Abiud

Life and work

Abiud appears exactly once in Scripture, named as a son of Zerubbabel in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:13). No episode or detail about his life is recorded. A genuine point of scholarly discussion is that 'Abiud' does not appear among the sons of Zerubbabel listed in 1 Chronicles 3:19-20 (which names Meshullam, Hananiah, and others instead) — a discrepancy commonly explained by Matthew using an alternate name, drawing on a genealogical source no longer extant, or compressing/adapting the line for theological or mnemonic purposes (his list of names from David to the exile and exile to Christ is structured in three groups of fourteen). It cannot be verified with certainty how Abiud relates to the Chronicles list.

Questions and debates

Abiud does not appear by that name among Zerubbabel's sons listed in 1 Chronicles 3:19-20, a divergence scholars attribute to alternate naming, a different genealogical source, or the stylized structuring of Matthew's list rather than to any error being demonstrable either way.

Extra-biblical evidence

No extra-biblical source or narrative episode exists for Abiud; he is attested only in Matthew's genealogy.

Scripture references

• Matthew 1:13 — Named as a son of Zerubbabel in Jesus's genealogy