Abiasaph is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Abiasaph was a son of Korah, a Levite, and the ancestor of a prominent family of temple servants. He is named only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogy recorded in Exodus 6:24: “And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.” This verse places him within the tribe of Levi, the tribe set apart for service related to the tabernacle and later the temple. His father Korah is a well-known figure in Israel’s history, and Abiasaph is listed among Korah’s sons alongside his brothers Assir and Elkanah.
The setting of this passage is the genealogy of Levi given as Israel was still in Egypt, before the Exodus deliverance and the giving of the law at Sinai. The purpose of the genealogy was to establish the ancestral lines of the families of Israel, particularly the Levites, as God prepared to form a nation with ordered worship. Abiasaph appears in this list as the head of one of the Korhite families, called “the families of the Korhites.” Scripture records nothing else about his life, his character, or his deeds.
What Scripture says of him is limited to his place in this family record. He is identified as a son of Korah and as the founder of a family line within the Korhites. Through this brief mention, Abiasaph is remembered as part of the Levitical heritage that would later serve in the house of the Lord. The source note confirms that he was a Levite and that his descendants became a prominent family of temple servants, showing that his line endured and was counted among those who ministered before God.
The Name
The name Abiasaph appears to be a Hebrew name, and its meaning is often understood as something like “my father has gathered” or “the father has added.” The first element is related to the word for “father,” and the second carries the sense of gathering or adding. Because the name is rare and its exact etymology is not entirely certain, some caution is warranted. What can be said is that the name likely carried a meaning connected to the idea of a father gathering or adding, but the precise nuance is not fully recoverable from the text alone.
A Closing Thought
Abiasaph’s life is hidden in a single verse, yet his name is preserved in the book of God. He did not perform mighty deeds or speak great words that Scripture records, but he belonged to a family line that would serve in the temple. This is a quiet encouragement: faithfulness is not measured by how much of our story is told, but by whether we are found in the line of those who serve the Lord. God remembers the obscure, and a life given to His service, however hidden, is never forgotten.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Exodus 6:24 — And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.