In the Tanakh or Old Testament, Abimelech was a son of the great judge Gideon (Judges 9:1). He was, however, merely the son of Gideon's concubine; and to make good his claim to rule over Ephraim, he resorted to force. Aided by his mother's relatives, he put to death all of his half-brothers, seventy in number, "on one stone," at Ophrah, only the youngest, Jotham, escaping, and ruled three years in Shechem after the death of his father (Judges 8:33-9:6).
He was an unprincipled, ambitious ruler, often engaged in war with his own subjects. When engaged in reducing the town of Thebez, which had revolted, he was struck mortally on his head by a mill-stone, thrown by the hand of a woman from the wall above. Perceiving that the wound was mortal, he desired his armor-bearer to thrust him through with his sword, that it might not be said he had perished by the hand of a woman (Judges 9:50-57).
Abimelech or Avimelech (אֲבִימֶלֶךְ / אֲבִימָלֶךְ "father/leader of a king; my father/leader, a king", Standard Hebrew Aviméleḫ / Avimáleḫ, Tiberian Hebrew ʼĂḇîméleḵ / ʼĂḇîmāleḵ) was a common name of the Philistine kings, much as "Pharaoh" was of the Egyptian kings.
Abimelech afterwards visited him when he was encamped at Beer-sheba, and expressed a desire to renew the covenant which had been entered into between their fathers (Gen. 26:26-31).
Abimelech (Judges), a son of Gideon (Judges 9:1), who was proclaimed king after the death of his father (Judges 8:33-9:6).
Judges starts off with the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan, however there are many Canaanite tribes still in the land who still resist them, so although they have entered the land they do not have full control of it.
Judges 1:22-36 is an account of the military campaigns of the house of Joseph.
Modern biblical scholars consider the Book of Judges to be a part of the Deuteronomistic History, which was probably compiled in the late seventh century BC using several earlier sources, and re-edited in the sixth century BC.
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