Abimelech in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
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Who is Abimelech?
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.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'abimelech' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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