Interesting Facts

• Abudish is identified as the father of Bakdil.
• His son, Bakdil, served as one of the four witnesses to the written and attested transaction where Abraham purchased the field and cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite.
• His son, Bakdil, is identified as a Zidonite.

Genealogy

• Abudish was the father of Bakdil the Zidonite.
• The source does not provide any further genealogical details regarding Abudish, such as his ancestry, birth, marital status, or other offspring.

Historical Context

The context in which Abudish is mentioned, through his son Bakdil, is the significant event of Abraham’s acquisition of a burial place for Sarah in Hebron (Kirjath Arba). According to Jasher, this was a formal transaction that was written and attested by four witnesses, representing different groups within the local population. Bakdil, identified as a Zidonite and son of Abudish, was one of these witnesses, alongside a Hittite, a Hivite, and a Gomerite. This diverse representation highlights the multi-ethnic environment of Canaan during this period and the communal aspect of significant legal and property transactions. Abudish, as the father of a Zidonite witness, is therefore situated within this historical landscape of inter-community interactions and the formalization of agreements concerning land ownership.

Narrative

Abudish himself does not appear directly within the narrative of Abraham’s purchase of the burial ground. His presence in the account is solely through the identification of his son, Bakdil, as one of the four named witnesses to the written and attested agreement between Abraham and Ephron. The inclusion of Bakdil, son of Abudish the Zidonite, as a witness suggests that Abudish’s family, or at least his son, held a recognized standing or position within the local Zidonite community or the broader societal structure. This standing would lend credibility to Bakdil’s role in validating this important transaction for Abraham, a sojourner in the land seeking a permanent burial place for his wife. While the source offers no direct actions, dialogues, or personal history of Abudish, his lineage is noted in the context of a pivotal event with lasting significance for Abraham and his descendants. Thus, Abudish’s indirect contribution to the narrative lies in his familial connection to Bakdil, whose witnessing helped to legalize and secure Abraham’s claim to the cave of Machpelah.