Abiezer
Abiezer is a region mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Afula. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Abiezer designates both a clan of the tribe of Manasseh and the region associated with that clan in the hill country of Ephraim and the Jezreel Valley. The territory of the Abiezrites is most closely associated with the city of Ophrah, which served as Gideon's hometown and the center of his clan's activity. Gideon himself is introduced in Judges 6:11 as the son of Joash the Abiezrite, threshing wheat secretly by the winepress in Ophrah to hide from Midianite raiders. It is here, in the heartland of Abiezer, that the angel of the LORD appears to Gideon and commissions him to deliver Israel. Gideon's subsequent construction of an altar to the LORD, the tearing down of the Baal altar belonging to his father, and the mustering of warriors all center on the Abiezer region (Judges 6–8). The men of Abiezer are among the forces Gideon calls upon initially (Judges 6:34), though the famous reduction to three hundred warriors ultimately transcends tribal boundaries. The clan name also appears in 2 Samuel 23:27 and 1 Chronicles 11:28 as the origin of one of David's mighty men, Abiezer of Anathoth. The region of Abiezer was thus a recurring stage for divine action in the narratives of the judges and the monarchy.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The region of Abiezer is situated in the central highlands of the Manasseh hill country, generally associated with the area northwest of Shechem and extending toward the Jezreel Valley. The site of Ophrah, the clan's principal city, is debated but is often identified with et-Tayibeh north of Bethel or with a site in the Jezreel region. The modern city of Afula lies in the eastern Jezreel Valley and has been proposed in connection with the Abiezer territory, though the identification is not universally accepted. Archaeological surveys of the Manasseh hill country by Adam Zertal's team documented numerous Iron Age sites consistent with Israelite settlement in the period of the Judges, providing a material backdrop for the Gideon narratives associated with the Abiezrite clan.
Verse Appearances (1)
Judg
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →