And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

And Achab called Abdias the governor of his house: now Abdias feared the Lord very much.

And Ahab called Obadiah, who was the steward of his house (now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly;

and Ahab calleth unto Obadiah, who is over the house, and Obadiah hath been fearing Jehovah greatly,

And Ahab sent for Obadiah, the controller of the king's house. (Now Obadiah had the fear of the Lord before him greatly;

And Ahab summoned Obadiah, the steward of the house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.

Obadiah's name, "servant of Yahweh," indicates his religious character. It corresponds to the modern Arabic name Abdallah. Ahab could scarcely have been ignorant of Obadiah's faithfulness to Yahweh; and it tells in favor of the monarch's tolerance that he should have maintained an adherent of the old religion in so important an office. There seems to be no doubt that the worst deeds of Ahab's reign sprang less from his own free will and natural disposition than from the evil counsels, or rather perhaps the imperious requirements, of his wife.

Obadiah feared the Lord greatly - He was a sincere and zealous worshipper of the true God, and his conduct towards the persecuted prophets was the full proof both of his piety and humanity.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which [was] the governor of [his] house. (Now Obadiah (b) feared the LORD greatly:
(b) God had begun to work his fear in his heart, but had not yet brought him to the knowledge which is also required of the godly: that is, to profess his Name openly.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house,.... Perhaps his steward: the Jews (m) take him to be Obadiah the prophet, who wrote the small prophecy that goes by his name:
(now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:) who, though he did not go up to Jerusalem to worship, which ceremonial service was dispensed with in him, yet he did not worship the calves, nor Baal, but served the Lord in a spiritual manner.
(m) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 39. 2.

Obadiah feared the Lord greatly--Although he did not follow the course taken by the Levites and the majority of pious Israelites at that time of emigration into Judah (2-Chronicles 11:13-16), he was a secret and sincere worshipper. He probably considered the violent character of the government, and his power of doing some good to the persecuted people of God as a sufficient excuse for his not going to worship in Jerusalem.

Obadiah - Being valued by Ahab for his great prudence and fidelity, and therefore indulged as to the worship of the calves and Baal. But how could he and some other Israelites be said to fear the Lord, when they did not go up to Jerusalem to worship, as God had commanded? Although they seem not to be wholly excusable in this neglect, yet because they worshipped God in spirit and truth, and performed all moral duties to God and their brethren, and abstained from idolatry, being kept from Jerusalem by violence, God bares with their infirmity herein.