Obadiah

Obadiah (pronounced /ˌoʊbəˈdaɪ.ə/, Hebrew: עבדיה‎ ʿOvadyah or עבדיהו ʿOvadyahu, or in Modern Hebrew Ovadyah) is a Biblical theophorical name, meaning "servant of God" or "worshipper of Yah." The form of Obadiah's name used in the Septuagint is Obdios; in Latin it is Abdias. The Bishops' Bible has it as Abdi.

Prophet Obadiah

"The political situation implied in the prophecy points to a time after the Exile, probably in the mid-fifth century B.C. No value can be attributed to traditions identifying this prophet with King Ahab's steward (... so Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 39b) or with King Ahaziah's captain (... so Pseudo-Epiphanius...)." The Interpreters' Bible

Rabbinic tradition

According to the Talmud, Obadiah is said to have been a convert to Judaism from Edom, a descendant of Eliphaz, the friend of Job. He is identified with the Obadiah who was the servant of Ahab, and it is said that he was chosen to prophesy against Edom because he was himself an Edomite. Moreover, having lived with two such godless persons as Ahab and Jezebel without learning to act as they did, he seemed the most suitable person to prophesy against Esau (Edom).

Obadiah (1 Kings)

Obadiah is a character in 1 Kings in the Hebrew Bible. He was a majordomo in charge of Ahab's palace. According to 1 Kings 18:4, Obadiah hid a hundred prophets of Yahweh in caves to protect them from Jezebel.

Peter Leithart compares Obadiah to Elijah and notes that both are faithful servants of Yahweh but that they "radically differ in their position and mode of service." Whereas "Elijah confronts Ahab from outside the court," Obadiah works for the preservation of the prophets from within Ahab's court.

According to both rabbinic tradition and the tradition of the Orthodox Church, this Obadiah is the same person as the prophet who wrote the Book of Obadiah.

References

Obadiah (Khazar)

Obadiah was the name of a Khazar ruler of the late eighth or early ninth century. He is described as coming from among "the sons of the sons" of Bulan, but whether this should be taken literally to mean that he was Bulan's grandson, or figuratively to imply a more remote descent, is unclear. He was succeeded by his son Hezekiah.

Sources