Obadiah (given name)


Obadiah is a masculine given name. It is of Biblical Hebrew origin, and its popularity derives from Obadiah, a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and in the religious traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Etymology

Obadiah is a biblical theophorical name, meaning "servant or slave of Yahweh" or "worshiper of Yahweh." The Greek form of the name used in the Septuagint is Obdios. In Latin it is translated as Abdias while in Arabic it is either ʿAbdullah, Ubaydah, or Ubaidullah "Slave of God". The Bishops' Bible refers to the prophet with this name as Abdi. The name is related to "Abdeel", "servant of God", which is also cognate to the Arabic name "Abdullah" or "Obaidullah". The equivalent Turkish name is Abdil or Abdi.

Biblical figures

  • Obadiah (1 Kings), head of King Aab's household who announces the return of Elijah. According to the rabbinic tradition, the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, this is the same individual as the prophet.
  • the son of Hananiah, a descendant of king David of Israel through Solomon
  • the son of Uzzi, a descendant of the Hebrew patriarch Issachar
  • the son of Azel, a descendant of King Saul of Israel through Jonathan
  • the son of Shemaiah, a descendant of the Hebrew patriarch Levi
  • a warrior of the Tribe of Gad who served King David
  • the father of Ishmaiah, governor of the tribe of Zebulun during the reign of King David
  • a prince of the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat
  • a Levite, overseer of the reconstruction efforts during the reforms of King Josiah of Judah
  • the son of Joab, one of the individuals who returned from the Babylonian captivity with the priestly scribe Ezra, and possibly the Levite mentioned in Nehemiah 12:25 as a porter of Jerusalem's gates after the city's reconstruction under Nehemiah

People

Pre-17th century

17th century to the present

Fictional characters