Obed
Obed was the son of Boaz and Ruth, born to continue the family line of Elimelech and to comfort the widowed Naomi in her old age. The women of Bethlehem rejoiced that Naomi had a redeemer, and Obed became the father of Jesse and grandfather of King David. His birth closes the book of Ruth by tracing redemption from famine and loss to the royal line of Israel.
Biography
- Tribe
- Judah
- Father
- Boaz
- Mother
- Ruth
- Children
- Jesse
- Era
- Judges / United Kingdom
Family
Did You Know?
Obed's birth is celebrated by the women of Bethlehem as a 'restorer of life' to the bereaved Naomi (Ruth 4:15), turning a story that began in famine and death into one of redemption and continuity.
His name means 'servant' or 'worshipper,' and he became the crucial link - grandfather of David - that connects the quiet village story of Ruth to the founding of Israel's monarchy.
Obed is one of the few people in Scripture whose entire significance is his place in a lineage; he speaks no words and performs no deeds, yet without him there is no David and no Davidic Messiah.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
The Birth of Obed
Ruth 4:13-17
Boaz and Ruth's son Obed restores Naomi's life and becomes grandfather to David - redemption bearing fruit in a royal line.
13o Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.