Page 12 - March 2026 - Truth & Tidings

template for marriage played a crucial part and our own motivations.
in Abimelech’s rule and in the slaughter Among the many ambiguous events
of almost all his sons. Gideon’s failure in recorded in the book, few are so endur-
marriage led to failure in his children. The ingly enigmatic as Gideon’s naming of
big failure was, of course, Abimelech, but his son: “And his concubine that was in
before we consider him we should note Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose
another suggestive example of Gideon’s name he called Abimelech” (8:31). Given
parenting. This occurred after the capture the role that Abimelech will play in the
of Zebah and Zalmunna: “And [Gideon] following chapters, his introduction here
said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay is clearly a very significant moment in the
them. But the youth drew not his sword: book. The language used seems intended
for he feared, because he was yet a youth” to highlight just how important this mo-
(8:20). While it can be argued that Gideon ment is. The expression “whose name he
is showing a concern for the instruction called Abimelech” could be more literally
of the next generation in the realities of rendered “whose name he set as Abimel-
warfare, it is difficult not to feel sorry for
Jether, and to feel that Gideon’s actions ech.” Although the verb “set” is a common
here are far from wise. While we should one, occurring almost 600 times in the Old
all have a burden to encourage the next Testament, the formulation used here oc-
generation in the things of God, we need curs on only three occasions. Besides its
wisdom not to impose our own exercise use here, it can be found in Nehemiah 9:7
upon our children or to pressure them in (“Thou art the LORD the God, who didst
spiritual things beyond their maturity or choose Abram, and broughtest him forth
readiness. Fleeting though this incident out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him
is, it does make us consider what role the name of Abraham”) and Daniel 1:7
Gideon’s parenting played in the develop- (“Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs
ment of Abimelech’s tyrannical ambitions gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the
– a question that is compounded when we name of Belteshazzar”). Notably, these
turn our thoughts to the question of the references both deal with individuals
naming of Abimelech. being given new names with a special
In action as well as in character, the significance. It is probably going beyond
book of Judges has more than its fair the evidence to conclude definitively
share of ambiguity. Events are recorded that what is described in Judges 8:31 is
4
for us, but only exceptionally does the a renaming of Abimelech. However,
narrator provide us with any assistance the language used does emphasise the
in understanding their significance. This deliberation involved in the choice of
can be challenging for us as readers – our
Though cf. C.F. Keil, F. Delitzsch, Biblical
preference is often to have the moral of 4 Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. IV,
each story neatly explained – but it is an (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1880), 360: “signifies
essential feature of the book of Judges. to add a name, or give a surname. … It follows
The narrator is not interested in providing from this, that Abimelech received this name
neat moral parables; rather, the purpose from Gideon as a cognomen answering to his
of the book is to force us to make our own character, and therefore not at the time of his
birth, but when he grew up and manifested
evaluations, and to learn, in the process, such qualities as led to the expectation that he
something about our own moral values would be a king's father.”

76 TRUTH kTidings March 2026