Zebadiah
Zebadiah was the firstborn son of Meshelemiah, a Korahite gatekeeper in the time of David.
Biography
Zebadiah was the firstborn son of Meshelemiah, a Korahite Levite who served as a gatekeeper of the tabernacle during the reign of David (1 Chronicles 26:1-2). The Korahites traced their ancestry to Korah of the tribe of Levi and held a hereditary responsibility for guarding the entrances to the sanctuary. As Meshelemiah's firstborn, Zebadiah would have been expected to assume a position of leadership within this gatekeeping clan. David's reorganization of the Levitical service, detailed in 1 Chronicles 23-26, formalized the roles of gatekeepers and ensured the sacred boundaries of the worship space were properly maintained by qualified and dedicated personnel.
Significance
Zebadiah's role as a Levitical gatekeeper, inherited through his father Meshelemiah, highlights the importance of sacred boundary-keeping in Israel's worship life. Gatekeepers were not merely guards; they embodied the principle that approach to the holy God required order, purity, and designated mediation. Their work protected the integrity of Israel's worship against unauthorized access and maintained the distinction between the holy and the common. In the broader redemptive narrative, these roles foreshadow Christ as the true gate and mediator through whom access to God is granted (John 10:9), transforming the old boundary-keeping offices into types of the ultimate priestly ministry.
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]