Tom lowe
1/5/2022
Abimelech, King of Gerar
Abimelech means "my father a king" or "father of a king." This is the name of 5 biblical men; 4 were kings. Abimelech was the common name for Philistine kings, as the name "Pharaoh" is for Egyptian kings. Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar, reigned during the time of Abraham (Genesis 20:1-18). This is the Abimelech who will be our subject today. By the intervention of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem and was restored to her husband, Abraham. As a mark of respect, the king gave Abraham valuable gifts. He offered him a settlement in any part of his country. At the same time, he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practiced deception upon him by pretending that Sarah was only his sister.
Among the gifts presented by the king were a thousand pieces of silver to purchase a "covering for the eyes" for Sarah, i.e., either as an atoning gift or a testimony of her innocence in the sight of all. Alternatively, perhaps the silver was to procure a veil for Sarah to conceal her beauty and thus reproof (rebuke, disapproval) of her for not having worn a veil, which she apparently ought to have done in that culture as a married woman.
A few years after this, Abimelech visited Abraham, who had moved southward beyond his territory, and entered into an alliance of peace and friendship with him. This league was the first of which we have any record. A mutual oath confirmed it at Beer-sheba (Genesis 21:22-34).
Note: Abimelech is a cognomen (surname, nickname) applied to Philistine rulers as Pharaoh, Agag, and Jabin were applied by the Egyptians, Amalekites, and Canaanites. Three different people groups in the OT use this title: one during Abraham's time (Gen 20; 21), one during Isaac's time (ch. 26), and one during David's days (Ps 34, title).
The king of Gerar was titled Abimelech. Seeing Abraham's wife Sarah, Abraham stayed with his flock in his country after the destruction of Sodom, and Gomorrah, the king of Abimelech of Gerar, took her, intending to make her his wife. Abraham, again fearing for his life as he had with Pharaoh (Gen 12:10-20), declared that Sarah was his sister. Whether Abraham was implying that she was doubly protected based on the Nuzu documents is uncertain. There were marriage documents and "sistership documents"; thus, some wives simultaneously had the juridical status of a wife and sister, each recorded in separate, independent, legal documents. Abraham might have been technically correct when he referred to Sarah as his "sister" if she were thus protected when Abimelech discovered the whole truth or understood the implications of this *Hurrian Laws of Marriage
* Hurrian Definition & Meaning - [noun] a member of an ancient non-Semitic people of northern Mesopotamia, Syria, and eastern Asia Minor about 1500 b.c. There were laws to protect married women.
1. He asked Abraham why he had done this to him. Abraham answered that he thought "the fear of God" (i.e., true religion) was not in Gerar; therefore, he would be slain for his wife's sake (Gen 20:11). Indeed, "she is my sister,...the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother." Abimelech lavished Abraham with gifts and an invitation to graze his flock in his land to recognize his person and intercession (20:14, 16, 17). Later some twenty-five miles from Gerar, a series of disputes broke out between the servants of the two men over the water wells. Finally, the covenant at a well, which they called Beersheba, "well of seven or swearing," was made by Abraham and Abimelech (21:22-34).
2. The same experience occurred almost a century later between Isaac and another Abimelech of Gerar (26:1-11), "king of the Philistines." Isaac claimed that Rebekah was his sister, and God intervened when Abimelech attempted to move in. A series of incidents involving wells followed, and a covenant concluded the hostilities (26:17-32).
3. The title of Psalm 34 gives us a third Abimelech in David's time, who was the Philistine king of Gath named Achish (1 Sam 21:10). Most commentators regard Abimelech (Ps 34) as a copyist error for Achish or confusion with Abimelech found earlier (1 Sam 21:1). This misses the point (Gen 26:1) where an Abimelech is a "king of the Philistines" in Gerar.
4. The son of Gideon (also called Jerubbabel) by a Shechemite concubine (Judg 8:31) in a matrilineal marriage (one in which the wife lives in the parental home and the children belong to the clan). After Gideon's death, Abimelech approached the "Lords" of his clan of Shechem, which is further designated in Judges 9:28 as "the men of Hamor" who still (Gen 34) worshiped the God Berith (Judges 9:4, 9:6 46), and proposed that he be proclaimed "king." They agreed and promptly paid him seventy pieces of silver from the treasuries of Baalberith. With this start, he hired a handful of assassins who quickly helped Abimelech slay all his seventy brothers except for the youngest son Jotham who escaped.
His kingdom was limited to Shechem, Bethmillo (apparently the tower of Shechem, Arumah, and Thebez, 9:6, 41, 50). This is the first Israelite man in the Bible to form his name with the divine designation Melech. According to Martin Buber, neither was this his original name, for Judges 8:31 says that "his concubine...bare him a son, and he called his name Abimelech."
