Zebadiah, not to be confused with Zedekiah, Zephaniah, or any other Z name in the Bible, belonged to several individuals in the Old Testament. They mostly appear in the Chronicles (the five men we’ll focus on today—although others go by the name Zebadiah in Scripture) and are often involved in religious practices.
Today, we’ll talk about each man named Zebadiah, their role, and the context of their history during their time on Earth. Remember that even though they may only have a verse or two dedicated to them, God included them in the Bible for a reason. Let’s explore their stories today.
Who Were the Three Men Named Zebadiah in 1 Chronicles?
As mentioned above, we mostly see men named Zebadiah in the Chronicles. We will dive into what that name means later, but let’s break down the three stories of the three Zebediahs in 1 Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 8:15 tells us about the first Zebadiah. He’s the son of a man named Beriah.
Suppose that name doesn’t ring any bells, no worries. Most people nowadays don’t name their child Beriah. You do need to know a couple of things about Beriah, though. First, he’s part of the genealogy of King Saul.
King Saul served as the first king of Israel. The people insisted they had to have a king to rule over them, despite warnings from God, because they wanted to look like other nations. God instituted Saul, and Saul obeyed God at first. Saul later soured on his rule, disobeying God and trying to kill the next person God appointed for the throne, David.
Beriah also drove out the inhabitants of Gath from his land. If Gath sounds familiar, it’s because that’s where Goliath came from. This means Beriah scared away literal giants from his homeland. He probably had some serious warrior skills to attain that.
We don’t know if this first Zebadiah follows in his father’s footsteps, but perhaps he had also picked up the family trade. We know that Saul—a later descendant of both of these people—did have formidable might in battle.
As for the second man named Zebadiah, 1 Chronicles 26 tells us he serves as a porter. He comes from the Korahites—descendants of Korah and singers.
He would’ve been in charge of guarding one of the city's many gates, depending on what lot fell. We know that the Korahites had a troubled history, as their founder, Korah, led a rebellion during the time of Moses. But it seems the Korahites later redeemed themselves: they wrote many of the Psalms we know today.
As for the third man named Zebadiah, we learn that he’s a brother of a man named Joab. This is likely the same Joab who fought valiantly by David’s side but later ran into trouble because of his actions involving Absalom.
Either way, we would see this Zebadiah leading 24,000 men in his division. He followed in his father’s footsteps.
Who Were the Two Men Named Zebadiah in 2 Chronicles?
What about the two men named Zebadiah in 2 Chronicles? All the ones in 1 Chronicles seemed to come from prominent families. Although not the main characters, they would’ve been part of the genealogies of very great people.
In 2 Chronicles 17, we learn about a Levite (from the religious tribe of Israel) who served under a good king named Jehoshaphat. This Levite named Zebadiah would’ve helped with the religious reforms Jehoshaphat instituted.
Unfortunately, before Jehoshaphat, many bad kings made Israel forget about their heritage and had them worship pagan gods instead. Jehoshaphat made sure to turn his people back to God during the time of his rule.
Zebadiah would’ve gone from town to town, teaching the Word of God.
As for the second man named Zebadiah, he shows up in 2 Chronicles 19 and technically has the most “screen time” out of any other Zebediah in Scripture.
We learn something very curious about Zebediah. He’s part of Ishmael's line, yet he leads a tribe. Ishmaelites were enemies of God’s people, so we should find this very surprising.
This shows us that God had a plan for the Gentiles, even in the Old Testament. All along, He had a heart for all people to enter His kingdom.
What Does the Name Zebadiah Mean?
The name Zebadiah means “Gift of God” or “God has bestowed.”
Although we cannot make a sweeping claim that every Zebediah in Scripture acted as a gift of God to others—since some only have mere mentions and we get no hints of character—we know that many of them probably acted in the same vein as their names.
I think of Zebadiah the Levite. His story reminds me of the eunuch and Phillip in the New Testament. The eunuch could not understand God’s work until Phillip taught it to him. In the same way, Israel had lost its way in the Old Testament. And yet, Zebadiah and others reminded them of God’s faithfulness through the teaching of God’s word.
Perhaps the Zebadiah who led his tribe led them well. Perhaps the other Zebadiah, who led 24,000 soldiers, made sure to do so to the glory of God.
We may never know the individual stories, but we do know that some, if not all, were gifts of God to others.
What Can We Learn from the Men Named Zebadiah?
We may tend to blip over the names of unknown people in the Bible. However, if we’re honest with ourselves, if God wrote a story about us today, most of us would be “Zebediahs.” With that said, we can learn from these men. Let’s uncover three major takeaways we can glean from the lives of the many men named Zebadiah in the Bible.
First, genealogies play a very important role in the Bible.
Think of all the names in Jesus’ genealogy whom we gloss over. For instance, Salmon has no particular meaning to me except that it reminds me of a certain tasty fish. Nevertheless, small stories play a big role in big stories. I think about how Zebadiah came from lines such as those of Saul and Joab, who played a very large role in the time of the kings. In the same way, we have no idea how our individual stories play into the very big plan of God. We can sit back and watch Him move.
Second, all the men named Zebediah took on important, diverse roles.
And so can we. One Zebediah carried out priestly duties and guarded the gates of the city. Another one led education reforms so that the people of Judah could return to God. Another one led an entire army of tens of thousands of men. Paul tells us that we make up one body but have diverse roles. In certain church circles, we unfortunately see a homogenization. When in reality, God has ordained for each of us to carry out unique roles in the story of His creation.
Finally, God wants us to be a gift to others.
Most of us probably don’t have names that mean “gift of God,” but God wants us to be a gift to others. That means helping others in need and being there to give a sympathetic, listening ear. Grieving with them in hard times. Celebrating with them in good times. Although God called us to unique areas, He still wants us to be gifted to others. That way, they can accept the most important gift of all, Jesus Himself.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/SergioYoneda
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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