4. S/i/le, etc. — The language of Obadiah is pure ; but Jahn and others have observed that he is inferior to the more ancient prophets in his too great addiction to the interrogatory form of expression (see ver. 8). His sentiments are noble, and his figures bold and striking (De Wette's In/rod. Engl, transl.). I)e Wette's trans- lator observes that his hatred towards other nations is not so deep and deadly as that of some of his younger contemporaries.
5. Commentaries, — The special cxegetical helps on this prophecy are the following: Ephraem Syrus, Ex- plunutio (in Syriac, in his Opp, v, 269) ; Jerome, Com-
nientarius (in Ojip. ii, 145); Hugo a St. Victore, An- notationes (in Opp. i) ; Luther, Enarratio (in Opp. iii, 538); Regius, Cummentariolus (Cellje, 1537, 4to; also in Opp. iii, 100); Draconites, Commentarivlus (Argent. 1538, 8vo; Rost. 1548, 8vo; 1598, 4to) ; Del Castillio, Commentarius (Rom. 1556, 4to); Pontac, Commentarii [Rabbinic, includ. other books] (Par. 150G ; Heb. only, Jena, 1678, 8vo); Grynasus, Commentarius (Basil. 1584, 8vo) ; De Leon, Commentarius [includ. Gal.] (Sal- mant. 1589, 4to) ; Drusius, Leciiones [includ. other books] (Lugd. 1595, 8vo); Leucht, Erlldrupr/ (Darmst. 1606, 4to) ; Reynolds, Application (Lond. 1613, 4to) ; Renter, Commentarius (Fr. ad Od. 1617, 4to); Ges- ner, Commentarius (Hamb. 1618, 8vo) ; Zierlin, Er- kldrunff (Rotenb. 1620, 4to) ; Mercier, Commentarii [from the Rabbins, includ. other books] (Lugd. 1621, 4to) ; Tarnovius, Commentarius (Rost. 1624, 4to) ; Mar- bury, Commentarii (Lond. 1639, 4to); Ellis, Commen- tarius (ibid. 1641, 8vo) ; Kcinig, Dissert ationes (Alt. 1647, 4to) ; Leusden, Commentarii [from the Rabbins, includ. Joel] (Ultraj. 1657, 8vo) ; Stephens, Baslii's Comment, [in Heb., includ. other books] (Par. 1658, 4to) ; Pilkington, Exposition [includ. Hag.] (Lond. 1662, 8vo; also in Wor/iS, p. 201); Pfeiffer, Commen- tarius (Vitemb. 1666, 1670, 4to); Croze, Commentarius [Rabbinical] (Brem. 1673, 4to); Wasmuth, 7?o.';/i!« Com- ment, [in Heb.] (Jen. 1678, 8vo) ; Acoluthus, ^lt/Ho?a- tiones [on the Armen.] (Lips. 1680, 4to); Leigh, Com- mentarius (Hafn. 1697, 4to) ; Heupel, Adnotaliones (Argent. 1699, 4to); Outhof. Verklaaring (Gron. 1700, 8vo ; Dort, 1730, 4to) ; Zierold, Erkliirimg (Frankf. and Leips. 1719, 4to) ; Abresch, Specim. jihilol. [on vers. 1- 8] (Fr. ad M. 1757, 4to) ; Schrcir, Erlduterung (Bresl. and Leips. 1766, 8vo) ; Happach, Anmerl: (Coburg, 1779, 8vo) ; Kohlers, Anmerk. [on certain parts] (in Eichhorn's Repert. xv, 250) ; Schnurrer, JJissertatio (Tiibing. 1787, 4to ; also in his Dissertatt. p. 383) ; Holzapfel, Erlduterunr) (Rinteln, 1796, 8vo) ; Plum, Ohservationes [includ. Hah.] (Gijtting. 1796, 8vo) ; Grimm, Editio [on the Syriac, includ. Jonah] (Duisb. 1799, 8vo); Yencma, Lectt. (in Opusc. Ultr.ij. 1810); Krahmer, Ohservationes [on parts] (Marb. 1834, 8vo) ; Hendewerk, Enucleatio (Regiom. 1836, 8vo) ; Jiiger, Zeitalter Oh. (Tubing. 1837, 8vo) ; Caspari, A iislefjung (Leips. 1842, 8vo; also in Delitzsch and Caspari's ^'arc//. Uundh.'). See Pkopiip:ts, Minor.
9. A descendant of David (1 Chron. iii, 21), probably the son of Arnon (as the Sept. and Vulg. have it, read- ing 1:3, "his son," instead of "^1:3, "sons of"); ap- parently the same with Juua (Luke iii, 26) and Abiud (jNIatt. i, 13) of Christ's genealogy (q. v.). B.C. cir. 470.
10. The son of Jchicl, and descendant of Joab, who led back from captivity, under Ezra, a company con- taining two hundred and eighteen male kinsmen (Ezra viii, 9). B.C. 459.
11. A Levite, son of Shemaiah, and descended from .Jeduthun (1 Chron. ix, 16). He appears to have been a principal musician in the Temple choir in the time of Nchemiah (Neh. xii, 25). B.C. cir. 446. It is evi- dent, from a comparison of the last-quoted passage with 1 Chron. ix, 15-17 and Neh. xi, 17-19, that the first three names, "Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah," belong to ver. 24, and the last three, "Meshullam, Tal- mon, Akkub," were the fainilies of porters. The name is omitted in the Yat. IMS. in Neh. xii, 25, where the Codex Fred. Aug. has 'Of3^ia(; and the Vulg. Ohedia. In Neh. xi, 17 this Obadiah is called "Abda, the son of Shammua." — Smith.
12. One of the priests who joined in the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. x, 5). 15.0. 410.
Obadiah, a name common to many distinguished Jewish writers, of whom the following are especially noteworthy :
1. Obadiati di Bozzolo, so called from his native place, Bozzolo, in Italy, flourished about the beginning
OBADIAH
270
OBED-EDOM
of the 14th eontury, and wrote ^'^'^'n d'p^ "^X^, cab- alistic expositions and explanations of the Jewish rit- ual, consisting of four parts, of which the first part, en- titled C^'n ^V, " the tree of life," treats of meals; the second, C^^n "lipp, "the fountain of life," treats of what is to be done when going to bed; the third, ~'!'^ D"'n, "the way of life," treats of the reading of the law in the original and in the Chaldee paraphrase ; and the fourth part, entitled Qi^n nnis, "the path of life," treats of mystic thoughts during prayer. Only the first two parts were printed (Salonica, 1546), but the whole work is to be found in MS. in the Oppen- heim Library. See Furst, Bibl. JucL i, 129 ; Wolf, Bibl. llehr. i, 375; iii, 200; Jocher, Allgemeines Gelehrten- Lexikon, s. v.
2. OuADiAii bkn-David, who flourished about 1322, and wrote Cl'Sinb dnnri dllp Vl's, a commentary on that section of Maimonides's (q. v.) Jad ha-Cheralcu which treats on the Jewish calendar and astronomy, reprinted in the edition of the Jad ha-Cheraka ed. by D. N. Torres (Amst. 1702, fol., and often since). See Fiirst, Bibl. Jtid. iii, 43 ; Wolf, Bibl. Ilebr. i, 938 sq. ; iii, 8()5 sq. ; Jocher, A llgemeines Gelehrten-Lexikun, s. v.