Texts in Conversation
Obadiah and Amos 9 share the same structure and themes: possessing Edom, restoring exiles, and reclaiming lost territory. Both passages close with a promise that the kingdom will be restored.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Amos 9:12
Hebrew Bible
11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut of David. I will seal its gaps, repair its ruins, and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. 12 As a result they will conquer those left in Edom and all the nations subject to my rule.” The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking. 13 “Be sure of this, the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when the plowman will catch up to the reaper, and the one who stomps the grapes will overtake the planter. Juice will run down the slopes; it will flow down all the hillsides. 14 I will bring back my people, Israel; they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble and settle down. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; they will grow orchards and eat the fruit they produce. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,”says the Lord your God.
Obadiah 1:19
Hebrew Bible
17 But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, and it will be a holy place once again. The descendants of Jacob will conquer those who had conquered them. 18 The descendants of Jacob will be a fire and the descendants of Joseph a flame. The descendants of Esau will be like stubble. They will burn them up and devour them. There will not be a single survivor of the descendants of Esau!” Indeed, the Lord has spoken it. 19 The people of the Negev will take possession of Esau’s mountain, and the people of the foothills will take possession of the land of the Philistines. They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, and the people of Benjamin will take possession of Gilead. 20 The exiles of this fortress of the people of Israel will take possession of what belongs to the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will take possession of the towns of the Negev. 21 Those who have been delivered will go up on Mount Zion in order to rule over Esau’s mountain. Then the Lord will reign as King!
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Notes and References
The cumulative effect of these parallels suggests a close affinity between Amos 9 and Obadiah. The parallels in the first portion of Obadiah reflect formal similarities by using similar text markers and linguistic formulations. By contrast, the parallels with Amos 9:11-15 tend to be thematic and formal. In places where one finds structural and linguistic similarities, they serve a larger rhetorical purpose. Namely, they document a message of incontrovertible judgment against Israel (Amos 9) and Edom (Obadiah 1-14). In so doing, the fate of the two nations is joined. Both political entities will be destroyed. However, the thematic parallels in the latter portions of these two texts shift from words of judgment against Israel and Edom to promises of restoration for Judah.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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