When Jerusalem and Judah where destroyed and burnt during the Babylonian invasion of 588-586 BC and while the people of Judah where slaughtered or taken into captivity to Babylon, the descendents of Jacob's twin brother Esau, the Edomites, watched, waited, gloated, and rejoiced. And, then
when they had an opportunity to act they “cut down the fugitive” Jews who were escaping the Babylonians, captured them to “hand over” to Nebuchadnezer's forces and “marched through
the gates” of the burnt cities to plunder and “seize the wealth” that was left behind.

In three verses Obadiah uses eight negatives to identify what Edom should not have done along
with nine descriptions of what they did do. Obadiah then uses the Hebrew word yom, or “day,”
along with eight descriptive words to identify what kind of “Day” it was for Judah that Edom took advantage. These were the days of Judah's misfortune, destruction, trouble, disaster and calamity. Edom demonstrated a hostile attitude that manifested in physical violence against God's people.
Obadiah tells Edom their days are numbered because of this behavior.

According to Jeremiah 27:3 Edom was still an independent nation in 594 BC. Although Ammon
and Moab where overrun by the Babylonians soon after Judah was overrun, there is no reference to Edom ever being taken by Nebuchadnezzar. One assumption is that they followed Jeremiah's message of advice sent to Edom in Jeremiah 27:3, 6-7. (Jer. 49:7-22) and simply submitted to Nebuchadnezzar as Jeremiah repeatedly told the leaders of Judah to do. The Nabateans, a
nomadic Arab tribe took the land of Edom around 450 BC. By 312 BC Petra (an important city
in the rocky crags of Edom) was occupied by the Nabataeans and Edom had been removed
from history never to rise again.

The acid test of our love for God is obedience to His Word. - Bob Jones, Sr