King of Gerar living at the time of the Patriarchs.
About Abimelech (King of Gerar)
A royal title for Philistine rulers. It is similar to the title “pharaoh” used by the Egyptians and “agag” used by the Amalekites.
The King of Gerar in Abraham’s time. Gerar was a city near Gaza. Abraham, out of fear for his life, told people his wife Sarah was his sister (Genesis 20:1–18). He had done this before in Egypt (Genesis 12:10–20). Sarah was taken into Abimelech’s harem, but God warned Abimelech in a dream that Sarah was married and he would die if he touched her. Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. Later, Abraham and Abimelech made a treaty to clarify water rights in the Negev Desert at Beersheba (Genesis 21:22–34).
Key References
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
All Scripture References (23)
Genesis (23)
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?
Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.
Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”
Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?”
So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him.
And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—
for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.
But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,
Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”
So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
and Abimelech asked him, “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”
“What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.