father of Hodiah
An unnamed man, the father Naham and his sister Hodiah
Biography
The father of Hodiah is an unnamed man mentioned implicitly in the genealogical records of 1 Chronicles 4:19, where the text refers to the sons of the wife of Hodiah, sister of Naham. The Hebrew text of this passage is difficult, and scholars debate the precise relationships involved, but this unnamed man appears as the father of both Naham and Hodiah, whose descendants are listed among the families of Judah during the United Monarchy period. Hodiah was a sister, or possibly a wife, of a man named Naham, and the text traces certain Judahite family lines through their offspring. Though no personal deeds or character traits are attributed to this man, his family was preserved in the Chronicler's careful genealogical record, indicating his descendants were recognized members of the tribe of Judah.
Significance
The father of Hodiah represents the kind of unnamed, genealogically significant figure whose importance lies in the continuity of God's covenant community across generations. The Chronicles genealogies were not mere historical archives but theological documents affirming that God's purposes moved through all the families of Israel, not just the famous or celebrated. This unnamed man's descendants contributed to the tapestry of the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe through which the Messiah would eventually come. His place in the record, even without a name, testifies to the biblical conviction that every person within the covenant community has a part in God's unfolding story, and that the genealogical threads of Scripture bind together a vast and divinely ordered family.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
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]