Birth and Ancestors

• Timeframe: -Likely 9th century BCE (possibly during Jehoram's reign, ca. 848–841 BCE) or 6th century BCE (post-586 BCE Babylonian exile); scholarly consensus leans toward the later date due to thematic ties to Jerusalem's fall.
• Scholarly consensus favors the post-exilic (586 BCE) date, making Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel the primary contemporaries.

Marriage and Descendants

• Spouse #1:
  • Story:
  • Children:
• Spouse #2:
  • Story:
  • Children:
• Other Descendants of Note:

Land and Dwelling

Dwelling Places

• Likely in or near Jerusalem/Judah, inferred from the prophecy's focus on Zion and Edom's relation to Israel.

Journeys

Military

Medical and Death

Righteousness and Unrighteousness

Righteousness

Unrighteousness

Other

• Prophet of YHWH, delivering a "vision" against Edom (Obadiah 1:1);
• Considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

Extra Biblical Information

Landmarks:

• Edom's "Mount Esau" (Obadiah 1:8–9, 19, 21): Ancient rocky strongholds like Sela (modern Petra, Jordan), a Nabatean-carved city later associated with Edomite territory.

Archeology:

• Edomite sites: Excavations at sites like Tel Masos (Israel/Jordan border) and Buseirah (ancient Bozrah, Jordan) show Iron Age Edomite settlements with fortifications matching Obadiah's descriptions of prideful "clefts of the rock" (1:3). Pottery and inscriptions from ca. 8th–6th centuries BCE confirm Edom's expansion into southern Judah post-exile, aligning with the prophecy's context of betrayal during Jerusalem's fall. No direct artifacts linked to Obadiah himself.