1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Obed (Hebrew: עוֹבֵד, ʿÔḇēḏ)
• Meaning: “Servant” or “worshipper,” from the Hebrew root ʿāḇaḏ, meaning “to serve” or “to work”; symbolises humility and covenantal responsibility

2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Thirty-first generation from Adam; twenty-first generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Boaz – the kinsman-redeemer of Ruth
• Son: Jesse – father of David, from whom the royal line and Messiah descend
• Lineage Role: Serves as the bridge between the redemptive story of Ruth and the establishment of Israel’s royal line through David

3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• Born in Bethlehem to Boaz and Ruth, a Moabite woman who entered Israel’s covenant community through faith and marriage
• Raised in a context of covenant faithfulness and agricultural stability during the post-Judges era
• Though his individual narrative is brief, his name and lineage become central to the house of David and Messianic prophecy
• Grandson of Rahab (through Boaz) and part of a line that includes both Gentile and faithful Israelite ancestry

4. Theological and Christological Significance
• His birth is celebrated in Ruth 4:14–17 as a sign of God’s providence and restoration for Naomi’s household
• Continues the Messianic line that leads to David and ultimately to Christ
• Symbolises faithful generational transition and covenant blessing across cultures and generations
• Typologically reflects the humble servant-heart that Christ would later embody

5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• Praised in Scripture not for personal deeds but for his covenantal position as father of Jesse and grandfather of David
• Celebrated in Ruth as the answer to Naomi’s suffering and Ruth’s redemption
• Honoured in both Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies of Christ, affirming his permanent place in redemptive history
• A model of how God uses faithful families, even in quiet ways, to advance salvation history

6. Summary Insight
• Obed, born of redemption and faith, quietly carries forward the covenantal promise by preparing the way for the rise of David and the eventual arrival of the Messiah.

7. Biblical References
• Ruth 4:17–22
• 1 Chronicles 2:12
• Matthew 1:5
• Luke 3:32