Adoni Bezek
“Lord of Bezek”
Summary
A Canaanite king who had barbarously mutilated seventy conquered kings and was punished in kind by the tribes of Judah and Simeon.
☩His Cruelty
Adoni-Bezek was a chieftain of Bezek who had subdued seventy petty kings around him. After cutting off their thumbs and great toes, he compelled them to gather food scraps under his table, reducing them to humiliated dependence.
☩Defeat and Judgment
After Joshua's death, the tribes of Judah and Simeon attacked Bezek. They defeated Adoni-Bezek and his Canaanite and Perizzite forces, capturing him alive. They inflicted upon him the same mutilation he had practiced on others.
☩His Confession
Remarkably, Adoni-Bezek acknowledged the justice of his punishment, declaring 'As I have done, so God has repaid me.' This confession demonstrates that even pagan rulers recognized the principle of divine retribution. He was brought to Jerusalem where he died.
Related Verses1 mention
Judges· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Adoni-bezek," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Adonibezek," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Adoni-bezek," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Adoni-Bezek," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).