Jotham, the sole survivor of the bloody massacre of Abimelech and his supporters, stationed himself on Mt. Gerizim and cried out his famous fable, which placed a deliberate slur upon Abimelech as a worthless bramble incapable of offering the men of Shechem security or profit; to the contrary, it grimly predicted their mutual destruction (Judg 9:7-21).
After three years of reign, God visited Abimelech and the men of Shechem (9:23) in the persons of the usurpers' assistant Zebul and Gaal, the son of Ebed (9:26). The latter was another slick talker. Thus the dissension was sown in Shechem (9:28, 29). An armed rebellion ensued, which Abimelech was just on the verge of crushing when an unknown woman dropped a millstone on his skull from the besieged tower at Thebez (9:50-53). Upset that it was a woman who finally ended his proud career, he begged his armor-bearer to spare him this disgrace, which he did by thrusting him through with Abimelech's sword (9:54).
Abraham in the Land of Abimelech
The mighty King of Gerar, named Abimelech, had an essential role in the life of Abraham. Their interaction is shown on the Bible Timeline Poster around 1854 BC. It all started when Abraham and Sarah set foot upon the king's land. Abimelech was kind enough to give Abraham the right to graze his cattle in any place in the land he wanted. Unfortunately, a dispute existed between the two, which mainly started when Abraham decided to dig a well only to have it seized by one of the king's servants.
However, Abimelech was unaware of this dispute. The king only heard of Abraham's complaint, leading to an agreement that Abraham first presented. This situation was resolved by giving Abraham full rights of ownership to the well, which also entitled him to proceed with his business activities on the land.
The Life of Abraham in the Land of Abimelech
Several times, Abraham was forced to give up most things he originally owned. God commanded him to leave his homeland in pursuit of the Promised Land that Abraham was not wholly aware of. Although he had doubts and fears about departing, he allowed himself to put his trust in God as he left his native land.
However, the situation with the well showed that Abraham was securing what he believed was his property. He also believed in the importance of legal protections for any property he had. This only proved how Abraham was indeed a committed, responsible, and hard-working person who only wanted to live life moderately.
During his stay in Canaan, Abraham lived by shepherding. Thus, good access to water is vital for this business to thrive. Instead of allowing his livelihood and family to suffer, he fought for his rights and was able to succeed by doing so. This signifies Abraham's love and concern for others instead of merely focusing on what he wanted for himself.
The Lesson We Learn from Abraham
Just like Abraham, it is only fitting that anyone involved in responsibilities where they need to protect others should think beyond their own needs. We, humans, are indeed tasked to be the stewards of God's creations, which means we should do our best to be responsible for everything under our care. With this in mind, every decision should not only depend on who is correct, but it is essential to consider how each decision could affect other people's welfare.
Although Abimelech had every reason to be upset with Abraham in this story, he even rewarded him in the end. For instance, he brought Abraham male and enslaved women and some cattle. Sarah was also returned to Abraham, who could live more comfortably in this land. Indeed, the life of Abraham turned out for the best because of his wisdom and ability to make the right decisions for the common good.
There is more than one Abimelech in the Bible, but he is most commonly referred to as the King of Gerar. He was in power when Abraham traveled through Kadesh and Shur inside the Philistine territory.
Some interesting facts about Abimelech and Abraham.
• Abimelech's name means "father/leader of a king" or "my father/leader, the king."
• He is mentioned twice in Genesis. Both stories involve the sister/wife narratives. (See Genesis 20, 26).
• Some scholars believe the king in the second story was his son.
• Gerar was a Philistine city and was located in what is now south-central Israel.
• According to Genesis, Gerar was halfway between Gaza and Beersheba.
• After Abraham told the king Sarah was his sister, the king took her into his palace.
• God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman."
• However, Abimelech had not touched her. He said, "Lord, will you destroy innocent people?"
• Abraham had told him directly, "She is my sister."
• Sarah confirmed it by saying, "He is my brother."
• Abimelech was utterly innocent.
• God replied in his dream. "Yes, I know you are innocent. It was I who kept you from sinning."
• He was told to release Sarah to Abraham, who would pray for his life.
• No harm would come to Abimelech if he let her go.
• He would die, along with all those with him, if he did not.
• When Abimelech awoke the following day, he called all his servants and told them what had happened.
• Everyone was terrified.
• Abimelech called Abraham and confronted him.
• He asked him, "What have you done to us?"
• He did not know what he could have done to Abraham to cause him to mistreat him.
• He asked, "What were you thinking of that you did this thing?"
• Abraham said he was afraid. He thought the people had no concept of God and would kill him because of Sarah.
