Interesting Facts

• Abimelech was the king of Gerar in the land of the Philistines.
• He took Sarah into his house believing she was Abraham’s sister.
• God warned Abimelech in a dream that he would die because Sarah was a married woman.
• Abimelech claimed he had not come near Sarah and acted in the integrity of his heart, a claim acknowledged by God in a dream.
• After being warned by God, Abimelech rose early and told his servants about the dream, causing them great fear.

Genealogy

• The sources explicitly state that Benmalich was the son of this Abimelech. When Abimelech the father died, the people of Gerar took his son Benmalich, who was twelve years old, and made him king in his father’s place, also calling him Abimelech according to their custom.
• The sources do not provide any further information about Abimelech’s ancestry, birth, marital connections beyond Sarah being taken into his household, or other offspring besides Benmalich.

Historical Context

Abimelech’s reign in Gerar occurred during the time when Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines. The cultural dynamics of Gerar, as depicted in the sources, involved a practice of asking newcomers about their relationships, as seen when Abimelech’s servants inquired about Sarah. It was also customary in Gerar to honor someone considered the brother of a beautiful woman. The narrative highlights a belief in divine intervention through dreams. Furthermore, there was a precedent in the land, recalled by one of Abimelech’s servants, of a similar incident occurring with the king of Egypt when Abraham had previously claimed Sarah was his sister, which resulted in grievous plagues until Sarah was returned. This suggests a shared cultural understanding of potential divine repercussions for such actions. After Abimelech’s death, the custom in Gerar was to name the succeeding king after his father.

Narrative

Abimelech’s narrative begins with his servants informing him of Sarah’s great beauty and her arrival with Abraham, whom Abraham identified as his brother. Consequently, Abimelech took Sarah into his house with the intention of making her his wife. However, God intervened in a dream, warning Abimelech of his impending death because Sarah was married to Abraham. Abimelech, claiming ignorance and acting in good faith, questioned God’s judgment, pointing out that both Abraham and Sarah had represented themselves as siblings. God acknowledged Abimelech’s integrity and revealed that He had prevented him from sinning by not allowing him to touch Sarah, commanding him to restore Sarah to Abraham, who was identified as a prophet whose prayers could save Abimelech and his people. Upon learning of the dream, Abimelech was filled with terror and questioned Abraham about his deception, expressing that Abraham had brought great sin upon him and his kingdom. Abraham explained his fear that the people of the land would kill him for his beautiful wife, further stating that Sarah was indeed his half-sister. After this, Abimelech, acknowledging the divine warning and Abraham’s explanation, returned Sarah to him and bestowed upon Abraham gifts of sheep, oxen, and servants, granting him permission to dwell anywhere in his land. Abimelech also gave Sarah a thousand pieces of silver as a reproof to all who were with her. Later in Abraham’s sojourn in the Philistine land, a dispute arose between their servants over wells. Abimelech, along with Phichol his captain, met with Abraham, and they established a covenant at Beersheba, swearing not to deal falsely with each other. The narrative indicates a respectful and sometimes wary relationship between Abimelech and Abraham, influenced by divine interventions and mutual agreements. Abimelech died at the age of one hundred and ninety-three years, at which point Abraham and his people comforted Abimelech’s household.