Abimelech
“Father of a king or my father is king”
Summary
A title or name borne by Philistine kings in the time of the patriarchs, and by a son of Gideon who briefly made himself king over Israel.
☩King of Gerar in Abraham's Time
This Abimelech was the Philistine king of Gerar when Abraham sojourned in his territory. When Abraham claimed Sarah was his sister, Abimelech took her into his harem, but God warned him in a dream that she was another man's wife and that he would die if he did not restore her. Abimelech obeyed, returned Sarah with generous gifts including a thousand pieces of silver, and rebuked Abraham for his deception. Later, Abimelech came with his general Phichol to make a covenant of peace with Abraham at Beersheba, recognizing that God was with him.
☩King of Gerar in Isaac's Time
Another Abimelech, probably the son of the first, was king of Gerar when Isaac came during a famine. Isaac repeated his father's deception, calling Rebekah his sister. When Abimelech discovered the truth, he rebuked Isaac but protected him. Isaac prospered so greatly that the Philistines became jealous, and Abimelech asked him to leave. Eventually, Abimelech came to Isaac at Beersheba to renew the covenant that had existed between their fathers, acknowledging 'We see plainly that the LORD has been with you.'
☩Son of Gideon
This Abimelech was a son of Gideon by a Shechemite concubine. After Gideon's death, he persuaded the men of Shechem to make him king, then murdered his seventy brothers on a single stone at Ophrah—only the youngest, Jotham, escaped. Jotham pronounced a prophetic curse in his famous parable of the trees choosing the bramble as king. After three years, Shechem rebelled. Abimelech captured the city and sowed it with salt, then burned a thousand people alive in the stronghold of Baal-berith. While attacking Thebez, a woman dropped a millstone on his head. Rather than die at a woman's hand, he had his armor-bearer kill him with a sword.
Related Verses62 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Abimelech," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Abimelech," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Abimelech," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Abimelech," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).