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Pentecost
Minor Prophets

Obadiah

Old TestamentAfter Jerusalem's fall or earlier Edomite hostilityHebrew

Obadiah is the shortest Old Testament book, a prophetic word against Edom's pride and violence. It closes with the confession that the kingdom belongs to the Lord.

Obadiah — manuscript, icon, or classical biblical art from Wikimedia Commons.
Obadiah (Овдий).jpg — 18 century icon painter

Why Obadiah Matters

Obadiah is the shortest Old Testament book, a prophetic word against Edom's pride and violence. It closes with the confession that the kingdom belongs to the Lord.

The book's central themes include Edom, pride, judgment, and the kingdom of the Lord. Read inside the whole canon, those themes are not isolated topics but part of Scripture's unified witness to God's covenant work and to Christ.

Canonical Reception

Obadiah is received across the Christian traditions and belongs to the Hebrew Scriptures. Its place in the canon anchors how the Church reads its witness to Christ. In this entry it is marked as recognized in the Protestant canon, the Roman Catholic canon, Eastern Orthodox canons, Oriental Orthodox canons, the Hebrew Bible.

Reading With The Church

A faithful reading of Obadiah asks first what the text says in its own setting, then how its words are received in the full scriptural economy. The goal is not to flatten historical context into later theology, but to hear the book as part of the one biblical canon read by the Church.

Key Passages
  • Obadiah 1:15
  • Obadiah 1:21