abimelech Summary and Overview

my father a king, or father of a king, a common name of the Philistine kings, as "Pharaoh" was of the Egyptian kings. (1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham (Gen. 20:1-18). By an interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect he gave to Abraham valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practised a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his sister. Among the gifts presented by the king were a thousand pieces of silver as a "covering of the eyes" for Sarah; i.e., either as an atoning gift and a testimony of her innocence in the sight of all, or rather for the purpose of procuring a veil for Sarah to conceal her beauty, and thus as a reproof to her for not having worn a veil which, as a married woman, she ought to have done. A few years after this Abimelech visited Abraham, who had removed southward beyond his territory, and there entered into a league of peace and friendship with him. This league was the first of which we have any record. It was confirmed by a mutual oath at Beersheba (Gen. 21:22-34). (2.) A king of Gerar in the time of Isaac, probably the son of the preceeding (Gen. 26:1-22). Isaac sought refuge in his territory during a famine, and there he acted a part with reference to his wife Rebekah similar to that of his father Abraham with reference to Sarah. Abimelech rebuked him for the deception, which he accidentally discovered. Isaac settled for a while here, and prospered. Abimelech desired him, however, to leave his territory, which Isaac did. Abimelech afterwards visited him when he was encamped at Beersheba, and expressed a desire to renew the covenant which had been entered into between their fathers (Gen. 26:26-31). (3.) A son of Gideon (Judg. 9:1), who was proclaimed king after the death of his father (Judg. 8:33-9:6). One of his first acts was to murder his brothers, seventy in number, "on one stone," at Ophrah. Only one named Jotham escaped. He was an unprincipled, ambitious ruler, often engaged in war with his own subjects. When engaged in reducing the town of Thebez, which had revolted, he was struck mortally on his head by a mill-stone, thrown by the hand of a woman from the wall above. Perceiving that the wound was mortal, he desired his armour-bearer to thrust him through with his sword, that it might not be said he had perished by the hand of a woman (Judg. 9:50-57). (4.) The son of Abiathar, and high priest in the time of David (1 Chr. 18:16). In the parallel passage, 2 Sam. 8:17, we have the name Ahimelech, and Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech. This most authorities consider the more correct reading. (5.) Achish, king of Gath, in the title of Ps. 34. (Compare 1 Sam. 21:10-15.)

(father of the king), the name of several Philistine kings, was probably a common title of these kings, like that of Pharaoh among the Egyptians and that of Caesar and Augustus among the Romans. Hence in the title of #Ps 34:1| ... the name of Abimelech is given to the king, who is called Achish in #1Sa 21:11| 1. A Philistine, king of Gerar, Gene 20,21, who, exercising the right claimed by Eastern princes of collecting all the beautiful women of their dominions into their harem, #Ge 12:15; Es 2:3| sent for and took Sarah. A similar account is given of Abraham's conduct of this occasion to that of his behavior towards Pharaoh. [ABRAHAM] (B.C. 1920.) 2. Another king of Gerar int he time of Isaac, of whom a similar narrative is recorded in relation to Rebekah. #Ge 26:1| etc. (B.C. 1817.) 3. Son of the judge Gideon by his Shechemite concubine. #Jud 8:31| (B.C. 1322-1319.) After his father's death he murdered all his brethren, 70 in number, with the exception of Jotham, the youngest, who concealed himself; and he then persuaded the Shechemites to elect him king. Shechem now became an independent state. After Abimelech had reigned three years, the citizens of Shechem rebelled. He was absent at the time, but he returned and quelled the insurrection. Shortly after he stormed and took Thebez, but was struck on the head by a woman with the fragment of a millstone, comp. #2Sa 11:21| and lest he should be said to have died by a woman, he bade his armor-bearer slay him. 4. A son of Abiathar. #1Ch 18:16|

