Who was Abimelech in the Book of Judges?

Response

Abimelech (also spelled Abimelek), one of Gideon’s sons, served as a judge of Israel following Gideon’s judgeship. He is first mentioned in Judges 8:30–31 where it is stated, “[Gideon] had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.” Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh and had led Israel to victory despite seemingly impossible odds (Judges 7). After this triumph, he amassed wealth and had multiple wives, including a concubine in Shechem who gave birth to Abimelech.

Abimelech aimed to seize control of Shechem by eliminating all his rivals—specifically, by killing all of Gideon’s other sons (Judges 9:1-2). All were slain except Gideon’s youngest son, Jotham (verse 5). Subsequently, Abimelech assumed kingship over Shechem (verse 6).

After governing Shechem for three years, a rebellion emerged against Abimelech. This led to a civil war, culminating in a battle at a place called Thebez «Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. », (Judges 9:50). Abimelech trapped the city’s leaders in a tower and approached with the intent of setting the tower ablaze.

The account continues, “A woman [in the tower] dropped an upper millstone on [Abimelech’s] head and cracked his skull. Quickly, he called to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, “A woman killed him.”’ His servant then ran him through, and he perished. Upon seeing that Abimelech was dead, the Israelites dispersed” (Judges 9:53-55).

An “upper millstone” was a large rock about 18 inches in diameter, which struck Abimelech’s head. Thoug

After surviving the crushing blow, Abimelech knew he would not live long. He instructed his young armor-bearer to end his life to preserve his reputation (a practice observed elsewhere in the Old Testament). The young man obeyed, and the battle concluded with Abimelech’s forces being defeated.

Abimelech serves as a negative example of how a leader should influence others. He ruled through force, eliminated his adversaries, and governed in a way that incited rebellion even among his own people. In contrast to his father’s positive leadership, Abimelech prioritized his personal gain, causing harm to many in the process.

Interestingly, a mention of Abimelech’s demise resurfaced years later during David’s reign. When Uriah was strategically placed in the frontline to ensure his death, Joab sent David a message questioning, “Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Wasn’t it a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, causing his death in Thebez?” «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. », (2 Samuel 11:21). This reference carried both a practical and spiritual lesson for David. In practical terms, it highlighted the importance of maintaining a safe distance from walls during battle. Spiritually, it underscored the danger of leading for personal gain rather than in service to God.