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Abimelech

This seems to have been the title of the kings of Philistia, as Cæsar was of the Roman emperors, and Pharaoh of the sovereigns of Egypt. It was the name also of one of the sons of Gideon, who became a judge of Israel, Judges ix; Abimelech is rendered in the installed Bible Names resource as “father of the king.” This unified study connects 8 installed resource categories without replacing their source records.

View overview sources
  • Historical Reference: Nave’s Topical Bible — Public domain
  • Historical Reference: Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)
  • Historical Reference: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
  • Historical Reference: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary
  • Historical Reference: concordance
  • Historical Reference: Installed reference work

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Study overview

Study at a glance

Subject type
Subject
Strong’s
H0040
Hebrew
אֲבִימֶלֶךְ · ʼĂbîymelek
Name meaning
father of the king According to Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Strong’s and original-language information

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

אֲבִימֶלֶךְ

H0040
Transliteration
ʼĂbîymelek
Pronunciation
ab-ee-mel'-ek
Language
Hebrew
Indexed occurrences
67

Glosses

Abimelech.

Lexicon definition

Abimelek, the name of two Philistine kings and of two Israelites

Greek lexical coverage

No safely matched Greek Strong’s entry

G—

The installed lexicons do not contain a sufficiently exact Greek word-level match for this study. UNLEARN leaves this language unassigned instead of displaying an unrelated Strong’s record.

Complete dictionary entries

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Abimelech

father of the king

Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · View data sources

A Biblical and Theological Dictionary

ABIMELECH

This seems to have been the title of the kings of Philistia, as Cæsar was of the Roman emperors, and Pharaoh of the sovereigns of Egypt. It was the name also of one of the sons of Gideon, who became a judge of Israel, Judges ix; and of the Jewish high priest, who gave Goliath’s sword, which had been deposited in the tabernacle, and part of the shew bread, to David, at the time this prince was flying from Saul, 1 Sam. xxi, 1.

Source: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary · View data sources

Concordance

Strong's Concordance

Abimelech

Indexed occurrences: 64

Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources

All Scripture references67 references

Topical Bible

Bible Names

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Abimelech

Meaning:
father of the king

Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · View data sources

Sources

Ancient Context3 items
Related UNLEARN Content6 items

Topic

ABIMELECH

Nave’s Topical Bible references for ABIMELECH.

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Dictionary

Abimelech

father of the king

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Dictionary

Alliance

A treaty between nations, or between individuals, for their mutual advantage. Abraham formed an alliance with some of the Canaanitish princes (Gen. 14:13), also with Abimelech (21:22-32). Joshua and the elders of Israel entered into an alliance with the Gibeonites (Josh. 9:3-27). When the Israelites entered Palestine they were forbidden to enter into alliances with the inhabitants of the country (Lev. 18:3, 4; 20:22, 23). Solomon formed a league with Hiram (1 Kings 5:12). This "brotherly covenant" is referred to 250 years afterwards (Amos 1:9). He also appears to have entered into an alliance with Pharaoh (1 Kings 10:28, 29). In the subsequent history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel various alliances were formed between them and also with neighbouring nations at different times. From patriarchal times a covenant of alliance was sealed by the blood of some sacrificial victim. The animal sacrificed was cut in two (except birds), and between these two parts the persons contracting the alliance passed (Gen. 15:10). There are frequent allusions to this practice (Jer. 34:18). Such alliances were called "covenants of salt" (Num. 18:19; 2 Chr. 13:5), salt being the symbol of perpetuity. A pillar was set up as a memorial of the alliance between Laban and Jacob (Gen. 31:52). The Jews throughout their whole history attached great importance to fidelity to their engagements. Divine wrath fell upon the violators of them (Josh. 9:18; 2 Sam. 21:1, 2; Ezek. 17:16).

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Dictionary

Covering of the eyes

Occurs only in Gen. 20:16. In the Revised Version the rendering is "it (i.e., Abimelech's present of 1,000 pieces of silver to Abraham) is for thee a covering of the eyes." This has been regarded as an implied advice to Sarah to conform to the custom of married women, and wear a complete veil, covering the eyes as well as the rest of the face.

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Dream

God has frequently made use of dreams in communicating his will to men. The most remarkable instances of this are recorded in the history of Jacob (Gen. 28:12; 31:10), Laban (31:24), Joseph (37:9-11), Gideon (Judg. 7), and Solomon (1 Kings 3:5). Other significant dreams are also recorded, such as those of Abimelech (Gen. 20:3-7), Pharaoh's chief butler and baker (40:5), Pharaoh (41:1-8), the Midianites (Judg. 7:13), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:1; 4:10, 18), the wise men from the east (Matt. 2:12), and Pilate's wife (27:19). To Joseph "the Lord appeared in a dream," and gave him instructions regarding the infant Jesus (Matt. 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19). In a vision of the night a "man of Macedonia" stood before Paul and said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9; see also 18:9; 27:23).

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Dictionary

Phicol

Great, the chief captain of the army of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar. He entered into an alliance with Abraham with reference to a certain well which, from this circumstance, was called Beersheba (q.v.), "the well of the oath" (Gen. 21:22, 32; 26:26).

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