Abimelech
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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.
- The name of a king of Gerar which is mentioned in two of the three stories of a wife confused for a sister.
- Abimelech (Judges), a son of Gideon (Judges 9:1), who was proclaimed king after the death of his father (Judges 8:33-9:6).
- 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.
- 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. 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
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