3. Obadiah da Bertinore, who flourished A.D. 1470-1520, was a native of Citta di Castello, in the Ro- magna, Italy. In the year 1488 he left his native place for Palestine, where he soon occupied a high position, having been appointed chief rabbi at Jerusalem. This eminent place he held until his death, which occurred in 1520. He is especiallj- known in Jewish literature for his commentary on the Mishna, the H^'lJ ^^ '-''^"'5 n3'^"2 "^l]"!^ which is generally reprinted in the edi- tions of the jNIishna, and which has also been translated into Latin by Surenhusius in his excellent edition of the Mishna. Obadiah also wrote a commentary on Kuth, entitled rfll hs 1li^"i5, printed at Cracow under the title P^"! TT'^'ip, and reprinted in the collection \a'lp X^p^ (^\niice, 1585). Besides, he wrote a su- per-commentary on Rashi's commentarj' on the Penta- teuch, entitled Up} "n?? (Pisa, 1810; Sdihkow, 1837; Czernowitz, 1857). See Furst, Bibl. .Tud. i, 113 sq. ; Wolf, Bibl. Ihbr. i, 938; iii, 8G5; De Rossi, Dizlonario storico deyli autoii Ebrei (Germ, transl. by Hamberger) ; Jest, Gesch. d. Judenfh. u. s. Sekten, iii, 129; Griitz, Gesch. d. Juden, viii, 259 sq. (2d ed. Leips. 1875, p. 248 sq., 280) ; ix, 28 sq. ; Cassel, Leitfuden fur jiid. Ge- schichte n. Literafur (Berl. 1872), p. 91, 107; Coxforte, Koi-e ha-Dorot, p. 30 b ; Miscellany of Hebrew Literature (Lond. 1872, i, 113-150), where two letters of Obadiah are given from a Hebrew MS., containing his travels from Italv to Palestine.
4. OiiADiAir bkx-Jacob de Sforno, who figured as physician, divine, and commentator, was a native of Cesena, in Italy, and was born about the year 1470. In the year 1498 we meet him at Rome, as the teacher of the famous Ueuchlin, whom he instructed in the Hebrew language. He then settled at Bologna, where he practiced medicine until his death in 1550. He wrote *i" "IIX, A Commentary on the Pentateuch (Ven- ice, 1567): — .4 Commentary on the Song of Songs and Koheleth (ibid. 15()7): — .4 Commentary on Job, entitled p'llS ^S'^'i (ibid. 1590): — A Commentary on the Psalms (ibid. 1586): — A Commentary on Ruth: — A Commentary on the Later Prophets (i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Eze- kiel); all these commentaries are reprinted in the Rab- binical Bible, entitled !Ti;"3 r|rip, edited by Frank- furter (q. v.) (Amst. 1724-1727.4 vols, fol.):— A com- mentary on the treatise .4 6o^/(, mnX *^pisS hv 'C^~\'^, reprinted in the Machasor of Bologna, 1541 : — A treat- ise on metaphysics, entitled D''323 "IIS D (Bologna, 1537), against atheists and Epicureans. Of this treat-
ise Sforno made a Latin translation, which, with the commentary on Ecclesiastes, he dedicated to king John II of France. Besides, he also wrote some other works which have not as yet been published. See Fiirst, Bibl. Jud. iii, 319; De Rossi, Dizionario storico degli autori Ebrei, p. 295 (Germ, transl. by Hamberger); Wolf, Biblioth. Ilebr. i, 938-40 ; iii, 866 sq. ; iv, 939 ; Da Costa, Israel and the Gentiles, p. 487 ; Jost, Gesch. d. Juden. u. s. Sekten, iii, 121 ; (iriitz, Gesch. d. ,/uden, ix, 50, 94, 235 ; Etheridge, Introduction to Hebrew Lit- erature, p. 414; Steinschneider, Catalogus libroi-um Hebr. in Biblioiheca Bodleiana, col. 2075 ; Kitto, Cyclop. s. V. Sforno ; Jahrbuch der Gesch. d. Juden u. d. Juden- thums, ii, 345. (B. P.)
O'bal (Heb. Obal', ^21", a bare district; Sept. E(' a\ V. r. rijSaX ; Vulg. ^Ebal), son of Joktan, B.C. post 2060, and head of an Arabian tribe, mentioned in Gen. x, 28, and of the region wherein it dwelt, 1 Chron. i, 22 (where it is called Ebal, q. v.). Bochart (Phal. ii, 23) understands the Avalites, a people on the Ethiopian coast, near the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb (Ptol- emy, iv, 87), who gave name to the Sinus Abalites (Pliny, vi, 34). They' were a commercial people (For- ster, Geogr. of Arabia, i, 148). Others make Obal the same with the Gobolitis of Josephus (Fo/So/Xr-ic, Ant. ii, 1, 2; iii, 2, 1 ; see Schulthess, Parad. p. 84\ but here there is not even a resemblance (?-y and ?2"). See Arabia.
Obdi'a ('0/3^(rt v. r. '0/3/3tia; Yulg. Obia), a cor- rupt form (1 Esdr. v, 38) of the Heb. name Habaiah (Ezra ii, 61).
Obdvtracy. See Ha i:dnf.ss ob^ Heart; Sin.
Obe, Obeah, or Obi (etymology unknown), des- ignates a species of witchcraft practiced among tlie Ne- groes, especially in the West Indies, the apprehension of which, operating upon their superstitious fears, is frequently attended with disease and death. The prac- ticer is called an Obiah man or Obiah woman. It dif- fers in no essential respect from the corresponding su- perstitions all the world over. See Magic; Witch- craft.
O'bed (Heb. Obed', ^"ZM!, servant, i.e. of Jehovah; Sept. 'Qj3i]0 in Ruth, and so in the N. T. ; 'Ia;/3//0 in Chronicles ; v. r. 'Qjirjc, etc.), the name of several He- brews. See also Obed-edoji.
1. The son of Boaz and Rutli, and father of Jesse the father of David, according to the apparently incomplete genealogical list (Ruth iv, 17; 1 Chron. ii, 12). B.C. cir. 1360. The name occurs in the genealogies of Christ given by Matthew (i, 5) and Luke (iii, 33). See Da- vid; Genealogy.
2. One of David's mighty men (1 Chron. xi, 47). B.C. cir. 1046.