ABIMELECH (1**':N, father of the king, or perhaps royal father; Sept. 'A(3naXex), the name of several Philistine kings, and probably less a proper name than a titular distinction of these kings, like PHARAOH for the kings of Egypt, or AUGUSTUS for the emperors of Rome.
1. A king of Gerar in the days of Abraham. The latter (Gen. xx. 1 ff. B.C. ISO; Hales, B.C. 2054) removed into his territory after the destruc tion of Sodom; and fearing that the extreme beauty of Sarah might bring him into difficulties, he declared her to be his sister. The conduct of Abimelech in taking Sarah into his harem thews that even in those early times kings claimed the right of to themselves the unmarried females not only of their natural subjects, but of those who sojourned in their dominions. Another contem porary instance of this custom occurs in Gen. xii. 15; and one of later date in Esth. ii. 3. But Abime lech, obedient to a divine warning, restored her to her husband. As a mark of his respect he added valuable gifts, and offered the patriarch a settle ment in any part of the country; but he nevertheless did not forbear to rebuke the deception which had been practised upon him (Gen. xx.) It appears to have been admitted, on all hands, that he had an undoubted right to appropriate to his harem what ever unmarried woman he pleased—the evil in this case being that Sarah was already married: so early had some of the most odious principles of despotism taken root in the East. Nothing further is recorded of King Abimelech, except that a few years after, he repaired to the camp of Abraham, who had re moved southward beyond his borders, accompanied by Phichol, `the chief captain of his host,' to invite the patriarch to contract with him a league of peace and friendship. Abraham consented; and this first league on record [ALLIANCES] was confirmed by a mutual oath, made at a well which had been dug by Abraham, but which the herdsmen of Abimelech had forcibly seized without his knowledge. It was restored to the rightful owner, on which Abraham named it BEERSHEBA (the Well of the Oath), and consecrated the spot to the worship of Jehovah (Gen. xxi. 22-34).
2. Another king of Gerar, in the time of Isaac (about B.C. 1804; Hales, 96o), who is supposed to have been the son of the preceding. Isaac sought refuge in his territory during a famine ; and having the same fear respecting his fair Mesopo tamian wife, Rebekah, as his father had entertained respecting Sarah, he reported her to be his sister. This brought upon him the rebuke of Abimelech, when he accidentally discovered the truth. The country appears to have become more cultivated and populous than at the time of Abraham's visit, nearly a century before; and the inhabitants were more jealous of the presence of such powerful pastoral chieftains. In those times, as now, wells of water were of so much importance for agricultu ral as well as pastoral purposes, that they gave a proprietary right to the soil, not previously appro priated, in which they were dug. Abraham had dug wells during his sojourn in the country; and, to bar the claim which resulted from them, the Philistines had afterwards filled them up; but they were now cleared out by Isaac, who proceeded to cultivate the ground to which they gave him a right. The virgin soil yielded him a hundred-fold; and his other possessions, his flocks, and herds, also received such prodigious increase that the jealousy of the Philistines could not be suppressed; and Abimelech desired him to seek more distant quarters, in language which gives a high notion of the wealth of the patriarchal chiefs, and the extent of their establishments:—` Depart from us: for thou art more and mightier than we.' Isaac complied, and went out into the open country, and dug wells for his cattle. But the shepherds of the Philistines were not inclined to allow the claim to exclusive pasturage in these districts to be thus established; and their opposition induced the quiet patriarch to make successive removals, until he reached such a distance that his operations were no longer dis puted. Afterwards, when he was at Beersheba, he received a visit from Abimelech, who was attended by Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phichol, the chief captain of his army. They were received with some reserve by Isaac; but when Abimelech explained that it was his wish to renew, with one so manifestly blessed of God, the covenant of peace and goodwill which had been contracted between their fathers, they were more cheerfully entertained, and the desired covenant was, with due ceremony, contracted accordingly. (Gen. xxvi.) From the facts recorded respecting the connection of the two Abimelechs with Abraham and Isaac, it is manifest that the Philistines, even at this early time, had a government more organized, and more in unison with that type which we now regard as Oriental, than appeared among the native Canaanites, one of whose nations had been expelled by these foreign settlers from the territory which they occu pied. [PHILISTINES.]
