Obadiah

Obadiah - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Servant of the Lord. (1.) An Israelite who was chief in the household of King Ahab (1 Kings 18:3). Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to God, and interposed to protect The Lord's prophets, an hundred of whom he hid at great personal risk in a cave (4, 13). Ahab seems to have held Obadiah in great honour, although he had no sympathy with his piety (5, 6, 7). The last notice of him is his bringing back tidings to Ahab that Elijah, whom he had so long sought for, was at hand (9-16). "Go," said Elijah to him, when he met him in the way, "go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here."

(2.) A chief of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chr. 7:3).

(3.) A descendant of Saul (1 Chr. 8:38).

(4.) A Levite, after the Captivity (1 Chr. 9:16).

(5.) A Gadite who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:9).

(6.) A prince of Zebulun in the time of David (1 Chr. 27:19).

(7.) One of the princes sent by Jehoshaphat to instruct the people in the law (2 Chr. 17:7).

(8.) A Levite who superintended the repairs of the temple under Josiah (2 Chr. 34:12).

(9.) One who accompanied Ezra on the return from Babylon (Ezra 8:9).

(10.) A prophet, fourth of the minor prophets in the Hebrew canon, and fifth in the LXX. He was probably contemporary with Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Of his personal history nothing is known.

o-ba-di'-a (`obhadhyah, more fully `obhadhyahu, "servant of Yahweh"):

(1) The steward or prime minister of Ahab, who did his best to protect the prophets of Yahweh against Jezebel's persecution. He met Elijah on his return from Zarephath, and bore to Ahab the news of Elijah's reappearance (1Ki 18:3-16).

(2) The prophet (Ob 1:1).

See OBADIAH, BOOK OF.

(3) A descendant of David (1Ch 3:21).

(4) A chief of the tribe of Issachar (1Ch 7:3).

(5) A descendant of Saul (1Ch 8:38; 9:44).

(6) A Levite descended from Jeduthun (1Ch 9:16), identical with Abda (Ne 11:17).

(7) A chief of the Gadites (1Ch 12:9).

(8) A Zebulunite, father of the chief Ishmaiah (1Ch 27:19).

(9) One of the princes sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in Judah (2Ch 17:7).

(10) A Merarite employed by Josiah to oversee the workmen in repairing the temple (2Ch 34:12).

(11) The head of a family who went up with Ezra from Babylon (Ezr 8:9).

(12) One of the men who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Ne 10:5).

(13) A gate-keeper in the days of Nehemiah (Ne 12:25).

The name "Obadiah" was common in Israel from the days of David to the close of the Old Testament. An ancient Hebrew seal bears the inscription "Obadiah the servant of the King."

John Richard Sampey

1. A man whose sons are enumerated in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 3:21) (B.C. 470.)
2. A descendant of Issachar and a chief man of his tribe. (1 Chronicles 7:3) (B.C. 1014.)
3. One of the six sons of Azel, a descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:33; 9:44) (B.C. 720.)
4. A Levite, son of Shemaiah, and descended from Jeduthun. (1 Chronicles 9:16; Nehemiah 12:25)
5. The second of the lion-faced Gadites who joined David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:9) (B.C. 1054.)
6. One of the Princes of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:7) (B.C. 909.)
7. The son of Jehiel, of the sons of Joab, who came up in the second caravan with Ezra. (Ezra 8:9)
8. A priest, or family of priests, who settled the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:5)
9. The fourth of the twelve minor prophets. We know nothing of him except what we can gather from the short book which bears his name. The question of his date must depend upon the interpretation of the 11th verse of his prophecy. He there speaks of the conquest of Jerusalem and the captivity of Jacob as having occurred, He probably refers to the captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, B.C. 688. It must have been uttered at some time in the five years which intervened between B.C. 588 and 583. The book of Obadiah is a sustained denunciation of the Edomites, melting into a vision of the future glories of Zion when the arm of the Lord should have wrought her deliverance and have repaid double upon her enemies.
10. An officer of high rank in the court of Ahab. (1 Kings 18:3) He was a devout worshipper of Jehovah, and at the peril of his life concealed over a hundred prophets during the persecution by Jezebel; (1 Kings 18:3-16) (B.C. 904.)
11. The father of Ishmaiah who was chief of the tribe of Zebulun in David’s reign. (1 Chronicles 27:19) (B.C. before 1014.)
12. A Merarite Levite in the reign of Josiah, and one of the overseers of the workmen in the restoration of the temple. (2 Chronicles 34:12) (B.C.623.)

Definition

Obadiah was an Old Testament prophet who prophesied against the people of Edom, who were the descendants of Esau. There were also many other men named Obadiah in the Old Testament.

• The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and tells a prophecy that Obadiah received through a vision from God.
• It is not clear when Obadiah lived and prophesied. It may have been during the periods that Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, and Athaliah, reigned in Judah. The prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah would also have been prophesying during part of this time.
• Obadiah may also have lived at a later time period, during the reign of King Zedekiah and the Babylonian captivity.
• Other men named Obadiah included a descendant of Saul, a Gadite who became one of David’s men, a palace administrator for King Ahab, an official of King Jehoshaphat, a man who helped with repairs to the temple during the time of King Josiah, and a Levite who was also a gatekeeper during the time of Nehemiah.
• It could be that the writer of the book of Obadiah was one of these men.

(Translation suggestions: Translate Names)

(See also: Ahab, Babylon, David, Edom, Esau, Ezekiel, Daniel, Gad, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, Levite, Saul (OT), Zedekiah)

Bible References

• 1 Chronicles 3:21
• 1 Chronicles 8:38-40
• Ezra 8:8-11
• Obadiah 1:2

Word Data

• Strong’s: H5662