The story of A. in Jg 9 is the natural sciiuel of the version of Gideon's hist, contained in S-"'^ (note also how the sentiments of Jotham's parable agree with 8^'- '•", unless, indeed, these latter two verses are an 8th cent, interpolation). The narrative is one of the oldest in U'l , belonging to the same type as the narratives concerning the minor judges. It is free from Dcuter. touches and turnaof expression, and may in its jiresent form date from the earliest years of the monarchy. Its pur|>o.se is to show now the murder of Gideon's sons was avenged on A. and the Sht^chemites, who were practically Ida accomplices (9", cf. vv. '■ "'•*'). Budde attributes the preservation of the story to E, who, however,
10
ABINADAB
ABNER
himself composed the Jotham parable. Moore considers that it is possible to disentangle two narratives, (A) w.""'°- ""**• *"■, cognate with which are w.>-»>, (B) w.""". The first of these he would assign to E, the second to J. This scheme has the advantage of removing a good many difficulties presented by the chapter in its present form.
LmmATURK.— Comill, Eirdeit.t 56; WUdeboer, LU. d. A.T. 33. 82, 232 ; Driver, LOT lb7 ; Wellhausen, Comp. d. Hex. 227 9., 353 ff.; Budde, Bicht. u. Sam. 117 ff.; Kittel, Uitt. qf Heb. ii. 13 D., 18 n., 82 n., 86S.; Moore, Judget, 2372.
i. A priest, the son of Abiathar, ace. to 1 Ch 18", where, however, the reading of MT. ' Aftime- lech the son of Abiathar,' is obviously a mistake for ' Abiatliar the son of AMmelech ' (cf . 2 S 8" and notes on it by Budde in HoMpt's Sacred Bks. of OT, and by Kittel in Kautzsch's A. T.). See ABIATHAR.
J. A. Selbie.
ABINADAB (^U'Jk 'father is generous'; LXX always 'AMfK-aJi^ (A 'kiuvaSi^), except at 1 S 31^ where B (but not A) reads 'IwvoSdjS). — 1. Owner of the house whither the ark was brought by the men of Kirjath-jearim after the catastrophe at Beth-Shemesh (1 S 7'), whence it was subsequently removed by David, 2 S 6"-, 1 Ch 13'. During its stay here it was kept by Eleazar, son of Abinadab. 2. The second eon of Jesse, specially mentioned in the narrative of 1 S 16 as not being the elect of J" for the kingdom. He accom- panied his brothers Eliab and Shammah to join Saul's army against the Philistines — 1 S 16* 11^, 1 Ch 2". 3. A son of Saul slain in the battle of Mt. Gilboa, 1 S 31»=1 Ch 10». Otherwise men- tioned only in the genealogies of Chronicles, 1 Ch 8=» 9^. But cf. art. Ishvi. i. On Abinadab in 1 K 4" (AV, not RV), see Ben-Abinadab.
G. B. Gray.
ABINOAM (DVl'jK ' father is pleasantness '), the father of Barak, is mentioned both in the song (Jg 5'-) and the prose narrative (Jg 4'- '-) of the canipaij^n of Barak and Deborah against the Canaamtes. G. B. Gray.
ABIRAM (DT3t< ' my father is the Exalted One'). — 1. The son of Eliab, a Reubenite, who Avith Dathan (which see) conspired against Moses (Nu le""-, Dt 11«, Ps 106"). 2. The firstborn son of Hiel the Bethelite, on whom the curse fell for rebuilding Jericho (1 K le**).
G. Harford-Battersby.
ABISHAQ (IB*'?!;, meaning uncertain ; possibly ' father has wandered '). — A very beautiful younir Shunammitess who was brought to comfort David in his extreme old age, according to the advice of his servants, 1 K l^*-". After DaAdd's death, Abishag, as his father's widow, was asked in marriage by Adonijah; the request was refused by Solomon, who appears to have seen in it a renewal of Adonijah's claim to the throne, I K 2'2« ; cf. W. R. Smith, Kinship and Marriage, p. 89 f. G. B. Gray.
ABISHAI C^^-iK, but <i»3>i 2 S 10", 1 Ch 2" 11» 18" 19"- " ' My father is Jesse '). — A. appears from 1 Ch 2" to have been the eldest son of Zeruiah, David's sister. More impetuous than the crafty Joab, but equally implacable, ' hard' (2 S 3^ 19''-'), the first mention of Abishai (1 S 26') presents him to us as already one of the most daring and devoted of David's followers. He volunteers to go down with David to Saul's camp by night, and is only prevented by David's veneration for the kings sacred office from smiting Saul ' to the earth at one stroke.' We next find him (2 S 2'«- ") with his two brothers at that battle of Gibeon which had such fatal results, first to Asahel, and ultimately to Abner, in whose treacherous murder by Joab, Abishai shared as joint avenger of blood (2 S
3S0.S9). The victory in the Valley of Salt ovei Edom (cf. 2 K 14'), which \a a.scribed to David in 2 S 8" (Syrians), and to Joab in I's 60 title (1 K ll"-'«), is attributed to Abishai in 1 Ch 18>-. In the war that was caused by Hanun's insult to David's envoys, Joab ^ave Abishai command of the second division against the Ammonites, while he himself opposed the Syrians (2 S lO'"- '*). Abishai's character is well brought out in the story of David's flight, when he retorts the abuse of Shimei in true Oriental style, and is impatient to slay the offender at once (2 S le*^")- Nor could Sliimei's subsequent abject submission induce Abishai to forgive the man that had ' cursed the Lord's anointed' (19-'). In the battle with Absalom, Abishai shared the command of David's army with Joab and Ittei (18--»-"). In 2 S 20' the name Joab should probably be substituted for that of Abishai (so Jos. Ant. VII. xi. 6, the Syr. vers., Wellhausen, Thenius, and Driver), and V.' read as in the LXX: 'And there went out after him Abishai and Joab's men,' etc It ia natural to suppose that Abishai connived at the murder of Amasa by Joab, 2 S 20'° (so Josephus). His special exploits were, rescuing David from Ishbi-benob, 2 S 21", and slaying three hundred men, 23". These feats earned for him the first place 'of the three in the second rank' (1 Ch IP', RVm), the other two being probably Joab and Benaiah ; the first three being Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah.