Abinadab
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Topical Encyclopedia
Name Meaning: The name Abinadab means "father of nobleness" or "my father is noble."

Biblical References:

1. Abinadab of Kirjath-jearim: Abinadab is first mentioned in the context of the Ark of the Covenant. After the Ark was returned by the Philistines, it was brought to the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, where it remained for many years. Abinadab's son, Eleazar, was consecrated to guard the Ark. This event is recorded in 1 Samuel 7:1: "Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD."

2. Abinadab, Son of Jesse: Abinadab is also the name of one of Jesse's sons, making him one of David's brothers. He is mentioned during the selection of David as king, when Samuel visits Jesse's family. Abinadab is presented to Samuel as a potential king, but he is not chosen. This account is found in 1 Samuel 16:8: "Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, 'The LORD has not chosen this one either.'"

3. Abinadab, Son of Saul: Another Abinadab is one of King Saul's sons. He fought alongside his father in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, where he was killed. This is recorded in 1 Samuel 31:2: "The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua."

Historical and Cultural Context:

· Abinadab of Kirjath-jearim: The Ark of the Covenant was a central symbol of God's presence with Israel. Its stay in Abinadab's house signifies a period of transition and waiting for Israel, as the Ark was not yet brought to Jerusalem. The consecration of Eleazar indicates the sacred responsibility associated with the Ark.

· Abinadab, Son of Jesse: As one of David's elder brothers, Abinadab's mention highlights the unexpected choice of David, the youngest, as king. This narrative underscores the biblical theme that God often chooses the unlikely or overlooked to fulfill His purposes.

· Abinadab, Son of Saul: His death alongside his father and brothers marks the tragic end of Saul's reign and the transition to David's kingship. This event is pivotal in the shift of power from the house of Saul to the house of David.

Theological Significance:

· Divine Selection: The accounts involving Abinadab, particularly the son of Jesse, emphasize the theme of divine selection and the criteria by which God chooses leaders, which often contrasts with human expectations.

· Custodianship of the Sacred: Abinadab of Kirjath-jearim's role in housing the Ark highlights the importance of reverence and proper custodianship of sacred objects and symbols in Israelite worship.

· Judgment and Transition: The death of Abinadab, son of Saul, serves as a narrative of judgment against Saul's disobedience and the divine orchestration of leadership transition in Israel.

Related Entries: Ark of the Covenant, Jesse, Saul, David, Eleazar, Jonathan, Philistines, Kirjath-jearim, Mount Gilboa.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Abinadab

father of a vow, or of willingness

Smith's Bible Dictionary
Abinadab

  1. A Levite, a native of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark remained 20 years. (1 Samuel 7:1,2; 1 Chronicles 13:7) (B.C. 1124.)
  2. Second son of Jesse, who followed Saul to his war against the Philistines, (1 Samuel 16:8; 17:13) (B.C. 1063.)
  3. A son of Saul, who was slain with his brothers at the fatal battle on Mount Gilboa. (1 Samuel 31:2) (B.C. 1053.)
  4. Father of one of the twelve chief officers of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:11) (B.C. before 1014.)
ATS Bible Dictionary
Abinadab

The same as Aminadab, b and m is often interchanged in Hebrew.

1. A son of Jesse, one of the three who followed Saul in the war with the Philistines, 1 Samuel 16:8; 17:13.

2. A son of Saul, slain in the battle at Gilboa, 1 Samuel 31:2.

3. A Levite of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark of God, when restored by the Philistines, remained seventy years, 1 Samuel 7:1; 1 Chronicles 13:7.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Father of nobleness; i.e., "noble."

(1.) A Levite of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark of the covenant was deposited after having been brought back from the land of the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1). It remained there twenty years, till it was at length removed by David (1 Samuel 7:1, 2; 1 Chronicles 13:7).

(2.) The second of the eight sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:8). He was with Saul in the campaign against the Philistines in which Goliath was slain (1 Samuel 17:13).

(3.) One of Saul's sons, who peristed with his father in the battle of Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:2; 1 Chronicles 10:2).

(4.) One of Solomon's officers, who "provided victuals for the king and his household." He presided, for this purpose, over the district of Dor (1 Kings 4:11).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ABINADAB

a-bin'-a-dab ('abhinadhabh, "father of willingness," or, "my father is willing." This is according to the ordinary usage of the second word in the name-"willing" rather than "munificent" or "noble"):

(1) The man in whose house the men of Kiriath-jearim placed the ark, after its return from the land of the Philistines, his house being either in Gibeah of Benjamin or "in the hill" (1 Samuel 7:1 2 Samuel 6:3, 4). To account for the ambiguity note that gibh`ah means hill, and that the place-name Gibeah ordinarily has the definite article. It is natural to think that Abinadab was himself a man of Kiriath-jearim, though the account does not explicitly say so. The record is that the men of Kiriath-jearim were summoned to take charge of the ark at a time when no one else dared to have it (1 Samuel 6:20, 21); and the implication seems to be that they had no option to refuse. Possibly this was due to their being Gibeonites, and hereditary "bondmen" of "the house of my God" (Joshua 9:17, 23). However this may be, they "sanctified" Abinadab's son Eleazar to have charge of the ark. According to the Hebrew and some of the Greek copies, the ark was in Gibeah in the middle of the reign of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:18).

About a century later, according to the Bible numbers, David went with great pomp to Kiriath-jearim, otherwise known as Baalah or Baale-judah, to bring the ark from Kiriath-jearim, out of the house of Abinadab in the hill (or, in Gibeah), and place it in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 13 2 Samuel 6). The new cart was driven by two descendants of Abinadab. There may or may not have been another Abinadab then living, the head of the house.

