Interesting Facts

• There are no specific intriguing or non-intuitive details about Obadiah’s story or actions presented in the sources.

Genealogy

• Obadiah was a son of Mibsam.
• Mibsam was one of the sons of Ishmael and Ribah (also called Meribah).
• Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid.
• Therefore, Obadiah was a grandson of Ishmael and a great-grandson of Abraham.
• The sources do not mention any marital connections or offspring of Obadiah.

Historical Context

Obadiah lived during the time when the descendants of Ishmael were multiplying and establishing their families. This period followed the separation of Ishmael and his mother Hagar from Abraham and Sarah, as recounted in the narratives. Ishmael’s family dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and God blessed Ishmael, causing his family to grow and increase in livestock. The genealogical lists provided in the sources serve to document this expansion of Ishmael’s lineage. While the texts detail interactions and events involving Abraham, Sarah, and their immediate descendants, the narrative concerning Ishmael’s sons and grandsons, like Obadiah, primarily focuses on their place within the broader family tree and the fulfillment of the divine promise that Ishmael would father a great nation. Specific cultural or political details pertaining directly to Obadiah’s individual life are absent from these sources.

Narrative

Obadiah is mentioned once in the provided sources, within a list detailing the descendants of Ishmael’s wife Ribah. He is identified as one of the sons of Mibsam. The narrative focus of the sources during this period is on the lineage and growth of Abraham’s extended family, particularly the descendants of Ishmael. Obadiah does not participate in any specific events, dialogues, or actions within the narrative presented in these excerpts. His inclusion serves the purpose of documenting the familial connections and the expansion of Ishmael’s progeny through his sons and their subsequent families. Therefore, Obadiah remains a figure within the genealogical records, without a personal narrative developed within these particular sources.