There is some scholarly debate over the book of Obadiah. In Hebrew, the name Obadiah means, “Servant of the LORD”. Some scholars believe that the man who wrote this book, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wanted to stay anonymous, so he wrote as “Obadiah” rather than with his given name. Others think that Obadiah is a perfectly acceptable name for a
faithful Israelite and so the author should be rightly seen as using his real name. Another debate is over the date of Obadiah. Some think that Obadiah should be dated to the early 900’s BC, which would make Obadiah contemporary with King Solomon and the building of the Temple.
Others think it fits better in the time of 586 BC, and the destruction of the Temple. Regardless, the book is very short and revolves around the nation of Edom. Edom traces its origins to Esau the twin brother of Jacob, whom the Israelites descended from. Obadiah criticizes Edomite behaviour toward Judah, and sees God holding Edom accountable.

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