• Then Abraham added that she was his sister. They had the same father but different mothers.
• Abimelech "took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him."
• He told Abraham he could settle wherever he chose.
• In front of everyone, he also gave Abraham 1000 pieces of silver, showing that Sarah was utterly vindicated.
• Abraham then prayed to God, and Abimelech, his wife, and enslaved women were healed and able to bear children.
• Previously, the Lord had closed all their wombs because of Sarah.
• With his army commander as a witness, Abimelech asked Abraham to swear that he would never deal falsely with him or any of his offspring again.
• Abraham agreed.
• However, later, Abraham complained to Abimelech that his servants had seized the water well.
• That was news to Abimelech.
• Abraham took sheep and oxen and made a covenant with Abimelech.
• By accepting the sheep, Abimelech agreed that Abraham had dug the well.
• The covenant was made.
• They called the place Beer-sheba. "Beer" means "well;" "Sheba" could mean "oath" or "seven."
• Then Abimelech and his commander went back to the land of the Philistines.
• Genesis 26 describes a similar situation with Isaac, who also went to Gerar due to a famine.
• God had instructed him to do this and promised to protect him.
• Isaac also said, "She is my sister, when asked about his wife."
• However, one day Abimelech looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah.
• He confronted Isaac about her being his wife.
• Isaac also feared he would be killed because Rebekah was so attractive.
• Abimelech was very upset and warned everyone, saying, "Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death."
• Isaac stayed in that land for a long time and became very wealthy.
• Then the Philistines stopped up all of Abraham's wells, and Abimelech asked him to leave because he had become too powerful.
• Isaac moved a distance farther in Gerar.
• Initially, wherever Isaac's servants dug new wells, the people quarreled with them.
• Eventually, they were able to dig a well.
• Then they went to Beer-sheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and repeated the promises that had been made to Abraham.
• Soon, Abimelech went to him, offering peace.
• The Abimelech was an evil ruler by God's standards. The curse that Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, spoke to Abimelech came about when God sent an evil spirit on Abimelech and the people of Shechem. Abimelech in Hebrew means Father of the King. This Abimelech is not the same Abimelech who was the King of Gerar in Genesis 20:1-18. In the morning, they exchanged oaths, and Abimelech departed in peace
Abimelech in Hebrew means Father of the King. Abimelech was an evil ruler by God's standards. The curse that Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, spoke to Abimelech came about when God sent an evil spirit on Abimelech and the people of Shechem. This Abimelech is not the same Abimelech who was the King of Gerar in Genesis 20:1-18.
Abraham left Hebron and headed south to the Negev. Then he turned back north and stayed among the Philistines of Gerar for a time. Only about a year passed between Genesis 19 and 21, leaving not much time for the events of chapter 20. Abraham must have left Hebron soon after, possibly because of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The events in Gerar indicate something had shaken Abraham's great faith.
At the beginning of his pilgrimage, Abraham had passed Sarah off as his sister while in Egypt. That did not end well. Nonetheless, he tried the same ruse in Gerar almost twenty-five years later. Why was he afraid someone would want to kill him over his ninety-year-old wife? In her sixties, Sarah was beautiful, but her appearance is never mentioned in chapter 20. More likely, Abimelech took her because the marriage would have allied him with the wealthy and powerful Abraham.
Regardless of Abimelech's reasons, Abraham's foolishness again cost him his wife. However, this time, it put Yahweh's promise at risk. Sarah could not give birth to Abraham's son while in Abimelech's harem.
Abimelech's Dream
One night, God spoke to Abimelech in a dream: "You are as good as dead because of the woman you took. She has a husband!"
Abimelech, who had not approached her, replied, "My Lord, would you kill an innocent nation? Didn't he tell me she was his sister? Furthermore, didn't she also say he was her brother? I did this innocently, with the best of intentions."
In the dream, God said, "Yes, I know you did this innocently. I am the one who prevented you from sinning against me by not allowing you to touch her. Now return the man's wife. Because he is a prophet, he will pray for you so you will live. However, if you do not return her, know that you and all who belong to you will certainly die."As he had in Egypt, God intervened to save Abraham and Sarah from their folly. In a dream, he warned Abimelech that he stood condemned for taking another man's wife, a serious crime throughout the Near East. Abimelech immediately admitted that he had taken her but pled innocent because he was deceived.
Some question Abimelech's concern that God would punish the entire nation for his sin. But the Bible consistently affirms that sin hurts the innocent, especially when someone in authority sins. When the head of the household sins, the entire household suffers. When a ruler sins, the entire nation suffers. God also confirmed Abimelech's fear that "all who belong to you" would die with him.
