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Abimelech

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Abimelech or Avimelech was a common name of the Philistine kings.

  1. The name of a king of Gerar which is mentioned in two of the three stories of a wife confused for a sister. The Haggada identifies them as separate people, the second being the first Abimelech's son, and that his original name was Benmelech (son of the King) but changed his name to his father's, which clearly evidences that the name means "my father is the king".
  2. Abimelech (Judges), a son of Gideon (book of Judges 9:1), who was proclaimed king after the death of his father (Judges 8:33-9:6).
  3. The son of Abiathar, and high priest in the time of David (1 Chronicles 18:16). In the parallel passage, 2 Samuel 8:17, we have the name Ahimelech, and Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech. This most authorities consider the more correct reading.
  4. The king of Gath, better known as Achish, as it appears in the title of Psalm 34. He's also referred to as Achimelech (See also 1 Samuel 21:10-15.)

Abimelech's name

Abimelech's name has three main translations, though none treats the name as being completely Hebrew, and all are slightly contorted. The first is my father is king, which could be considered simply as a generic title given to a crown prince. This is supported in the Haggada when "Benmelech" son of Abimelech changes his name to Abimelech when he becomes king. The other two are more interesting, both essentially being my father is MLK, with MLK being the reference found elsewhere in the Bible in prohibitions such as do not pass your children through the fire to MLK, in which case one of the two following possibilities arises

  • Either MLK refers to a major Canaanite deity probably named Moloch, i.e. Abimelech being my father is Moloch - a reference to belief in semi-divine kings, such as Abimelech
  • Or MLK refers to a type of (probably human) sacrifice probably named Molk, i.e. Abimelech being roughly my father is a sacrifice - a reference to Abimelech being pious

Akin to Arabic Abi Malek or Abu Malik or Aba Malek



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Last updated on Sunday March 02, 2008 at 19:25:44 PST (GMT -0800)
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