Obed-Edom

OBED-EDOM o'-bed-e'-dom (`obhedh 'edhowm (2 Chronicles 25:24), `obhedd 'edhom (2 Samuel 6:10; 1 Chronicles 13:13,14; 15:25), but elsewhere without hyphen, "servant of (god) Edom"; so W. R. Smith, Religion of Semites (2), 42, and H. P. Smith, Samuel, 294, though others explain it as = "servant of man"):

In 2 Samuel 6:10,11,12; 1 Chronicles 13:13,14 a Philistine of Gath and servant of David, who received the Ark of Yahweh into his house when David brought it into Jerusalem from Kiriath-jearim. Because of the sudden death of Uzzah, David was unwilling to proceed with the Ark to his citadel, and it remained three months in the house of Obed-edom, "and Yahweh blessed Obed-edom, and all his house" (2 Samuel 6:11). According to 1 Chronicles 13:14 the Ark had a special "house" of its own while there. He is probably the same as the Levite of 1 Chronicles 15:25. In 1 Chronicles 15:16-21 Obed-edom is a "singer," and in 1 Chronicles 15:24 a "doorkeeper," while according to 1 Chronicles 26:4-8,15 he is a Korahite doorkeeper, to whose house fell the overseership of the storehouse (26:15), while 1 Chronicles 16:5,38 names him as a "minister before the ark," a member of the house or perhaps guild of Jeduthun (see 2 Chronicles 25:24).

Obed-edom is an illustration of the service rendered to Hebrew religion by foreigners, reminding one of the Simon of Cyrene who bore the cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32, etc.). The Chronicler naturally desired to think that only Levites could discharge such duties as Obed-edom performed, and hence, the references to him as a Levite.

David Francis Roberts.

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Bibliography Information

Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'OBED-EDOM'".  "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia".  1915.