ABIM'ELECH (father of the king). (1). A king of the Philistines at Gerar. Gen 20:2. Being deceived by Abraham, he took Sarah, Abraham's wife, to be his wife. God warned him, however, in a dream of Sarah's relation to Abraham, and thus withheld him from the commission of sin, because he did it in ignorance. Gen 20:6. Abimelech, having rebuked Abraham, restored Sarah to him with many gifts, and offered him a dwelling-place in any part of the land. God afterward remitted the punishment of the family of Abimelech. (2). At a subsequent period, Abimelech, a successor of the preceding, was deceived in like manner by Isaac, respecting his wife Rebekah, while they dwelt in Gerar during a time of famine in Canaan. Gen 26. (3). A son of Gideon, who, after the death of his father, persuaded the men of Shechem to make him king. Jud 8:31; Jud 9:18. He afterward put to death seventy of his brothers who dwelt in his father's house at Ophrah, leaving only Jotham, the youngest, alive. On learning of his exaltation to the kingship of the Shechemites, who had formed themselves into an independent state, Jotham told them the fable of the trees, Jud 9:7, etc., which is the oldest fable extant. The Shechemites in the third year of his reign rebelled against him during his absence, but he put the revolt down on his return. Shortly afterward, while storming the fortress of Thebez, he was mortally wounded by a piece of a millstone thrown upon his head by a woman from the top of a tower. That it might not be said a woman slew him, he called to his armor-bearer to stab him with his sword, and thus he died. Jud 9:54-57. (4). A son of Abiathar. 1 Chr 18:16. (5). The name given to Achish in the title of Ps 34.

("father of a king", or "father king".) A common title of many Philistine kings, as Pharaoh of the Egyptians, and Caesar and Augustus of the Roman: Padishah (father king) is similarly a title of the Persian king.

1. Hence, we find Achish called Abimelech in the title of Psalm 34, which explains the seeming discrepancy of name in 1 Samuel 21:11.

2. Genesis 20:1, 1898 B.C.; Hales, 2054 B.C.: the king of Gerar. Abimelech's taking Sarah into his harem shows that in those times kings claimed the odious despotic right of taking unmarried females, whether subjects or sojourners; compare Genesis 12:15; Esther 2:3. A divine warning that death would be the penalty of keeping her, but that Abraham's intercession as a prophet would follow the restoring of her, led him to give her back with a present of a thousand pieces of silver (131 British pounds). With delicate sarcasm (in the English KJV) he reproved Abraham's deception.

Rather, as Keil and Delitzsch, instead of "he," translate "this is to thee a covering of the eyes (i.e. an expiatory gift) with regard to all that are with thee" (because in a mistress the whole family is disgraced), "so thou art justified." The closing of the wombs of Abimelech's house then ceased. Abimelech some years after repaired, with Phichol his chief captain, to Abraham to form a treaty of friendship. He restored the well dug by Abraham, but seized by Abimelech's herdsmen. It was thence named Beersheba, the well of the oath, and consecrated to Jehovah (Genesis 21:22-34).

3. A son of the former, with whom a similar transaction took place in the case of Isaac's wife Rebekah. The wells dug by Abraham, being supposed to give a proprietary right in the soil, were stopped by the Philistines, and opened again by Isaac, and the virgin soil yielded to his culture one hundred fold. Jealousy made Abimelech beg him "go from us, for thou art much mightier than we." In the true spirit of "the meek" who "shall inherit the earth," he successively abandoned his wells, Esek (contention) and Sitnah (hatred), before the opposition of the Gerarite herdsmen, and found peace at last at the well Rehoboth (room), where the Lord made room for him.

So by loving concession shall we find peace and room at last (Romans 12:18-21; John 14:2; Psalm 31:8; Psalm 118:5). At Beersheba Abimelech with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol his captain, renewed the treaty of friendship with Isaac, originally made by his father with Abraham, and for the same reason (notwithstanding his past bad treatment of Isaac in sending him away), namely, he saw the Lord was with Isaac. Compare Genesis 26:23 with Genesis 21:22-23. Plainly the Philistines had then a more organized government than the Canaanite nations, one of which had been supplanted by these foreign settlers.

4. Son of Gideon by his Shechemite concubine (Judges 8:31). At Gideon's death he murdered his seventy brethren, excepting the youngest, Jotham, who hid himself, and by his mother's brethren influenced the Shechemites to make him king. Then Jotham addressed to the Shechemites the fable of the trees and the bramble (Judges 9), presaging a feud between Abimelech and Shechem which would mutually consume both. So it came to pass; for God makes in righteous retribution the instruments of men's sin the instrument also of their punishment at last. After three years Shethem rebelled, under Gaal. At Zebul's information Abimelech came rapidly on the rebels and slew all, and beat down their city, and sowed it with salt; he burned to death a thousand more men and women who fled for sanctuary to the hold of the idol Baalberith. Thence he marched to Thebez, nine miles eastward, and took the town; but when trying to burn the tower was struck on the head by a piece of a millstone cast down by a woman. Feeling his wound mortal, he was slain by his armorbearer, at his own request, lest it should be said a woman slew him. For the spiritual lesson read Jeremiah 2:19; Proverbs 5:22; Proverbs 1:31; Job 20:5; Matthew 26:52. The friendship that is based on sin is hollow; compare 2 Samuel 13:3-5;