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עֹבַדְיָה

𐤏𐤁𐤃𐤉𐤄

Ovadeyah

H5662 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עבד to serve, to work, to perform service

Definition

A personal name meaning 'YHWH is my servant' or 'Servant of YHWH.' Used as the personal name of multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, generally referencing an Israelite man. Occasionally extended as a title reflecting piety or official service, but primarily a proper name.

Semantic Range

personal name 'servant of YHWH', 'Obadiah' referring to specific Israelite individuals; not used as a generic noun or title

Root / Etymology

Formed from the active participle עֹבֵד ('servant' or 'one who serves') of the root עבד ('to serve, work, perform service') and the theophoric suffix יָהּ ('Yah,' a shortened form of the divine name YHWH). Thus, עֹבַדְיָהֹ or עֹבַדְיָהוּ literally means 'servant of YHWH.' This construction is typical of theophoric personal names in the Hebrew Bible. The name can take the shorter form ('Obadyah') or the longer ('Obadyahu'), following a common pattern in biblical names.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עֹבַדְיָה was a common masculine personal name in First Temple period Israelite society, attested for at least thirteen individuals in the Hebrew Bible, including a prophetic figure, temple officials, and Levitical functionaries. The name typifies a theophoric construction emphasizing devotion or service to the Israelite deity YHWH. In translation traditions (e.g., in the KJV), 'Obadiah' became the standard English form and was sometimes retroactively interpreted in later Jewish and Christian contexts as 'servant of the LORD' or as a title, but in biblical Hebrew it remains a personal name. Use of 'Obadiah' as a title or generic description is not attested in the Hebrew Bible. The distinction between shorter (יָהּ) and longer (יָהוּ) forms is primarily orthographic, not semantic. The name must be distinguished from generic terms for servant (עֶבֶד) or worshiper (עֹבֵד) which are not personal names. The name persisted into later Judean and Samaritan traditions and may have influenced similar theophoric names in post-biblical periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or עֹבַדְיָהוּ; active participle of עָבַד and יָהּ; serving Jah; Obadjah, the name of thirteen Israelites; Obadiah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עבד (ʿ-b-d) — to serve, to work, to perform service

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4566 מַעְבָּד their deeds
H4567 מַעְבָד his deeds
H5647 עָבַד he served
H5648 עֲבַד you did
H5649 עֲבַד servant

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5662-02 עֹבַדְיָ֖הוּ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH 6
H5662-01 עֹֽבַדְיָ֑ה ovadeyah HNp Obadiah Servant of Yah 6
H5662-04 וְ֠/עֹבַדְיָה veovadeyah HC/Np and Obadiah and Servant-of-Yah 4
H5662-05 וְ/עֹבַדְיָ֗הוּ veovadeyahu HC/Np and Obadiah and Servant-of-YHWH 3
H5662-03 וּ/לְ/עֹבַדְיָ֣ה uleovadeyah HC/R/Np and to Obadiah and to Servant-of-Yah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

20 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5662-02 1 Kings 18:3 עֹבַדְיָ֖הוּ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH
H5662-05 1 Kings 18:3 וְ/עֹבַדְיָ֗הוּ veovadeyahu HC/Np Now Obadiah and Servant-of-YHWH
H5662-02 1 Kings 18:4 עֹבַדְיָ֜הוּ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH
H5662-02 1 Kings 18:5 עֹ֣בַדְיָ֔הוּ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH
H5662-05 1 Kings 18:6 וְ/עֹֽבַדְיָ֛הוּ veovadeyahu HC/Np and Obadiah and Servant-of-YHWH
H5662-02 1 Kings 18:7 עֹבַדְיָ֨הוּ֙ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH
H5662-02 1 Kings 18:16 עֹבַדְיָ֛הוּ ovadeyahu HNp Obadiah Servant of YHWH
H5662-01 Obadiah 1:1 עֹֽבַדְיָ֑ה ovadeyah HNp of Obadiah Servant of Yah
H5662-01 Ezra 8:9 עֹבַדְיָ֖ה ovadeyah HNp Obadiah Servant of Yah
H5662-01 Nehemiah 10:6 עֹֽבַדְיָֽה ovadeyah HNp Obadiah Servant of Yah
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