Obadiah is one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible. He is usually grouped with the other "latter prophets," who prophesied after the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. Obadiah's prophecy is the shortest in the Old Testament, consisting of only 21 verses.
According to tradition, Obadiah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and he may have been a member of the royal court of King Josiah. He is often identified with the Obadiah who is mentioned as a prophet in 1 Kings 18:3-16, who saved 100 prophets from being killed by Queen Jezebel.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament is the first part of the Christian Bible, and it is also known as the Hebrew Bible or the Tanakh. It is written in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic, and it contains the religious and historical writings of the ancient Israelites.
The Old Testament is divided into four main parts:
* The Pentateuch, which consists of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
* The Historical Books, which include the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
* The Poetic Books, which include the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
* The Prophetic Books, which include the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The Old Testament is considered to be sacred scripture by Christians, Jews, and many other religious groups. It is a rich source of history, literature, poetry, and spiritual wisdom, and it has had a profound impact on Western civilization.