50. Abishua
Lexical Summary
Abishua: Abishua

Original Word: אֲבִישׁוּעַ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Abiyshuwae
Pronunciation: ah-vee-SHOO-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (ab-ee-shoo'-ah)
KJV: Abishua
NASB: Abishua
Word Origin: [from H1 (אָב - father) and H7771 (שׁוַֹע - Cry for help)]

1. father of plenty (i.e. prosperous)
2. Abishua, the name of two Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Abishua

From 'ab and showa'; father of plenty (i.e. Prosperous); Abishua, the name of two Israelites -- Abishua.

see HEBREW 'ab

see HEBREW showa'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ab and shoa
Definition
"my father is rescue," two Isr.
NASB Translation
Abishua (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֲבִישׁוּעַ proper name, masculine (my father is rescue, or is opulence (compare שׁוֺעַ rich Job 34:19; also שׁוּעַ Job 36:19 ? but see שׁוע); LagBN 75 thinks from אֲבֶן (= בֶּן) + שׁוע compare ᵐ5 Ἀβεσσουε 1 Chronicles 8:4)

1 a son of Phinehas 1 Chronicles 5:30; 1 Chronicles 5:31; 1 Chronicles 6:35; Ezra 7:5.

2 a Benjamite, son of Bela 1 Chronicles 8:4.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Meaning

Abishua (’Ăvîshûa‘) is commonly rendered “my father is salvation.” The name itself testifies to Israel’s conviction that deliverance is found in the covenant‐keeping God who works through chosen families to bless the nation.

Occurrences in Scripture

1 Chronicles 6:4, 1 Chronicles 6:5, 1 Chronicles 6:50 and Ezra 7:5 locate Abishua in the high-priestly descent from Aaron; 1 Chronicles 8:4 lists a different Abishua in the tribe of Benjamin.

Abishua Son of Phinehas: Link in the High-Priestly Chain

1. Genealogical position
• Aaron → Eleazar → Phinehas → Abishua → Bukki → Uzzi.

Abishua stands at the center of the early generations, receiving the sacred trust from the zeal of Phinehas (Numbers 25:10-13) and transmitting it to Bukki.
2. Probable historical context

The chronology places his ministry after Israel’s entry into Canaan and before the rise of the monarchy, likely during the Judges period while the tabernacle remained at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1).
3. Priestly continuity and covenant fidelity

Scripture says little of Abishua’s specific acts, yet his appearance in four priestly registers underlines the Spirit’s concern to show an unbroken Aaronic succession. God’s promise that “it shall be an everlasting priesthood” (Exodus 40:15) is quietly vindicated in his lifetime.

Abishua the Benjamite (1 Chronicles 8:4)

In Saul’s ancestral line the Chronicler records: “Abishua, Naaman, and Ahoah”. Though otherwise unknown, this Abishua illustrates the breadth of the name’s usage and reminds the reader that God’s purposes advance through multiple tribes, not only Levi.

Abishua in Ezra’s Pedigree (Ezra 7:5)

When Ezra traces his lineage back to Aaron, Abishua appears midway in the list: “…son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest.” The citation serves two purposes:

1. It legally authenticates Ezra’s priestly authority for the reforms of chapters 9–10.
2. It demonstrates that the same Abishua who held office in Israel’s infancy anchors the post-exilic community to its founding covenant.

Historical and Theological Significance

• Preservation of the priestly line: From Sinai, through Shiloh, and into Second-Temple Jerusalem, Abishua’s inclusion shows that neither wilderness wanderings, Canaanite resistance, nor Babylonian exile severed God’s ordained channel of intercession.
• Foreshadowing the ultimate Priest: The faithful transmission highlighted in Abishua’s name anticipates the perfect continuity accomplished in Jesus Christ, “a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:23-25).
• Validation of genealogies: Modern readers sometimes overlook lists; Scripture, by repeating Abishua, insists that redemptive history is grounded in real people whose lives corroborate the reliability of the biblical record.

Practical Reflections

1. Quiet faithfulness matters. Abishua’s ministry is undocumented, yet without him the line would be broken. Believers today serve the same God who notes hidden obedience.
2. Covenant promises endure through generations. The appearance of Abishua in Ezra’s scroll centuries after Joshua encourages parents and churches to persevere, trusting God to honor His word long after individual lifespans end.
3. Salvation is familial as well as personal. Abishua’s very name—“my father is salvation”—echoes Israel’s communal identity; God’s saving acts encompass households and nations, culminating in the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

Thus Abishua stands as both a historical figure and a theological signpost, silently underscoring God’s unwavering commitment to preserve a priesthood, to protect a people, and ultimately to provide perfect salvation through His Son.

Forms and Transliterations
אֲבִישֽׁוּעַ׃ אֲבִישׁ֗וּעַ אֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ אבישוע אבישוע׃ וַאֲבִישׁ֙וּעַ֙ וַאֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ ואבישוע ’ă·ḇî·šū·a‘ ’ăḇîšūa‘ aviShua vaaviShua wa’ăḇîšūa‘ wa·’ă·ḇî·šū·a‘
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Chronicles 6:4
HEB: הֹלִ֥יד אֶת־ אֲבִישֽׁוּעַ׃
NAS: became the father of Abishua,
KJV: Phinehas begat Abishua,
INT: Phinehas the father of Abishua

1 Chronicles 6:5
HEB: וַאֲבִישׁ֙וּעַ֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־
NAS: and Abishua became the father
KJV: And Abishua begat Bukki,
INT: and Abishua became of Bukki

1 Chronicles 6:50
HEB: פִּֽינְחָ֥ס בְּנ֖וֹ אֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ בְּנֽוֹ׃
NAS: Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,
KJV: Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,
INT: Phinehas his son Abishua his son

1 Chronicles 8:4
HEB: וַאֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ וְנַעֲמָ֖ן וַאֲחֽוֹחַ׃
NAS: Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
KJV: And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,
INT: Abishua Naaman Ahoah

Ezra 7:5
HEB: בֶּן־ אֲבִישׁ֗וּעַ בֶּן־ פִּֽינְחָס֙
NAS: son of Abishua, son of Phinehas,
KJV: The son of Abishua, the son
INT: son of Abishua son of Phinehas

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 50
5 Occurrences


’ă·ḇî·šū·a‘ — 3 Occ.
wa·’ă·ḇî·šū·a‘ — 2 Occ.

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