Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Frankie) #1

reigned three years. He endeavored to recover the kingdom of the Ten Tribes, and made war on
Jeroboam. He was successful in battle, and took several of the cities of Israel. We are told that he
walked in all the sins of Rehoboam. (1 Kings 14:23,24)
•The second son of Samuel, called Abia, Abiah, Or Abijah, Abia, Course OfH in our version. [Abia,
Course Of, Abia, Abiah, Or Abijah, Abia, Course OfH, No. 3]
•Son of Jeroboam I., king of Israel; died in his childhood. (1 Kings 14:1) ...
•A descendant of Eleazar, who gave his name to the eighth of the 24 courses into which the priests
were divided by David. (1 Chronicles 24:10; 2 Chronicles 8:14; Nehemiah 12:4,17)
•One of the priests who entered into a covenant with Nehemiah to walk in God’s law, (Nehemiah
10:7) unless the name is rather that of a family, and the same with the preceding.
Abijam
[Abia, Abiah, Or Abijah, Abijah Or Abijam, 1]
Abila
[Abilene]
Abilene
(land of meadows), (Luke 3:1) a city situated on the eastern slope of Antilibanus, in a district
fertilized by the river Barada (Abana). The city was 18 miles from Damascus, and stood in a
remarkable gorge called Suk Wady Barada.
Abimael
(father of Mael), a descendant of Joktan, (Genesis 10:28; 1 Chronicles 1:22) and probably the
progenitor of an Arab tribe (Mali).
Abimelech
(father of the king), the name of several Philistine kings, was probably a common title of these
kings, like that of Pharaoh among the Egyptians and that of Caesar and Augustus among the Romans.
Hence in the title of (Psalms 34:1) ... the name of Abimelech is given to the king, who is called
Achish in (1 Samuel 21:11)
•A Philistine, king of Gerar, Genesis 20,21, who, exercising the right claimed by Eastern princes
of collecting all the beautiful women of their dominions into their harem, (Genesis 12:15; Esther
2:3) sent for and took Sarah. A similar account is given of Abraham’s conduct of this occasion to
that of his behavior towards Pharaoh. [Abraham] (B.C. 1920.)
•Another king of Gerar int he time of Isaac, of whom a similar narrative is recorded in relation to
Rebekah. (Genesis 26:1) etc. (B.C. 1817.)
•Son of the judge Gideon by his Shechemite concubine. (Judges 8:31) (B.C. 1322-1319.) After his
father’s death he murdered all his brethren, 70 in number, with the exception of Jotham, the
youngest, who concealed himself; and he then persuaded the Shechemites to elect him king.
Shechem now became an independent state. After Abimelech had reigned three years, the citizens
of Shechem rebelled. He was absent at the time, but he returned and quelled the insurrection.
Shortly after he stormed and took Thebez, but was struck on the head by a woman with the fragment
of a millstone, comp. (2 Samuel 11:21) and lest he should be said to have died by a woman, he
bade his armor-bearer slay him.
•A son of Abiathar. (1 Chronicles 18:16)
Abinadab
A Levite, a native of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark remained 20 years. (1 Samuel 7:1,2;
1 Chronicles 13:7) (B.C. 1124.)


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