The name Abimelech is borne by at least two distinct and significant figures in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. The name itself is likely a title, meaning “my father is king” or “father-king,” which was common among Philistine monarchs. The two main individuals are a Philistine king in Genesis and a treacherous son of a major Judge in the book of Judges.
1. Abimelech, King of Gerar (Genesis)
This Abimelech was the Philistine king of Gerar, a city in the land of the Philistines. He is featured in the narratives of both Abraham and Isaac.
In the Time of Abraham
In Genesis 20, Abraham moves to Gerar, and out of fear, tells the people that his wife Sarah is his sister.
- Genesis 20:2 states: “And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.”
- The Lord intervened, coming to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that he was “a dead man” because the woman he had taken was married.
- Genesis 20:6 records God’s acknowledgment of the king’s innocence: “And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart… therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.”
- Abimelech rebuked Abraham, restored Sarah, and gave Abraham gifts, sheep, and oxen. The two men later made a covenant at a well, which was subsequently named Beer-sheba (Genesis 21:22-32).
In the Time of Isaac
A later (or possibly the same) King Abimelech is mentioned when Isaac sojourned in Gerar during a famine, repeating the same deception as his father Abraham (Genesis 26).
- Genesis 26:1 states: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.”
- Abimelech later observed Isaac fondling his wife, Rebekah, proving her to be his wife, not his sister, and he confronted Isaac. The king issued a decree to protect the couple, showing a respect for the covenant of marriage.
2. Abimelech, Son of Gideon (Judges)
This Abimelech was a very different and infamous figure, the son of the great Judge Gideon (also called Jerubbaal) by a concubine from the city of Shechem. His life is a brief, bloody episode in Israel’s history, showcasing the dangers of self-proclaimed kingship outside of God’s will.
- Judges 9:1-6 records his treacherous rise to power: “And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren… And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone.” The men of Shechem then crowned him king.
- The lone survivor of the massacre, his youngest brother Jotham, delivered the famous parable of the trees from Mount Gerizim, prophesying that fire would come out of Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem, and fire would come out of the men of Shechem and devour Abimelech (Judges 9:7-20).
- His reign lasted a mere three years before God sent an evil spirit to cause strife between him and the men of Shechem, bringing Jotham’s curse to fruition.
- Judges 9:53-54 records his humiliating death in the city of Thebez: “And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.” The text concludes that God thereby rendered the wickedness of Abimelech upon his head.