עֹבַדְיָ֫הוּ
o.vad.yah
Obadiah
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Obadiah: A Biblical Name Entry The Hebrew word *Obadiah* (transliterated as *o.vad.yah*) appears seven times in the biblical text and functions as a proper name rather than a common noun. Based on the lexicon data provided, this entry designates a specific personal name without offering an analysis of its etymological components or internal meaning structure. The limited frequency of seven occurrences suggests that *Obadiah* refers to particular individuals within the biblical narrative rather than being a widely distributed term. The consistent classification as a proper name indicates it served as a personal identifier for specific people in ancient Hebrew texts, similar to how names function in modern usage. Without additional lexical information about the name's derivation or the individuals it identified, the significance can only be established through examining the narrative contexts in which these seven instances appear. To understand the full importance of this name in biblical literature, one would need to consult the actual passages where it occurs. The lexicon entry confirms its status as an established Hebrew personal name with multiple bearers in the biblical record, but the scope of this data does not extend to explaining the individuals involved, their roles, or why the name appeared multiple times across different biblical books.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences across the text
Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Yahweh greatly;
1 Kings 18:3Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Yahweh greatly;
1 Kings 18:4for when Jezebel cut off Yahweh’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
1 Kings 18:5Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.”
1 Kings 18:6So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
1 Kings 18:7As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
1 Kings 18:16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.