Oded עֹדֵד
Prophet, father of Azariah
Who is Oded in the Bible?
Oded was a prophet during the reign of King Asa of Judah and the father of the prophet Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:1). His son Azariah delivered an important prophetic message to King Asa, calling the people to seek the Lord and warning of the consequences of abandoning God (2 Chronicles 15:1-7). This prophecy was instrumental in prompting King Asa to undertake significant religious reforms throughout Judah, including removing idols and repairing the altar of the Lord (2 Chronicles 15:8). Though little is recorded of Oded's own prophetic ministry, his significance lies in being the father of a prophet whose message led to spiritual renewal during a critical period in Judah's history.
Biography
Oded was a prophet who lived during the reign of King Asa of Judah. He was the father of Azariah, another prophet (2Ch.15.1). Azariah, inspired by the Spirit of God, delivered a message to King Asa, encouraging him to seek the Lord and reminding him of the consequences of forsaking God (2Ch.15.1-7). This prophecy prompted Asa to initiate religious reforms in Judah, removing idols and repairing the altar of the Lord (2Ch.15.8). Although Oded himself is not recorded as delivering a prophecy, his role as the father of Azariah suggests that he may have been influential in his son's prophetic ministry.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book2 Chronicles 2 verses
- 2 Chronicles 15:1
"Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded."
- 2 Chronicles 15:8
"When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD..."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | עֹדֵד |
Oded
prophesied in the reign of Asa of Judah (c 918-877), but 15:8 makes Oded himself the prophet. The two verses should agree, so we should probably read in 15:8, "the prophecy of Azariah, the son of Oded, the prophet," or else "the prophecy of Azariah the prophet."
See AZARIAH.
(2) A prophet of Samaria (2Ch 28:9) who lived in the reigns of Pekah, king of the Northern Kingdom, and Ahaz, king of Judah. According to 2Ch 28, Oded protested against the enslavement of the captives which Pekah had brought from Judah and Jerusalem on his return from the Syro-Ephraimitic attack on the Southern Kingdom (735 BC). In this protest he was joined by some of the chiefs of Ephraim, and the captives were well treated. After those who were naked (i.e. those who had scanty clothing; compare the meaning of the word "naked" in Mr 14:51) had been supplied with clothing from the spoil, and the bruised anointed with oil, the prisoners were escorted to Jericho.
The narrative of 2Ch 28 as a whole does not agree with that of 2Ki 15:37; 16:5 f, where the allied armies of Rezin of Damascus and Pekah besieged Jerusalem, but failed to capture it (compare Isa 7:1-17; 8:5-8 a). As Curtis points out (Chronicles, 459, where he compares Ex 21:2 ff; Le 25:29-43; De 15:12-18), wholesale enslavement of their fellow-countrymen was not allowed to the Hebrews, and this fact the passage illustrates. It seems to be a fulfillment in spirit of Isa 61:1-2, a portion which our Lord read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Lu 4:16-20).
David Francis Roberts
odz.
See APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE.
o-dol'-am (Odollam): The Greek form of ADULLAM</ref