Nedabiah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Nedabiah was a descendant of David, listed among the sons of King Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin) in the genealogies of the tribe of Judah. His name appears in 1 Chronicles 3:18, in a passage that traces the royal line of Judah from David through the period of the Babylonian exile. The verse reads, “Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.” He is named last in this group of six brothers.
The setting of this genealogy is significant. Jeconiah was the king of Judah carried away captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and the listing of his sons in 1 Chronicles reflects the preservation of David’s line during and after the exile. Nedabiah, as one of these sons, belonged to a generation born in captivity or in the shadow of it—heirs of a throne that had been stripped away, yet still members of the covenant line through which God had promised a lasting dynasty.
Scripture records nothing else about Nedabiah. He does not speak, act, or appear in any narrative. He is known only as a name in a list, one link in a chain of descent. Yet that is precisely what the Chronicler intends: to show that the line of David continued, son by son, through the years of exile, so that God’s promises were not forgotten. Nedabiah’s inclusion is a quiet testimony that the family of David endured, and that even obscure members of that family had a place in the story of Israel.
The Name
The name Nedabiah (Hebrew: נְדַבְיָה, *Nedavyah*) is a compound name built from two elements. The second part is the divine name *Yah*, a shortened form of Yahweh, which appears frequently in Hebrew personal names. The first element is related to the root *nadav*, meaning “to be willing, generous, or noble.” Taken together, the name is commonly understood to mean something like “Yahweh is generous” or “Yahweh has been noble.” This meaning is fairly well established from the component parts, though as with many ancient Hebrew names, the precise nuance the parents intended cannot be recovered with certainty.
A Closing Thought
Nedabiah is a name we would never know apart from a single verse in a long genealogy. He never speaks, never acts, and never appears again. Yet he is not forgotten by God. His very name—”Yahweh is generous”—is a small confession of faith carried by a man who likely lived his whole life in exile, far from the temple and the throne. Most of us will live unnoticed lives by the world’s measure. Nedabiah reminds us that being written into God’s story is enough, and that the quiet, faithful generations are the ones through whom He keeps His promises.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 3:18 — Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.