When-was-Obadiah-written
Introduction
Short answer: Obadiah was likely written either in the ninth century BC, after Edom revolted against Judah (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-10), or in the sixth century BC, after Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC. Most modern scholars favor the sixth-century date because Obadiah's language is closest to Jeremiah 49 and other exilic texts. The book itself names no king and gives no unambiguous historical marker. What it does give is a vision of judgment on Edom for pride and violence against Jacob. Faithful Christians differ on the date, and the differences do not affect the book's message. The date question is real, but it is not a reason to doubt the book's authority.
What the Book of Obadiah Actually Says
Obadiah 1:1 opens, “The vision of Obadiah,” and then, “This is what the Lord Yahweh says about Edom.” The entire book is a single oracle against Edom, with a closing section promising deliverance for Zion. There is no superscription naming a king, no chronological note, and no narrative frame. That absence is the main reason the date is debated. Unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Hosea, Obadiah gives us nothing external to anchor the prophecy in a reign.
The prophecy charges Edom with pride, with standing aloof while strangers carried off Jacob's wealth, and with gloating over Judah's disaster. Verse 10 states the ground of judgment: violence against your brother Jacob. Verses 15-18 announce the day of Yahweh and the restoration of a remnant on Mount Zion. The book ends with the kingdom belonging to Yahweh.
Because the charge is general enough to fit several moments of Edomite hostility, interpreters have proposed dates across roughly four centuries, from the ninth to the fifth century BC. The two strongest candidates remain the ninth-century revolt under Jehoram and the sixth-century fall of Jerusalem.
The Ninth-Century Setting: Edom's Revolt Under Jehoram
2 Kings 8:20-22 records that in Jehoram's days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah and made a king over themselves. 2 Chronicles 21:8-10 reports the same event, adding that Libnah revolted at the same time. This took place in the mid-ninth century BC, roughly 849-842 BC. If Obadiah prophesied against Edom for that revolt, the book belongs very early among the writing prophets.
Supporters of this date point out that Obadiah does not mention the destruction of the temple or the exile of Judah as a past event. He speaks of a day of calamity on Jacob, but the language is broad enough to describe a ninth-century attack. They also note that Edom's revolt was a defining betrayal in Judah's memory, a moment when a brother nation threw off allegiance and stood by while Judah was plundered.
This view is ancient and has been held by many conservative interpreters. It preserves the unity of the book and takes the revolt narratives as the real occasion. It does not, however, explain why Obadiah's wording is so close to Jeremiah 49, which is usually dated to the late seventh or early sixth century.
The Sixth-Century Setting: Jerusalem's Fall and Edom's Gloating
Most modern commentators place Obadiah after 586 BC, when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and carried Judah into exile. The reasons are literary and thematic. Obadiah's oracle against Edom overlaps extensively with Jeremiah 49:7-22, and the direction of dependence is usually judged to be Obadiah borrowing from Jeremiah, or both drawing on a shared tradition. The language of verses 11-14 fits the Babylonian crisis better than an earlier raid.
Verse 11 speaks of strangers carrying off Jacob's wealth and foreigners entering his gates and casting lots for Jerusalem, which matches the Babylonian siege and plunder. Verse 14 forbids standing at the crossroads to cut off survivors, language that suits a fleeing population. Joel 3:19 likewise charges Edom with violence against the children of Judah and shedding innocent blood in their land, a charge that fits the sixth-century trauma.
On this reading, Obadiah prophesied to a Judah still reeling from the catastrophe, assuring them that Edom's gloating would not go unpunished. The book then becomes a companion to Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel.
Evidence from Obadiah's Language and Literary Style
Several features of Obadiah's Hebrew point to a later date. The book uses Aramaic-influenced forms and constructions that are more at home in the sixth century than the ninth. Its prose and poetry are mixed in a way that resembles exilic prophecy. Its dependence on or shared tradition with Jeremiah 49 suggests it stands in the same stream of late Judean prophecy.
Against this, the linguistic evidence is not decisive. Short books give us few data points, and Hebrew style can be archaic or updated by scribes. Some conservative scholars argue that Jeremiah borrowed from Obadiah, which would push Obadiah earlier and make Jeremiah the dependent text. The direction of dependence is genuinely contested.
What can be said is that the literary case for a sixth-century date is strong but not conclusive. The book's brevity and lack of historical anchoring mean that certainty is not available. This is one of those questions where the evidence permits more than one reasonable answer.
How Jeremiah 49 and Obadiah Relate
Jeremiah 49:7-22 contains an oracle against Edom with wording and imagery close to Obadiah: the boasting of Teman, the coming terror, the slaughter, the survivors. The overlap is too extensive to be coincidental. Either Obadiah used Jeremiah, Jeremiah used Obadiah, or both used an older prophetic tradition about Edom.
If Obadiah used Jeremiah, then Obadiah is sixth century or later, since Jeremiah's ministry ran from about 627 to 580 BC. If Jeremiah used Obadiah, then Obadiah could be ninth century, and Jeremiah drew on the older prophet. If both used a shared tradition, the date of Obadiah could fall anywhere within that span.
