Obadiah (1 Kings)

Woodcut of Obadiah hiding the prophets. Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695.

Obadiah is a character in 1 Kings in the Hebrew Bible. He was a majordomo in charge of Ahab's palace.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, J. A. "Obadiah". New Bible Dictionary. p. 902.
  2. ↑ Leithart, Peter (2006). 1 & 2 Kings. Brazos Press. p. 133.
  3. ↑ The Lives of the Holy Prophets, Buena Vista CO: Holy Apostles Convent, p. 4, ISBN 0-944359-12-4
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