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Introduction to Obadiah                           

 

INTRODUCTION TO OBADIAH

The title of this Book in the Hebrew copies is usually "Sepher Obadiah" the Book of Obadiah: the Vulgate Latin version calls it the Prophecy of Obadiah; and so the Arabic version: and in the Syriac version it is the Prophecy of the Prophet Obadiah. His name signifies a "servant" or "worshipper of the Lord". Who he was what his parentage and in what age he lived are things uncertain. The Seder Olam ZutaF1P. 103. places him in the reign of Jehoshaphat: and he is thought by some to be that Obadiah that was one of the princes he sent to teach the people 2 Chronicles 17:7. The ancient Jewish Rabbins take him to be the same with him that lived in the times of Ahab and in his court who hid the prophets by fifty in a cave and fed them 1 Kings 18:3; to which Aben Ezra objects because he is not called a prophet only one that feared the Lord; whereas to be a prophet is something greater. They also say he was an Edomite by birth but was proselyted to the Jewish religion and so a fit person to be employed in prophesying against Edom; and it is a tradition with them that his widow is the woman whose cruse of oil Elisha multiplied 2 Kings 4:1. Some have been of opinion that he was the captain of the third fifty whose life Elijah spared in the times of Ahaziah; and who upon that left the king's service and followed the prophet and became a disciple of his; so Pseudo-EpiphaniusF2De Prophet. Vid. c. 15. and Isidorus HispalensisF3De Vita & Mort. Sanct. c 44. who say that he was of Sychem a city of Samaria and of the field of Bethachamar or Bethaccaron. Others would have him to be one of the overseers of the workmen in the house of the Lord in the times of Josiah 2 Chronicles 34:12; to which Mr. LivelyF4In loc. inclines; though others going according to the order of the books in the canon of Scripture which is not to be depended on place him earlier and make him contemporary with Hosea Joel and Amos as GrotiusF5In loc. HuetiusF6Demonstrat. Evangel. Prop. 4. p. 290. and LightfootF7Works vol. 1. p. 96. : but he seems rather to be contemporary with Jeremiah and Ezekiel with whose prophecies this agrees as may be observed by comparing it with Jeremiah 49:1; and to have lived and prophesied after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; in which the Edomites against whom he prophesies had a concern; see Obadiah 1:11; though Dr. Lightfoot thinks these prophecies refer either to the sacking of Jerusalem by Shishak king of Egypt 1 Kings 14:25; or by the Philistines and Arabians 2 Chronicles 21:16; or by Joash king of Israel 2 Chronicles 25:21; so that upon the whole it is not certain; and as Aben Ezra and Kimchi own it is not known in what age this prophet lived: Bishop UsherF8Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3417 or 587 B.C. places his prophecy in the twelfth year of Jeconiah's captivity. However there is no doubt to be made of the authenticity of the prophecy; as may be concluded not only from the title of it and the solemn manner in which it begins; but from the matter of it and the accomplishment of what is contained in it; as well as from the testimony borne to it in the New Testament in which not only the book of the minor prophets in which this stands is quoted Acts 7:42; but a passage in it Obadiah 1:8; is referred to in 1 Corinthians 1:19; as is thought by some learned men. I have only to observe that according to Pseudo-EpiphaniusF9Ut supra. (De Prophet. Vid. c. 15.) he died in Bethachamar where he is said to be born and was buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors; but according to JeromF11Comment. in loc. & in Epitaph. Paulae fol. 59. M. and IsidoreF12Ut supra. (De Vita & Mort. Sanct. c 44.) his sepulchre is in Sebaste or Samaria; which remained to the times of Jerom near those of the Prophet Elisha and John the Baptist. Monsieur ThevenotF13Travels par. 1. B. 1. ch. 56. p. 216. says that John Baptist here lies buried between the Prophets Elisha and Abdias.

 

Commentator

John Gill (November 23 1697-October 14 1771) was an English Baptist a biblical scholar and a staunch Calvinist. Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.

He was born in Kettering Northamptonshire. In his youth he attended Kettering Grammar School mastering the Latin classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow Gill throughout his life.

At the age of about twelve Gill heard a sermon from his pastor William Wallis on the text "And the Lord called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost nineteen years of age.

His first pastoral work was as an intern assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel Horsleydown Southwark in 1719. In 1757 his congregation needed larger premises and moved to a Carter Lane St. Olave's Street Southwark. His pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.

During Gill's ministry the church strongly supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.

In 1748 Gill was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar and a prolific author. His most important works are:

John Gill is the first major writing Baptist theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century. Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist which would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself which would make him merely a precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.

 

¢w¢w¡mJohn Gill¡¦s Exposition of the Bible¡n

 

New King James Version Bible NKJV

The NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars church leaders and lay Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and grammar of the King James Version while preserving the classic style of the of the 1611 version.

The task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order grammar vocabulary and spelling. One of the most significant features of the NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou" "thee" "ye " "thy " and "thine." Verb forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example "speaks" rather than "speaketh").

 

Young¡¦s Literal Translation (YLT)

Young¡¦s Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young who also compiled Young¡¦s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as published by Baker Book House Grand Rapids Michigan. Obvious errors in spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.