Obadiah

Obadiah, book of

Obadiah, book of One of the Minor Prophecies in the OT, though nothing is known of the prophet himself. It is the shortest book in the OT; perhaps placed fourth in its group in order to follow immediately the reference to edom in Amos (9: 12). It is a sustained execration of the Edomites for joining the enemies of Judah in sacking Jerusalem. The situation seems to be the siege of Jerusalem by the babylonians in 586 and the bitterness of the prophecy is aggravated by the kinship of the Edomites to the people of Israel (Obad. 12); the Edomites were descended from Esau (Gen. 36: 9), the brother of Jacob (Israel), and they occupied the land later called Idumaea. The freshness of the denunciation argues for a date of composition not far off 586 BCE, and certainly before Edom was occupied by the Nabataeans in the 4th cent.

Obad. does not have any hint of the duty of a gentile mission, as Jonah does; but the threat of vengeance which is its theme is ascribed to the hand of God (Obad. 21), who is absolute Justice (Obad. 8), rather than being wrought by the injured people, and ‘Edom’ could indeed stand for all the similar evils perpetrated by human beings.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Obadiah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Obadiah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Obadiahbookof.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Obadiah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Obadiahbookof.html

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Obadiah

Obadiah short prophetic book of the Bible. The prophet is otherwise unknown. The oracle which comprises this book dates from after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC The prophecy calls down doom on Edom, who had gloated over the misfortune of Israel, and announces that the exiles of Israel and Judah will be re-gathered and will dominate Palestine, including Edom. Verses 1-9 are closely paralleled in the Book of Jeremiah, and verse 17 is apparently quoted in the Book of Joel.

Bibliography: See H. W. Wolff, Obadiah and Jonah (1986); J. Limburg, Hosea-Micah (1988).

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"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Obad-book.html

"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Obad-book.html

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Obadiah

Obadiah ♂ From a biblical name meaning ‘servant of God’ in Hebrew (compare Arabic Abdullah, which has the same meaning). This was the name of a prophet who gave his name to one of the shorter books of the Bible, and of two other minor biblical characters: a porter in the temple (Nehemiah 12:25), and the man who introduced King Ahab to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18).

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Obadiah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Obadiah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Obadiah.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Obadiah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Obadiah.html

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Obadiah, Book of

Obadiah, Book of. Minor Prophet and the shortest Book in the OT. It foretells the punishment of the Edomites (the traditional foes of the Jews) in the coming Day of the Lord. Most modern scholars divide it into a number of sections which are variously dated from the 9th to the 5th cent. BC.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ObadiahBookof.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ObadiahBookof.html

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Obadiah

Obadiah , in the Bible. 1 Prophet, author of the book of Obadiah . 2 Ahab's major-domo. 3 Descendant of David. 4 One of David's mighty men. 5 Prince under Jehoshaphat. 6 Repairer of the Temple. 7 Father of Ishmaiah . 8 Same as Abda 2.

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"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Obadiah.html

"Obadiah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Obadiah.html

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Obadiah, Book of

Obadiah, Book of. Minor Prophet of the Hebrew scriptures and Christian Old Testament, the shortest book therein. The rabbis identified Obadiah with King Ahab's servant (1 Kings 18. 3–4), but this is unlikely.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-ObadiahBookof.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Obadiah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-ObadiahBookof.html

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Obadiah

Obadiah (in the Bible) a Hebrew minor prophet; the shortest book of the Bible, bearing his name.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Obadiah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Obadiah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Obadiah.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Obadiah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Obadiah.html

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Obadiah

Obadiah, the manservant of the Shandy family in Sterne's Tristram Shandy.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Obadiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Obadiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Obadiah.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Obadiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Obadiah.html

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Obadiah

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"Obadiah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Uncle Obadiah and the Alien.(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: World Literature Today; 1/1/1998
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Joel and Obadiah: a Commentary.(Book Review)
Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 1/1/2003

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