ABDA (ăb'da, Heb. ‘avdā’, probably servant of God)

The father of Adoniram (1Kgs.4.6).A Levite, the son of Shammua (Neh.11.17), called “Obadiah the son of Shemaiah” (1Chr.9.16).


ABDA ăb’ də (עַבְדָּ֖א, servant, worshiper). Possibly a shortened form of Obadiah to eliminate pronouncing the divine name Yah. 1. Father of Adoniram, a high official of Solomon in charge of forced labor (1 Kings 4:6). LXX has Adoniram as son of ̓́Εφρα.

2. Son of Shammua, son of Galal, a postexilic chief Levite in Jerusalem (Neh 11:17), called Obadiah son of Shemaiah (1 Chron 9:16).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

(`abhda’, perhaps, by abbreviation, "servant of Yahweh"):

(1) The father of Adoniram, King Solomon’s superintendent of forced labor (1Ki 4:6).

(2) A Levite mentioned in the statistical note in (Ne 11:17). This "Abda the son of Shammua" is in the partly duplicate passage in (1Ch 9:16) called "Obadiah the son of Shemaiah."