Had Abimelech violated Sarah, he would have unwittingly brought himself the curse required by God's covenant with Abraham. Moreover, such a union would have brought the paternity of Isaac, Sarah's promised son, into question. So knowing Abimelech had been deceived, God prevented him from committing adultery. However, he could no longer claim ignorance. He had to return Sarah or die.
The Fear of God
The following day, Abimelech rose early and summoned all his servants. When he told them about his dream, they were terrified.
Then Abimelech summoned Abraham. "What have you done to us? Who would do such a thing? What did I do to you that you would cause me and my kingdom to commit such a terrible sin?
"What were you thinking that led you to do this?"
Abraham answered, "I did it because I thought, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place.'"
Like Abraham, in contrast to Lot, Abimelech promptly obeyed God's command. Early the following day, he called in his servants and told them about the dream and God's words. As members of Abimelech's household, they were implicated in his sin and could serve as witnesses to his attempt to reconcile with Abraham.
Abimelech was understandably bewildered at Abraham's behavior. Who would pass his wife off as his sister, allowing others to think she was available for marriage? Abraham explained that he acted out of a belief that the Philistines did not fear God. However, it was Abraham who lacked appropriate fear. He failed to consider how God viewed his scheming because he was more afraid of Abimelech! The destruction of Sodom may have made him wary of living among the Canaanites.
Despite the popularity of the claim that fearing God means honoring or respecting him, there is no evidence to back it up. The apparent meaning of Scripture should not be changed just because some people find it unpleasant. When Abimelech realized what he had done, he and his servants were terrified. They were not afraid of Abraham. They were afraid of his God, whose wrath they had incurred. This fear led them to do the right thing and return Sarah.
Abraham's Defense
Abraham answered, "I did it because I thought, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place so that they will kill me because of my wife.' Besides, she is my sister. She is my father's daughter, but not my mother's, and she became my wife. When God made me stray from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your devotion to me: wherever we go, tell people I am your brother.'"
Abimelech gave Abraham flocks, herds, and enslaved people, and he returned Sarah to him.
Abraham's reply to Abimelech stands in stark contrast to his reply to the wicked king of Sodom in Genesis 14:21–24. After saving Sodom, Abraham returned the people, refused even the slightest reward, and proclaimed his loyalty to Yahweh unashamedly. However, the shame of his lie turned the tables. After endangering all Gerar, he had Sarah returned to him, accepted flocks, herds, and enslaved people from Abimelech, and even blamed God for making him "stray" from his homeland.
Given the trouble he caused, Abraham's defense comes across as rather pathetic. He openly admitted he believed Abimelech and all his people were capable of murder. He then tried to deny he had lied, claiming that Sarah was his half-sister and wife. Although marriages to close relatives were common at the time, if Sarah was truly Terah's daughter, why does Genesis 11:31 explicitly call her his daughter-in-law? This blatant cover-up should be taken with a grain of salt.
Worst of all, Abraham blamed his actions on God. The Hebrew verb ta?ah means "to go astray," both literally and figuratively, and is never used positively. God called Abraham to follow him to a new home where he would live under God's protection. However, Abraham made it sound like God had led him astray into a life of aimless wandering in a land where he had to rely on deception to protect himself. As Adam did when he blamed God for creating Eve, Abraham turned his blessings into an excuse for sin.
Vindicated
[Abimelech said,] "Look, my land is before you! You may live wherever you like."
Then he said to Sarah, "Here, I give a thousand shekels of silver to your brother to exonerate you in the eyes of everyone with you. You are vindicated!"
So Abraham prayed to God, and God restored Abimelech, his wife, and his maidservants so they could have children again. Yahweh had made everyone in Abimelech's household infertile because of Abraham's wife, Sarah.
Abimelech wisely accepted Abraham's explanation of why he lied about Sarah. Whether or not what Abraham said was true, Abimelech did not want to risk further angering his God. He even called Abraham Sarah's "brother" to show the matter was closed—and probably to get in one last sarcastic barb.
One positive aspect of Abraham's defense is his admission that he was the one who asked Sarah to lie. She was not to blame. She had submitted to her husband's wishes with no intention of committing adultery. Abimelech also vouched for her, giving Abraham a thousand shekels of silver—a substantial amount of money—to guarantee that no adultery had taken place and that Sarah was innocent of wrongdoing.
This guarantee would soon prove vital. Just a few months earlier, God had promised that Sarah would give birth to Isaac "around this time next year." Sarah would soon realize she was pregnant and may have already been in her first trimester when taken into Abimelech's harem. Had adultery occurred, it would have been impossible to prove Isaac was Abraham's son.
Once again, God intervened to protect his promise from a severe threat. To protect Sarah's womb, he closed the wombs of all the women in Abimelech's household. When Abraham prayed, God released them from the curse of infertility.
