Zebadiah
Zebadiah was a greandson of Elpaal and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
Biography
Zebadiah was a grandson of Elpaal from the tribe of Benjamin, recorded in the genealogical lists of 1 Chronicles 8:17. He belonged to the extended Benjaminite family network associated with Aijalon, a town of significance in the Shephelah lowlands that appears in several biblical narratives as a site of Israelite military activity. As a grandson of Elpaal rather than a direct son, Zebadiah represents the second generation of this particular family cluster. The Benjaminite genealogies in which he appears were compiled to help the post-exilic community reconstruct its tribal identity, land claims, and covenantal continuity after the disruption of the Babylonian exile. No individual deeds are attributed to him beyond his lineage.
Significance
Like many figures preserved solely in genealogical lists, Zebadiah grandson of Elpaal bears witness to the biblical conviction that every individual within the covenant community has a name and a place in God's purposes. The fact that both a son and a grandson of Elpaal share the name Zebadiah may indicate a family tradition of honoring ancestors through naming, a practice that reinforced identity and heritage across generations. For the post-exilic community, these detailed genealogies were declarations of survival and hope: though the exile had shattered much, the lines of Israel's families had endured, and God's promises remained alive through these preserved names and lineages.
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]