(2) The second of the eight sons of Jesse, one of the three who were in Saul's army when Goliath gave his challenge (1 Samuel 16:8; 1 Samuel 17:13 1 Chronicles 2:13).

(3) One of the sons of King Saul (1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39; 1 Chronicles 10:2 1 Samuel 31:2). He died in the battle of Gilboa, along with his father and brothers.

(4) In 1 Kings 4:11 the King James Version has "the son of Abinadab," where the Revised Version (British and American) has BEN-ABINADAB, which see.

Willis J. Beecher

Strong's Hebrew
1125. Ben-abinadab -- "son of Abinadab," one of Solomon's leaders
Ben-abinadab. 1124, 1125. Ben-abinadab. 1126 . "son of Abinadab," one
of Solomon's leaders. Transliteration: Ben-abinadab Phonetic ...
/hebrew/1125.htm - 6k

41. Abinadab -- "my father is noble," three Israelites
... 40, 41. Abinadab. 42 . "my father is noble," three Israelites. Transliteration:
Abinadab Phonetic Spelling: (ab-ee-naw-dawb') Short Definition: Abinadab. ...
/hebrew/41.htm - 6k

Library

Death and Life from the Ark
... of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.3. And they set the ark
of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/death and life from the.htm

Jerusalem Made the Capital City
... They placed the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab
on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, guided the cart. ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/jerusalem made the capital city.htm

The King --Continued.
... He go up from us?" It had been removed to the forest seclusion of Kirjath-jearim
(the city of the woods), and there bestowed in the house of Abinadab "upon the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/xi the kingcontinued.htm

Samuel, the Child of Prayer
... Israel for years had been under bondage to the Philistines and the ark was housed
in the home of Abinadab, whose son Eleazer was appointed to keep this sacred ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/prayer and praying men/ix samuel the child of.htm

Importance of Small Things in Religion
... The ark was then removed to Kirjath-jearim, and taken into the house of Abinadab,
where it was preserved till the days of David, who desired to bring it up to ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/importance of small things in.htm

Religious Zeal.
... first things he did after he was anointed King over Israel, was to go to
Kirjath-jearim, and bring up thence the ark of God from the house of Abinadab in ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lxv religious zeal.htm

Every Inch a King.
... It had been in the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-Jearim for seventy years, ever
since it was sent home by the Philistines who captured it. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxiii every inch a.htm

The End of Self-Will
... fell down slain in mount Gilboa.2. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and
upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the end of self-will.htm

The Shepherd-King
... him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart.8. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the shepherd-king.htm

Repentance and victory
... 'And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought
it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/repentance and victory.htm

Thesaurus
Abinadab (12 Occurrences)
... Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ABINADAB. ... It is natural to think that Abinadab was himself
a man of Kiriath-jearim, though the account does not explicitly say so. ...
/a/abinadab.htm - 14k

Ben-abinadab (1 Occurrence)
Ben-abinadab. Benabinadab, Ben-abinadab. Ben-abin'adab . Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia BEN-ABINADAB. ben-a-bin'-a-dab ...
/b/ben-abinadab.htm - 7k

Abinadab's (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Abinadab's (2 Occurrences). 1 Samuel 7:1 And
the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of ...
/a/abinadab's.htm - 7k

Abin'adab (10 Occurrences)
Abin'adab. Abinadab, Abin'adab. Abinadab's . Multi-Version Concordance ... (See
RSV). 1 Samuel 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. ...
/a/abin'adab.htm - 9k

Ahio (6 Occurrences)
... 14). (2.) One of the sons of Jehiel the Gibeonite (1 Chronicles 8:31;
9:37). (3.) One of the sons of Abinadab the Levite. While ...
/a/ahio.htm - 10k

Malki-shua (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and
the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ...
/m/malki-shua.htm - 7k

Malchi-shua (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 31:2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and they put to death
Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. (BBE WBS NAS). ...
/m/malchi-shua.htm - 8k

Malchishua (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 31:2 The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the
Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ...
/m/malchishua.htm - 9k

Mal'chishu'a (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and
the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ...
/m/mal'chishu'a.htm - 7k

Benabinadab
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia BEN-ABINADAB. ... In the King James Version he is called
"the son of Abinadab." His wife was Tappath, the daughter of Solomon. ...
/b/benabinadab.htm - 6k

Resources
What is the significance of Gibeah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Obed-Edom in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Jesse in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Abinadab (12 Occurrences)

1 Samuel 7:1
The men of Kiriath Jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 16:8
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has Yahweh chosen this one."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 17:13
The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 31:2
The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Samuel 6:3
They set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Samuel 6:4
They brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)

1 Kings 4:11
Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife);
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:13
and Jesse became the father of his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 8:33
Ner became the father of Kish; and Kish became the father of Saul; and Saul became the father of Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 9:39
Ner became the father of Kish; and Kish became the father of Saul; and Saul became the father of Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 10:2
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 13:7
They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Subtopics

Abinadab

Abinadab: A Levite, in Whose House the Ark of God Rested Twenty Years

Abinadab: Also Called Ishui, Son of Saul

Abinadab: Father of One of Solomon's Purveyors--Called in RV Ben-Abinadab

Abinadab: Son of Jesse

Related Terms

Ben-abin'adab (1 Occurrence)

Abinadab (12 Occurrences)

Ben-ahilud (1 Occurrence)

Ben-abinadab (1 Occurrence)

Abinadab's (2 Occurrences)

Abimelech's Warning
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