Obadiah’s prophecies against Edom span the book of Obadiah, which consists of only 21 verses. The key verses that predict Edom’s downfall are Obadiah 1:18-20.
Obadiah 1:18 states: “The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken.”
This verse uses the metaphor of fire and stubble to predict that the houses of Jacob and Joseph (referring to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah) will destroy the house of Esau. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau. So this prophecy foretells that the Israelites will burn and completely destroy the nation of Edom, leaving no survivors.
Obadiah 1:19 continues: “Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.”
This verse gets more specific, predicting that the southern tribe of Judah (the Negeb region) and the western lowlands (Shephelah) will conquer and possess the lands of the Edomites and Philistines. It also says the northern tribes will take back their former territories of Ephraim, Samaria and Gilead.
Finally, Obadiah 1:20 declares: “The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.”
Here, the prophecy says that the exiled Israelites will return to conquer and settle in the lands of the Canaanites and cities of the Negeb region (southern Judah). This refers to the Jews returning from Babylon to resettle the Promised Land.
In summary, Obadiah 1:18-20 contains specific predictions that Edom would be completely destroyed by Israel and Judah. The Edomite lands would then be possessed by the Israelites returning from exile. But when were these prophecies fulfilled?
The First Stage of Fulfillment: 580s-550s BC
The first phase of fulfillment came through the Babylonian Empire in the 6th century BC. Obadiah likely prophesied sometime between 587-553 BC, based on the context of verses 11-14 referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
In approximately 582 BC, the Edomites aided Babylon during its siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Obadiah prophesied Edom’s judgment for this action. Then from the 580s-550s BC, the Babylonians invaded and conquered Edom as part of their campaign to control the Southern Levant.
Archaeological evidence confirms the Edomite kingdom was defeated and devastated during this time period. Their capital city of Bozrah was destroyed and abandoned. Many other Edomite cities were also wiped out. Those who survived were forced to resettle in the Negev and Southern Judea.
So the first stage of fulfillment was the Babylonian destruction of Edom in the 6th century BC, as predicted by Obadiah. The Edomites lost their national identity and homeland as a result.
The Second Stage of Fulfillment: 400s-100s BC
Obadiah’s predictions of the Israelites possessing Edom’s lands took longer to be completely fulfilled. The Jews began returning from exile in the late 500s BC to rebuild Jerusalem and resettle Judah.
In the 400s-300s BC, the Nabatean Arabs gradually drove the Edomites out of their remaining settlements in the Negev and Southern Jordan. The Nabateans took over the old Edomite strongholds of Sela and Bozrah.
In the mid-2nd century BC, the Maccabean ruler John Hyrcanus conquered and forced converted the Edomite remnants in southern Judah. He destroyed their last sites and integrated them into the Jewish nation through circumcision.
So by the 100s BC, the Edomites had essentially disappeared from history. The Nabateans and Jews had moved into the old Edomite territory, fulfilling the prophecies that Israel and Judah would possess Mount Esau and the Negev region.
Later References to Edom’s Destruction
The Old Testament contains other prophecies beyond Obadiah echoing Edom’s irreversible destruction.
Isaiah 34:5-15 foretold Edom’s coming judgment. Ezekiel 25:12-14 and 35:1-15 reiterated that Edom would be made a desolation. Jeremiah 49:7-22 pronounced that Edom would be so destroyed that “no man shall remain there.”
These prophecies agreed with Obadiah’s prediction that Edom would be wiped out with no survivors. The historical records confirm by the 2nd century BC the Edomites had essentially vanished as a people and nation.
Obadiah’s prophecy in verse 18 that “there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau” was ultimately fulfilled. The other prophecies about Israel and Judah possessing Edom’s land also came to pass over a period of several centuries.
Through Babylon, the Nabateans and the Maccabees, the LORD brought complete destruction on Edom for its violence against Israel (Obadiah 1:10). The specific predictions in Obadiah 1:18-20 were realized as the Edomite civilization was eliminated from history.