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Tobadonijah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleLevite

Tobadonijah was a Levite sent by King Jehoshaphat to teach the Book of the Law in the cities of Judah.

Tobadonijah illustration
Tobadonijah

Biography

Tobadonijah was one of the Levites dispatched by King Jehoshaphat of Judah on a remarkable teaching mission throughout the cities of Judah, recorded in 2 Chronicles 17:8. Jehoshaphat, one of Judah's more faithful kings, organized this educational initiative in the third year of his reign, sending officials, Levites, and priests to instruct the people in the Book of the Law. The delegation of nine Levites, including Tobadonijah, Tobijah, Tob-adonijah, and others, traveled the land with the scroll of the Torah, carrying out what amounted to a national religious literacy campaign. Tobadonijah's compound name, meaning roughly "the LORD Adonai is good," reflects the theological commitments of his era. He represents the Levitical teaching ministry at one of its finest expressions in the Divided Monarchy.

Significance

Tobadonijah's ministry as a Levitical teacher embodies a principle central to Israel's covenant life: that the Word of God must be actively and deliberately communicated to all of God's people, not confined to a priestly elite. Jehoshaphat's teaching mission anticipated the vision articulated in Nehemiah 8, where Ezra read the Law publicly so that all could understand it. The Chronicler presents this initiative as a key reason for Jehoshaphat's early success and the "fear of the LORD" that fell on surrounding nations (2 Chronicles 17:10). Tobadonijah and his colleagues demonstrate that faithful biblical teaching, carried out consistently among ordinary communities, has transformative national consequences, a truth as applicable to the church's educational mission today as to ancient Judah.

Authority Records

Verse Appearances (1)

References

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

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