When most of us hear the name, we immediately think of the minor prophet whose book is found near the end of the Old Testament. According to the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles as well as Nehemiah, 6 different men named Obadiah existed from different lines of Jacob's sons (Semites). The book of Obadiah doesn't mention much to identify the ineage of that person.
Jacob (Israel) > Isaachar > Tola > Uzzi > Izrahiah > Obadiah - 1 Chronicles 7:3
Jacob (Israel) > Judah ... David > Solomon > Rehoboam > Abijah > Asa > Jehoshaphat > Jehoram > Ahaziah > Joash > Amaziah > Azariah > Jotham > Ahaz > Hezekiah > Manasseh > Amon > Josiah > Jehoiakim > Jehoiachin > Pedaiah > Zerubbabel > Hananiah ... Obadiah - 1 Chronicles 3:21
Jacob (Israel) > Benjamin ... Ner > Kish > Saul > Jonathan > Merib-Baal > Micah > Ahaz > Jehoaddah > Zimri > Moza > Binea > Raphah > Eleasah > Azel > Obadiah - 1 Chronicles 8:38
Jacob (Israel) > Zebulun ... Obadiah > Ishmaiah - 1 Chronicles 27:19
It's possible that this might have been the same person as the prophet in the book of Obadiah in 1 Kings 18:1-16:
1. After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."
2. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,
3. and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD.
4. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)
5. Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals."
6. So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
7. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"
8. "Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, `Elijah is here.'"
9. "What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?
10. As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.
11. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, `Elijah is here.'
12. I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth.
13. Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water.
14. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, `Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"
15. Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."
16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
During the reign of Jehoshaphat (king of Judah), a 5th man named Obadiah (of unknown lineage) was mentioned in 2 Chronicles 17:
7. In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah.
8. With them were certain Levites--Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah--and the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
6th man named Obadiah (Jacob (Israel) > Levi ... Merari ... Obadiah) - 2 Chronicles 34:12
2 Chronicles 34:8-13:
8. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the LORD his God.
9. They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the doorkeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and
from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10. Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the LORD's temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple.
11. They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.
12. The men did the work faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites--all who were skilled in playing musical instruments--
13. had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and doorkeepers.
After the exile, the 7th man named Obadiah was stated as a descendant of Joab and son of Jehiel in Ezra 8:9 and an 8th man named Obadiah in
Nehemiah. Nehemiah 10:5 named a priest (Levite) among those who returned from Babylon. The Levite from the following passage is probably the same man as the one in chapter 10.
Nehemiah 12:23-25:
23. The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals.
24. And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
25. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.
