Abimelech.
1. King of Gerar, who, believing Sarah to be Abraham's sister, took her into his harem, but being warned by God* he returned Sarah, calling Abraham her brother, as a rebuke. Genesis 20.
* A witness of God's rights in His people, Psalms 105:14, Psalms 1:105, and that He will vindicate His faithfulness in His ways with them even when they are unfaithful.
2. A similar thing happened with Isaac and Rebecca under another king of the same name — the name being a title of the kings of the Philistines, as Pharaoh was that of the kings of Egypt. Genesis 26:1-16.
3. Son of Gideon by a Shechemite concubine. He induced the men of Shechem to choose him as ruler and then slew 70 of his brethren. Jotham alone escaped, who pronounced a curse upon the murderers. This was fulfilled by many of the men of Shechem being killed, and Abimelech being mortally wounded by a piece of a millstone cast upon him by a woman at the attack upon Thebez. Judges 8:31; Judges 1:9; 2 Samuel 1:11.
4. Priest in the time of David, 1 Chronicles 18:16: also called AHIMELECH in 2 Samuel 8:17. See ABIATHAR.