Summary

The statement that the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations as you have done it shall be done to you and your deeds shall return upon your own head indicates the lex talionis operating on the national level, that the violence perpetrated against Israel will be returned upon Edom. The certainty of the day of the LORD and its proximity emphasizes its inevitability.

Community Reflections

2
Lena Hoffmann (test user)1d ago
The power of prayer — Obadiah 1

God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and forever.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God meets us exactly where we are — broken, uncertain, yet chosen. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly…

Read the note →
1
Adam Smith (test user)7h ago
The character of God — Obadiah 1

God is faithful in every circumstance.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. God is faithful in every circumstance.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all…

Read the note →
1
Sarah Okafor (test user)7h ago
Bearing fruit that lasts — Obadiah 1

My grandmother used to quote this verse every morning. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. We…

Read the note →

Obadiah 1:15

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.”

Study Summary

The statement that the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations as you have done it shall be done to you and your deeds shall return upon your own head indicates the lex talionis operating on the national level, that the violence perpetrated against Israel will be returned upon Edom. The certainty of the day of the LORD and its proximity emphasizes its inevitability.

Community Reflections

2
Lena Hoffmann (test user)1d ago
The power of prayer — Obadiah 1

God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and forever.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God meets us exactly where we are — broken, uncertain, yet chosen. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly…

Read the note →
1
Adam Smith (test user)7h ago
The character of God — Obadiah 1

God is faithful in every circumstance.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. God is faithful in every circumstance.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all…

Read the note →
1
Sarah Okafor (test user)7h ago
Bearing fruit that lasts — Obadiah 1

My grandmother used to quote this verse every morning. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. We…

Read the note →

Obadiah 1:15

The statement that the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations as you have done it shall be done to you and your deeds shall return upon your own head indicates the lex talionis operating on the national level, that the violence perpetrated against Israel will be returned upon Edom. The certainty of the day of the LORD and its proximity emphasizes its inevitability.