Abimelech

Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar, like Pharaoh in Egypt, saw something abut Sarah but also had dreams and warnings from God.

Genesis 20: 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Father King

Abimelech from ab and melek or "father king," said to be a Philistine (פְלִשְׁתִּי) name. While Abram from ab and an unused word ram which became Abraham (ab-ra-ham) after the blessing of Melchisedec, righteous king.

Understanding these distinctions between the nature of these manner of governing people may help you understand the purpose of Abraham's journey of faith meaning of the doctrine of Jesus.

What did Christ mean when He says in Matthew 23:9-12 “‭9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. ‭10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. ‭11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. ‭12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

The righteous king of Peace known in the text as Melchizedek king of Salem who blessed Abram in Genesis 14.

“‭18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. ‭19 And he blessed (בָּר֤וּךְ barak) him, and said, Blessed (וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ way·bā·re·kê·hū(VavHeyKafReishBeitYodVav)) be Abram of the most high God, possessor (קָנָה) of heaven and earth: ‭20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” Genesis 14:18-20.

We will see this unique word for blessing waybārekêhū(וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ VavHeyKafReishBeitYodVav) again in Genesis 27:23 when Jacob receives Essau's blessing and again in Joshua 14:13 when Caleb is blessed. Samson also receives this blessing in Judges 13:24 

Genesis 14:4 king Bera served (עָבְד֖וּ) <05647> Chedorlaomer and then rebelled <04775>. We find this verb form in Jeremiah 25:14 NSA "kings will make slaves of them" and in the KJV: kings shall serve themselves of them also...

The text include ’et- (אֶת־) which is untranslated but modifies the word serve.

This verb form appears Genesis 26:14 and Job 1:3 "His substance also was seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels and five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she asses and a very great household so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east."

Mentioned

Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She [is] my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man s wife.

Genesis 20:4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

Genesis 20:8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

Genesis 20:14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave [them] unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land [is] before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare [children]. 18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham s wife.

Genesis 21:22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God [is] with thee in all that thou doest:

Genesis 21:25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech s servants had violently taken away.

Genesis 21:26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I [of it], but to day.

Genesis 21:27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

Genesis 21:29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What [mean] these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

Genesis 21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

Genesis 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting with Rebekah his wife. 9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she [is] thy wife: and how saidst thou, She [is] my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. 10 And Abimelech said, What [is] this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. 11 And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Genesis 26:16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

Genesis 26:26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

Judges 8:31 And his concubine that [was] in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

Judges 9:1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother s father, saying,

Judges 9:3 And his mother s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He [is] our brother.

Judges 9:4 And they gave him threescore and ten [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

Judges 9:6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that [was] in Shechem.

Judges 9:16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

Judges 9:18 And ye are risen up against my father s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he [is] your brother;)

Judges 9:19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, [then] rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

Judges 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

Judges 9:21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Judges 9:22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

Judges 9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

Judges 9:24 That the cruelty [done] to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

Judges 9:25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

Judges 9:27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode [the grapes], and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

Judges 9:28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we should serve him? [is] not [he] the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

Judges 9:29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

Judges 9:31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

Judges 9:34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that [were] with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

Judges 9:35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that [were] with him, from lying in wait.

Judges 9:38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where [is] now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who [is] Abimelech, that we should serve him? [is] not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

Judges 9:39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

Judges 9:40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown [and] wounded, [even] unto the entering of the gate.

Judges 9:41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

Judges 9:42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

Judges 9:44 And Abimelech, and the company that [was] with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two [other] companies ran upon all [the people] that [were] in the fields, and slew them.

Judges 9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that [was] therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

Judges 9:47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

Judges 9:48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid [it] on his shoulder, and said unto the people that [were] with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, [and] do as I [have done].

Judges 9:49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put [them] to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

Judges 9:50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

Judges 9:52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

Judges 9:53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech s head, and all to brake his skull.

Judges 9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

Judges 9:56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

Judges 10:1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

2 Samuel 11:21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

1 Chronicles 18:16 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, [were] the priests; and Shavsha was scribe;

Psalms 34:1 [A Psalm] of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth.