מלכים א, פרק י״ח, פסוק ד׳

Jezebel sought to establish Baal worship as the absolute foundation of her kingdom, a campaign that drove her to order the execution of all the prophets of God [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Against this backdrop of intense persecution, Obadiah stepped forward to protect the targeted men. His extraordinary dedication reveals the profound depth of his fear of God [רש״י]. Concealing one hundred wanted prophets from the government and ensuring they were fed during a severe famine was an incredibly complex and difficult mission [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

To keep them safe, Obadiah placed the men in a secret hiding spot [מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that he did not shelter all one hundred prophets together. Instead, he divided them into two separate groups of fifty, locating two distinct, large caves to house them. This strategic division was a deliberate precaution against Jezebel discovering them, effectively reducing the risk of all the prophets being captured at once [רלב״ג].

Within these hidden caves, Obadiah personally managed all their needs, providing them with a steady supply of bread and water [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The specific effort to supply water highlights the immense magnitude of his dedication and sacrifice, as water had become an exceedingly rare and precious commodity during the years of drought and starvation [רד״ק].