Abiram
“Father of height or my father is exalted”
Summary
The name of a Reubenite who rebelled against Moses and perished when the earth swallowed him, and of Hiel's son who died in the rebuilding of Jericho.
☩Rebel Against Moses
Abiram was a son of Eliab from the tribe of Reuben. Along with his brother Dathan and Korah the Levite, he led a rebellion against the authority of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. When Moses summoned them, they refused to come, complaining that Moses had brought them out of Egypt only to let them die in the wilderness. God's judgment came swiftly: the ground opened beneath the tents of Dathan and Abiram and swallowed them alive with their families and possessions.
☩Son of Hiel
Another Abiram was the firstborn son of Hiel the Bethelite. When his father rebuilt the fortified walls of Jericho during the reign of Ahab, Abiram died at the laying of the foundations. This fulfilled Joshua's curse that whoever rebuilt Jericho would lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son. Some scholars believe Hiel may have revived the horrific Canaanite practice of foundation sacrifice.
Related Verses9 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Abiram," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Abiram," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).