Obadiah 1:2 (KJV)

Passage

Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

Nearby Context

Obadiah 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

Obadiah 1:2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

Obadiah 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Obadiah 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "thee", "small", "heathen", "thou", "greatly", and "despised". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The vision of Obadiah Thus saith the..." into verse 3's "The pride of thine heart hath deceived...", so "behold" and "thee" belong inside that flow. In Obadiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.