Obadiah
From BibleEncyclopedia.Net
Servant of YHWH.
(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 (1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:13). Ahab seems to have held Obadiah in great honour, although he had no sympathy with his piety (1 Kings 18:5, 1 Kings 18:6, 1 Kings 18:7). The last notice of him is his bringing back tidings to Ahab that Elijah, whom he had so long sought for, was at hand (1 Kings 18:9-16). “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 Chronicles 7:3).
(3.) A descendant of Saul (1 Chronicles 8:38).
(4.) A Levite, after the Captivity (1 Chronicles 9:16).
(5.) A Gadite who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:9).
(6.) A prince of Zebulun in the time of David (1 Chronicles 27:19).
(7.) One of the princes sent by Jehoshaphat to instruct the people in the law (2 Chronicles 17:7).
(8.) A Levite who superintended the repairs of the temple under Josiah (2 Chronicles 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.
ō-ba-dī´a (עבדיה, ‛ōbhadhyāh, more fully עבדיהוּ, ‛ōbhadhyāhū, “servant of YHWH”):
(1) The steward or prime minister of Ahab, who did his best to protect the prophets of YHWH against Jezebel's persecution. He met Elijah on his return from Zarephath, and bore to Ahab the news of Elijah's reappearance (1 Kings 18:3-16).
(2) The prophet (Obadiah 1:1). See Book Of Obadiah.
(3) A descendant of David (1 Chronicles 3:21).
(4) A chief of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:3).
(5) A descendant of Saul (1 Chronicles 8:38; 1 Chronicles 9:44).
(6) A Levite descended from Jeduthun (1 Chronicles 9:16), identical with Abda (Nehemiah 11:17).
(7) A chief of the Gadites (1 Chronicles 12:9).
(8) A Zebulunite, father of the chief Ishmaiah (1 Chronicles 27:19).
(9) One of the princes sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7).
(10) A Merarite employed by Josiah to oversee the workmen in repairing the temple (2 Chronicles 34:12).
(11) The head of a family who went up with Ezra from Babylon (Ezra 8:9).
(12) One of the men who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:5).
(13) A gate-keeper in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 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.”
