NOTES for Oba 1:1-21

Before us is a prophecy about Edom, a pagan people, yet closely related to the Israelites. Edom appears before us as an example of treachery and cunning, and for these evil deeds it will receive the punishment it deserves. We hear another prophecy about the inevitability of retribution for lawlessness.

But why does Obadiah address Edom? Why does he need to address his prophetic word to an audience very different from the one to which Israel's prophets usually spoke? After all, other prophets, when setting out what the Lord revealed to them about the ways of neighboring nations, still directed their main speech to their own countrymen. Here too there must be a lesson for his compatriots: in speaking about Edom, the prophet intended to warn them against repeating the sins of their neighbors. The sins of Edom can be repeated by inhabitants of other lands too, and in fact they have been repeated many times. This means that the universal character of prophetic preaching is shown here once again, for among all people, whatever nation they belong to, there exists a real interconnection, even if they do not always recognize it. Therefore what was said many centuries ago for a concrete reason that seemed important to only a few can also matter for those who happen to live in other lands and in other times.