Person Old Testament
Obadiah
Also known as Abda
Obadiah, also known as Abda, was a gatekeeper and descendant of Jeduthun who served in the temple. Mentioned in 3 verses across 2 books, first at 1 Chronicles 9:16.
Why it matters. Gatekeeper, descendant of Jeduthun
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Obadiah
Obadiah, also known as Abda, was a gatekeeper in the temple during the post-exilic period (1Ch.9.16; Neh.12.25). He was a descendant of Jeduthun, one of the three principal musicians appointed by David (1Ch.16.41-42). Obadiah's duties as a gatekeeper likely included guarding the entrance to the temple, maintaining order, and ensuring that only authorized individuals entered the sacred space. He was also a singer and was involved in the musical aspects of temple worship (Neh.11.17). His service in the temple highlights the importance of the Levitical roles in maintaining the proper functioning of the temple and its worship.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Shemaiah
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.