3. A son of Gideon, by a concubine-wife, a native of Shechem, where her family had conside rable influence. Through that influence Abimelech was proclaimed king after the death of his father, who had himself refused that honour, when tendered to him, both for himself and his children (Judges ix. 1-6). In a short time, a considerable part of Israel seems to have recognised his rule. One of the first acts of his reign was to destroy his brothers, seventy in number, according to a system of barbarous state policy of which there have been frequent instances in the East. They were slain `on one stone' at Ophrah, the native city of the family. Only one, the youngest, named Jotham, escaped; and he had the boldness to make his appearance on Mount Gerizim, where the She chemites were assembled for some public purpose (perhaps to inaugurate Abimelech), and rebuke them in his famous parable of the trees choosing a king [JoTHAm]. In the course of three years the Shechemites repenting of what they had done, revolted in Abimelech's absence, and caused an ambuscade to be laid in the mountains, with the design of destroying him on his return. But Zebul, his governor in Shechem, contrived to apprise him of these circumstances, so that he was enabled to avoid the snare laid for him; and, having hastily assembled some troops, appeared unexpectedly before Shechem. The people of that place had meanwhile secured the assistance of one Gaal and his followers [GAAL], who marched out to give Abimelech battle. He was defeated, and returned into the town ; and his inefficiency and misconduct in the action had been so manifest, that the people were induced by Zebul to expel him and his followers [Comp. Joseph. Antiq. v. 7, 4]. Although without his protection, the people still went out to the labours of the field. This being told Abimclech, who was at Arumah, he laid an ambuscade of four troops in the neigh bourhood; and when the men came forth in the morning, two of the ambushed parties rose against them, while the other two seized the city gates to prevent their return. Afterwards the whole force united against the city, which, being now deprived of its most efficient inhabitants, was easily taken. It was completely destroyed by the exasperated victor, and the ground strewn with salt, symbolical of the desolation to which it was doomed. The fortress, however, still remained; but the occupants, deeming it untenable, withdrew to the temple of Baal-Berith, which stood in a more commanding situation. Abimelech employed his men in col lecting and piling wood against this building, which was then set on fire and destroyed, with the thousand men who were in it. Afterwards Abime loch went to reduce Thebes, which had also re volted. The town was taken with little difficulty, and the people withdrew into the citadel. Here Abimelech resorted to his favourite operation, and while heading a party to burn down the gate, he was struck on the head by a large stone cast down by a woman from the wall above. Perceiving that he had received a death-blow, he directed his armour- bearer to thrust him through with his sword, lest it should be said that he fell by a woman's hand. Thus ended the first attempt to establish a monarchy in Israel. The chapter in which these events are recorded (Judg. ix.) gives a more detailed and lively view of the military ope rations of that age than elsewhere occurs, and claims the close attention of those who study that branch of antiquities. Abimelech himself appears to have been a bold and able commander, but utterly uncontrolled by religion, principle, or humanity in his ambitious enterprises. His fate resembled that of Pyrrhus II., king of Epirus (Justin. xxv. 5; Pausan. i. 13; Plut. Vit. Pyrr., Strabo, p. 376. The dread of the ignominy of its being said of a warrior that he died by a woman's hand was very general (Sophocl. Track. to64• Senec. Herr. Oet. 1176). Vainly did Abimelech seek to avoid this disgrace ; for the fact of his death by the hand of a woman was long after associated with his memory (2 Sam. xi. 24— J. K.
4. In Chron. xviii. 16, a priest named Abimelech is mentioned, but this is evidently an error for Ahimelech. Comp. ch. xxiv. 3-6; 2 Sam. viii. 17 • and in the inscription of Ps. xxxiv. we have Abimelech for Achish. [AcHisx.]