This is why the date question is genuinely difficult. The two strongest arguments, the Jehoram revolt and the Babylonian destruction, both have real support. Faithful interpreters have landed on different sides without denying Scripture's truthfulness. The disagreement is about history and literary dependence, not about whether God spoke through Obadiah.
Why the Date of Obadiah Matters for Reading It
The date shapes how we hear the book. If Obadiah is ninth century, it is an early prophetic word against a brother nation that betrayed Judah during a ninth-century crisis, and it shows that God's justice reaches even a small, proud neighbor. If it is sixth century, it is a word of comfort to exiles whose capital had fallen while Edom cheered, and it assures them that the violence done to Jacob will be avenged.
Either way, the theological center is the same. Yahweh is the God of all nations, not just Israel. He sees pride, betrayal, and violence against his people. The day of Yahweh is coming, when Edom's rejoicing will turn to terror and Zion's remnant will be delivered. The book's closing line, that the kingdom will be Yahweh's, is not tied to one historical moment.
So the date question is worth studying carefully, but it should not become a test of orthodoxy. Christians can hold either view, or remain undecided, and still read Obadiah as the Word of God. The point of the book does not depend on settling its date.
How to Study Obadiah with Confidence
Read Obadiah alongside the passages that speak of Edom's hostility: 2 Kings 8:20-22, 2 Chronicles 21:8-10, Amos 1:11-12, and Joel 3:19. Notice the recurring themes of pride, brotherhood betrayed, and divine justice. Compare Obadiah 1-9 with Jeremiah 49:7-22, and note where the two texts agree and where they differ. Mark the shift from judgment on Edom to the promise of deliverance on Mount Zion.
Ask what the book teaches about God's character. He is not indifferent to the suffering of his people, and he does not excuse those who exploit their weakness. He also is not tribal or partial, since Edom's judgment is grounded in moral offenses, not ethnicity. The book ends with a future that is not about Edom or Judah as empires but about Yahweh's kingdom.
Then ask how the New Testament uses Edom's story. Hebrews 12 warns against a root of bitterness and calls Esau profane, which is a moral application of the same family conflict. The book of Obadiah, whatever its date, functions as a warning against pride and as a comfort to the oppressed.
Biblical fidelity check
What Obadiah does establish is clear. God gave a vision to Obadiah concerning Edom. He charged Edom with pride and violence against Jacob. He promised that the day of Yahweh would bring judgment on Edom and deliverance for Zion. The book's message is not in doubt, even though its date is.
What the text does not establish is a precise date. Obadiah names no king, no battle, and no year. Neither the ninth-century nor the sixth-century view can be proven from the book alone. A common misreading treats the sixth-century date as certain because most modern scholars hold it, and then treats the ninth-century view as naive or dishonest. That is wrong. The evidence for the ninth-century date is drawn from real texts, namely 2 Kings 8:20-22 and 2 Chronicles 21:8-10, and the direction of dependence between Obadiah and Jeremiah is debated. The right posture is humility about the date and confidence about the message.
Other passages that speak to Obadiah 1:1-21
Edom's story continues through Scripture. The revolt of Edom under Jehoram is recorded in 2 Kings 8:20-22 and 2 Chronicles 21:8-10, and the Edomite line from Esau down to its chiefs is traced in the opening chapters of Chronicles. You can read the family background in 1 Chronicles 1: Adam to Edom's Chiefs. Amos pronounces judgment on Edom in Amos 1:11-12, and Joel names Edom's violence against Judah in Joel 3:19. The question of why we trust these prophetic books at all is addressed in Why trust the Bible when it was written by humans? A Biblical Guide. For the wider story of David and the kingdom that Obadiah's closing verses anticipate, see 1 Chronicles 10: Saul's Death and the Kingdom Given to David and 1 Chronicles 11: David Anointed King and His Mighty Men.
Frequently asked questions
Was Obadiah written before or after the exile?
Most modern scholars place Obadiah after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, during the exile or shortly after. A significant minority of conservative interpreters place it in the ninth century BC, during or just after the reign of Jehoram, when Edom revolted from Judah. The book itself does not say, so both views rest on historical and literary inferences. The date does not affect the book's central message about Edom's judgment and Zion's deliverance.
Why do scholars connect Obadiah with Jeremiah 49?
Obadiah and Jeremiah 49:7-22 share strikingly similar language about Edom, including the pride of Teman, the coming terror, and the slaughter of survivors. The overlap suggests one prophet knew the other's work or that both drew on a common tradition. If Jeremiah came first, Obadiah is sixth century. If Obadiah came first, he could be much earlier. The direction of dependence is debated, so the connection cannot settle the date by itself.
Does the date affect what Obadiah means?
Not fundamentally. Whether Obadiah spoke in the ninth century or the sixth, the book condemns Edom's pride and violence against Jacob and promises that the day of Yahweh will bring justice and restore Zion. The historical setting shapes the emotional force of the book, especially if it speaks to exiles whose city had fallen, but the theological core remains the same. Christians can hold either view and still read Obadiah as God's Word.
