Who was Adaiah in the Bible?

Adaiah was a man from the tribe of Benjamin, listed in the genealogy of Benjamin's descendants. He is mentioned as the son of Shimei in 1 Chronicles 8:21.

Why is Adaiah mentioned in the Bible?

Adaiah is mentioned to preserve the genealogical record of the tribe of Benjamin, which was important for establishing lineage, inheritance, and tribal identity in Israel. His inclusion shows the meticulous recording of family lines in the Old Testament.

Are there any stories about Adaiah in the Bible?

No, there are no narratives or key events recorded about Adaiah's life. The Bible only records his name and lineage in the genealogical list found in 1 Chronicles 8:21.

Adaiah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleSon of shimei

Adaiah, a descendant of Benjamin, is mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin (1Ch.8.21).

Adaiah

Biography

Adaiah son of Shimei is listed in the genealogical records of the tribe of Benjamin preserved in 1 Chronicles 8:21, among the descendants who inhabited Jerusalem. The Benjaminite genealogies in this chapter are detailed and sometimes difficult to harmonize, reflecting the complexity of a tribal history marked by near-extinction in the period of the Judges and subsequent reconstruction. Adaiah's name, meaning "Yahweh has adorned" or "Yahweh is a witness," is a theophoric name typical of Israelites who bore testimony to the character of God through the very act of naming. His placement within the genealogy connects him to the network of Benjaminite families who played a significant role in the post-exilic community's reconstitution of Jerusalem.

Significance

Adaiah's listing among the Benjaminite families of Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 8 carries quiet theological significance. Benjamin was the tribe that gave Israel its first king (Saul) and that remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty when the northern tribes seceded. The survival and enumeration of Benjaminite clans after the exile was a sign of God's faithfulness to his covenant community. Names like Adaiah: "Yahweh has adorned", embedded theology into everyday family life, functioning as small confessions of faith. In the aggregate, such names across Israel's genealogies paint a portrait of a people who understood their very identity as rooted in the character and acts of their God.

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 8:21

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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