| Abimelech | |
|---|---|
| King of Shechem | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Abimelech.png) Abimelech from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum | |
| Predecessor | Gideon, only as a Judge |
| Successor | Tola, only as a Judge |
| Born | Shechem, Land of Israel |
| Died | Thebez, Land of Israel |
| Hebrew | אֲבִימֶלֶךְ |
| Father | Gideon |
| Judges in the Hebrew Bible שופטים |
|---|
| Italics indicate individuals not explicitly described as judges |
| Book of Exodus |
| Book of Joshua |
| Book of Judges |
| First Book of Samuel |
Abimelech (/əˈbɪməˌlɛk/; אֲבִימֶלֶךְ ’Ǎḇīmeleḵ) or Abimelek was the king of Shechem and the tribal territory of Manasseh,[1] and a son of biblical judge Gideon. His name can best be interpreted as "my father is king",[2][3] claiming the inherited right to rule. He is introduced in Judges 8:31 as the son of Gideon and his Shechemite concubine, and the biblical account of his reign is described in chapter nine of the Book of Judges. According to the Bible, he was an unprincipled and ambitious ruler who often engaged in war against his own subjects.
- ^ Sasson 2014, p. 373.
- ^ Schneider 2000, p. 134.
- ^ Auld 1984, p. 180.