Abida is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Abida was a son of Midian and a grandson of Abraham through Keturah, the wife Abraham married after the death of Sarah. He appears in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles, where the Chronicler records the descendants of Abraham as part of Israel’s larger family history. In the single verse that names him, Abida is listed fourth among the five sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Henoch, Abida, and Eldaah. The text then adds the summarizing line, “All these are the sons of Keturah.”
Scripture records nothing else about Abida. He is given no story, no speech, and no deed; he appears only in this list of names. What the Bible does say of him is simply that he was a son of Midian and therefore a descendant of Abraham. The setting of the passage is a genealogy, a form of writing that preserves the memory of people whose lives are otherwise unknown to us. In that setting, Abida’s significance is not in anything he did but in the family line to which he belonged.
The source note confirms this identity: Abida was a son of Midian and a grandson of Abraham by Keturah. Beyond that, the biblical text is silent. He stands among the many individuals in Scripture who are remembered by name alone, their lives hidden in the purposes of God but their place in the record preserved.
The Name
The name Abida is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is generally understood to be “my father knows” or “father of knowledge,” built from elements meaning “father” and “to know.” Because the name appears only once in the King James Bible and is not explained within the text itself, this meaning rests on the study of the name’s Hebrew components rather than on any statement in Scripture. It is a reasonable and commonly accepted rendering, though readers should treat it as an inference from the language rather than as something the biblical text explicitly defines.
A Closing Thought
Abida’s life is summed up in a single line of a list. He never speaks, never acts, and never appears again. Yet he was known—by God, and by the family record that carried his name forward for generations. Most of us will not be remembered for great deeds, and that is not a failure. Faithfulness in an ordinary life is still held by the One who numbers every person and calls each by name. Abida’s name, “my father knows,” is a quiet and fitting reminder that being known by God is enough.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 1:33 — And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.