Zabad

At a Glance

A Hebrew personal name shared by multiple Old Testament men, found in genealogical and community records.

Key Points

• Multiple men in the Old Testament are called Zabad. • The name appears in genealogical and historical lists. • It is a proper name, not a theological concept.

Description

Zabad is a biblical personal name used for more than one man in the Old Testament. The name occurs in genealogical, military, and postexilic community lists, where the immediate purpose is identification within Israel’s historical record. Scripture does not present Zabad as a theological concept or doctrinal category. For that reason, the entry is best handled as a biblical proper-name article that notes multiple bearers of the name and helps readers distinguish them by context.

Biblical Context

In the Old Testament, personal names often recur across different generations and settings. Zabad is one such name, appearing in lists that preserve family lines and community membership. The entry is therefore most useful as a reference point for identifying named individuals rather than as a subject of doctrinal discussion.

Historical Context

Biblical genealogies and name lists served important historical functions in preserving tribal lines, family heritage, and covenant community records. Zabad belongs to that kind of material, where names anchor real people in the narrative and administrative life of Israel.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In the ancient Near Eastern and Jewish world, repeating personal names were common, and genealogical records helped distinguish persons of the same name. Zabad fits this pattern as a name preserved in Israel’s remembered history.

Primary Key Texts

• Old Testament genealogical and historical lists in 1 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Secondary Key Texts

• Passages where Zabad is named among identified individuals in family, warrior, or community records.

Original Language Note

A Hebrew personal name, transliterated into English as Zabad. The entry concerns the bearers of the name rather than a doctrine or concept.

Theological Significance

Minimal in itself. The name Zabad has no standalone doctrinal meaning, but the passages that preserve it contribute to Scripture’s historical reliability and the continuity of God’s people.

Philosophical Explanation

This is an onomastic entry: it classifies a proper name, not an idea. Its value lies in identification, textual clarity, and historical continuity, not in abstract theology.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not treat Zabad as a theological topic. Because more than one man bears the name, context must determine which individual is meant in a given passage. Avoid conflating the name with similar-looking names.

Major Views

There is no major doctrinal debate tied to the name itself. The only issue is identification of the various individuals who share it.

Doctrinal Boundaries

The entry should remain descriptive and historical. It should not be used to build doctrine or to speculate beyond the biblical lists in which the name appears.

Practical Significance

This entry helps readers follow biblical genealogies and historical lists accurately and prevents confusion when the same name is used for different men.

Related Entries

• Biblical proper names
• Genealogies
• 1 Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah

See Also

• Zabud
• biblical name entries
• Old Testament genealogies