Abiud is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Abiud was an ancestor of Jesus, named in the genealogy recorded in the first chapter of Matthew. He appears in the line of descent that runs from the Babylonian exile to the birth of Christ. The genealogy is structured around three great periods: from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, and from the exile to Jesus. Abiud belongs to this third and final section, bridging the generations between the return from captivity and the coming of the Messiah.
The single verse that mentions him is Matthew 1:13: “And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor.” This verse places Abiud as the son of Zorobabel (also known as Zerubbabel) and the father of Eliakim. Zorobabel was a significant figure in Israel’s post-exilic history, a governor of Judah who led the first wave of returning exiles and oversaw the rebuilding of the temple. Abiud, by contrast, is known to us only as a link in this chain—a name in a list, with no recorded deeds, words, or personal history beyond his place in the lineage.
Scripture tells us nothing else about Abiud. We do not know where he lived, what he did, how long he lived, or how he died. His entire biblical footprint is this one verse. He is remembered solely because he stood in the ancestral line of Jesus Christ, part of the human heritage through which God brought the Savior into the world.
The Name
The name Abiud comes into the Greek New Testament as Ἀβιούδ (Abioud), which most likely represents a Hebrew name such as Abihud, meaning something like “my father is majesty” or “the Father is glorious” (from *av*, “father,” and *hod*, “majesty” or “glory”). The meaning is not entirely certain, since the name appears in Greek form and its Hebrew original must be inferred. What can be said is that the name belongs to a family of Hebrew names that honor God as Father and King, and that it fits naturally within the genealogical register of Matthew. If the meaning is as suggested, it is a quiet testimony in itself.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered by crowds. Our lives, like Abiud’s, may amount to a single line in a much longer story. Yet that is not a small thing. Abiud had no miracles, no sermons, no monuments—only faithfulness in his generation, passing the line forward until the promised One arrived. God’s greatest work often runs through ordinary people whose names we barely know. If your part is quiet, take heart: the chain that carried the Savior to the world was made of people just like this.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Matthew 1:13 — And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;