I. ABIMELECH, king of Gerar of the Philistines. This prince, being captivated by the beauty of Sarah, took her into his haram, with the design of making her his wife. In a dream, however, the Lord threatened him with death, unless he immediately restored her to her husband. Abimelech pleaded his ignorance of the relation between Sarah and Abram, and early the next day returned her to her husband, and com plained of the deception that had been practiced upon him by Abram, who had described Sarah as his sister. The patriarch explained the motives for his conduct, stating, at the same time, that although Sarah was his wife, she was also his sister, being of the same father by another mother. Abimelech dismissed them with presents, giving to Sarah, through her husband, a thousand pieces of silver, as a " covering of the eyes," i. e. an atoning present, and as a testimony of her innocence in the eyes of all, Gen. c. xx. See Abram.

It has been thought strange that a miraculous interference should have been necessary here, as well as in the case of Pharaoh, (Gen. xii. 14 — 20.) to convince Abimelech of his criminality in detaining the wife of Abraham ; and equally strange that Abraham could not procure Sarah a release by proper application and request. But it must be remembered that God favored Abraham with his constant intercourse and direct protection, and in cases too of less difficulty than the one here in question. It is well known that oriental sovereigns in all ages have exercised the right of selecting the most beautiful females of their kingdoms for the use of their own harams, (Gen. xii. 15 ; Esth. ii. 3.) and that whenever a woman is taken into the haram of a prince in the East, she is secluded, without possibility of coming out, at least during the life of the prince on the throne. In fact, communication with the women in the haram is hardly to be obtained, and only by means of the keepers, (Esth. iv. 5.) and certainly not, when any suspicion occurs to the guards, to whom is intrusted the custody of such buildings. The whole transaction, then, may be placed in a stronger light than, perhaps, it has usually appeared in, by the following extract from a review of the travels of Peter Henry Bruce, Esq., an officer in the Russian army, under Czar Peter.

The retreat of the Russians, we are told, was productive of an unfortunate incident to Colonel Pitt, an officer in that army. Immediately on decamping from the fatal banks of the Pruth, he lost both his wife and daughter, beautiful women, by the breaking of one of their coach wheels. By this accident, they were left so far in the rear, that the Tartars seized and carried them off. The colonel applied to the grand vizier, who ordered a strict inquiry to be made, but without effect. The colonel being afterwards informed that they were both carried to Constantinople, and presented to the grand signior, obtained a passport, and went thither in search of them. Getting acquainted with a Jew doctor, who was physician to the seraglio, the doctor told him that two such ladies as he described had lately been presented to the sultan ; but that when any of the sex were once taken into the seraglio, they were never suffered to quit it more. The colonel, however, tried every expedient he could devise to recover his wife, if he could not obtain both; until, becoming outrageous by repeated disappointments, they shut him up in a dungeon, and it was with much difficulty he got released by the intercession of some of the ambassadors at that court. He was afterwards told by the same doctor, that both the ladies had died of the plague ; with which information he was obliged to content himself, and return home." Critical Review, vol. iii. p. 332.

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II. ABIMELECH, another king of Gerar, probably a son of the former, and contemporary with Isaac. Having accidentally seen Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah, whom he had called sister, Abimelech reproved him for his dissimulation ; and, at the same time, forbade his people to do any injury whatever to Isaac or to his wife. Isaac, increasing in rich and power, excited the envy of the Philistines ; and Abimelech said to him, "Go from us, for thou much mightier than we." Isaac, therefore, retired the valley of Gerar, and afterwards to Beersheba, where Abimelech, with Ahuzzath, his favorite, Phicol, his general, visited him. Isaac inquired "Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, a have sent me away from you ?" To which Abimelech replied, that observing how much he was favor by God, he was desirous of cultivating his friendship, and had come to make a covenant with Isaac entertained them splendidly, and the next day concluded a treaty with Abimelech, Gen. xxi 8—31.

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III. ABIMELECH, son of Gideon by a concubine, assumed the government of Shechem after the death of his father, and procured himself to be acknowledged king; first, by the inhabitants of Shechem where his mother's family had an interest, and aftwards by a great part of Israel. At Gideon's house in Ophrah, he killed his father's seventy sons, now orphans, on one stone ; the youngest, Jotham, remaining, who, when the people of Shechem assembled to inaugurate Abimelech, appeared on mount Gerizim, and reproved them by his celebrated fable of the trees. (See Jotham.) After three years, discord arose among the Shechemites, who, reflecting on their injustice, and detesting the cruelty of Abimelech, revolted from him in his absence, and laid ambuscade in the mountains, designing to kill him on his return to Shechem. Of this, Abimelech received intelligence from Zebul, his governor of Shechem. The Shechemites invited Gaal to their assistance, with whom, at a great entertainment, they uttered many imprecations against Abimelech ; which having assembled some troops, marched all night towards Shechem. In the morning, Gaal went of Shechem, and gave battle to Abimelech, but with defeated, and, as he was endeavoring to re-enter the city, Zebul repulsed him. Abimelech afterwards defeated the Shechemites, destroyed the city, a burnt their tower; but at the attack of Thebez, a town about thirteen miles to the N. E., a woman from the top of the tower threw an upper mill-stone upon his head, and fractured his skull.  He immediately called his armor-bearer, and dash him to slay him, " that men say not of me, A woman slew him." Judg. ix.

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IV. ABIMELECH, a high-priest in the time David, (1 Chron. xviii. 16) the same as Ahimelech (2 Sam. viii. 17.) and probably the same as Abiatha.