Obed-Edom /ˈoʊbɛd ˈiːdəm/ or Oved Edom (hebr.: עֹבֵד אֱדֹם) is a biblical name which in Hebrew means "servant of Edom," and which appears in the books of 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The relationship between these passages has been the subject of scholarly discussions which express uncertainty and disagreements about the relationships between various passages that use the name.

The following sections reflect every mention of the name Obed-Edom in the Hebrew Bible.

In 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines, a neighboring people, capture the Ark of the Covenant, also known as the "Ark of God", a sacred object of the Israelites, during the Battle of Aphek. The Philistines then take the Ark into their own territory, leading God to attack the Philistines with illness (1 Samuel 5). Eventually, the Philistines realize that they cannot safely keep the Ark, and place it on a cart pulled by two cattle, who return it to the Israelites along with a peace-offering (1 Samuel 6). After this, the Israelites take it to the "house of Abinadab", where it remains for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1–2).

Eventually, the Israelite king David decides to bring the ark from the "house of Abinadab" to his new stronghold in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–2). The ark is placed on an ox-cart driven by Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's sons, in a festive atmosphere (2 Samuel 6:3–5). At one point, the ark rocks violently as the oxen pull it, and Uzzah sticks out his hand to steady the Ark, and so God strikes Uzzah dead (2 Samuel 6:7). David temporarily abandons his plan to move the ark to his city.

When David hears that the LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom, he decides to move the Ark to Jerusalem as originally planned. Rev. F. Gardiner, in Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers, stresses that "this implies neither jealousy nor a wish to deprive his subject (Obed-edom) of a blessing. It had been his original purpose to carry the ark to Jerusalem, and he had only desisted in a fit of vexation and then of fear. He now saw that such fear was groundless, and went on to the completion of his unfinished action."

1 Chronicles 13 also relates the incident concerning the death of Uzzah. Following the death of Uzzah, the biblical text says, "And David was afraid of God that day, saying: 'How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?' So David removed not the ark unto him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had" (1 Chronicles 13:12-14).

1 Chronicles 14 then relates various details of David's kingdom, including David's successes in international relations, the birth of several children, and David's successful war against the Philistines. Following the fighting with the Philistines, the narrative returns its attention to the Ark.

"And [David] made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. Then David said: 'None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for them hath the LORD chosen to carry the ark of the LORD, and to minister to Him for ever'" (1 Chronicles 15:1-2, Jewish Publication Society Version of 1917). David then calls an assembly and gathers a large number of Levites in preparation for moving the Ark (15:3-11). Calling to mind the disaster with Uzzah, David provides instructions for the proper handling of the Ark to avoid a repeat of the incident (15:12-13). The Levites prepare themselves and carry the Ark in an appropriate manner (15:14-15). David then tells the Levites to appoint some Levites for playing music, with instruments and singing (15:16).