Obadiah

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Easton's Bible Dictionary - Obadiah

Obadiah [N] [H] [S]

servant of the Lord.

  • 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."

  • A chief of the tribe of Issachar ( 1 Chronicles 7:3 ).

  • A descendant of Saul ( 1 Chronicles 8:38 ).

  • A Levite, after the Captivity ( 1 Chronicles 9:16 ).

  • A Gadite who joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chronicles 12:9 ).

  • A prince of Zebulun in the time of David ( 1 Chronicles 27:19 ).

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

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

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

  • 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.

    These dictionary topics are from
    M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition,
    published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.
    [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
    [H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names
    [S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary
    Bibliography Information

    Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for Obadiah". "Easton's Bible Dictionary". .

    • Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Obadiah

    Obadiah [N] [E] [S]

    servant of the Lord
    Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names. Public Domain. Copy freely.
    [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
    [E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary
    [S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary
    Bibliography Information

    Hitchcock, Roswell D. "Entry for 'Obadiah'". "An Interpreting Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names". . New York, N.Y., 1869.

    Smith's Bible Dictionary - Obadiah

    Obadiah [N] [E] [H]

    (servant of the Lord ),

    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 Davids 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.)
    [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
    [E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary
    [H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names
    Bibliography Information

    Smith, William, Dr. "Entry for 'Obadiah'". "Smith's Bible Dictionary". . 1901.

    International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Obadiah

    OBADIAH

    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 (1 Kings 18:3-16).

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

    See OBADIAH, BOOK OF.

    (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; 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."

    John Richard Sampey

    Copyright Statement
    These files are public domain.

    Bibliography Information
    Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'OBADIAH'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915.