Abiezer
("father of help".)
- Oldest son of Gilead, descendant of Manasseh; head of a leading family, of which were Joash and Gideon (Jdg 6:11-24; Jdg 6:34; Jdg 8:2). Gideon soothed the wounded vanity of Ephraim when upbraiding him for not having called in their aid against Midian, saying "Is not the grape of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?" (Jos 17:2.) The form is Jeezer in Num 26:30, but (See JEEZER. Originally Abiezer's family must have been E. of Jordan. In 1Ch 7:18 Abiezer is made son of Gilead's sister. The family must have afterward passed to the W. of Jordan; for Joash the Abiezrite lived in Ophrah, which seems to have been on a hill, facing from the S. the Esdraelon plain, the scene of so many contests.
- 2Sa 23:27.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Abiezer
Abiezer ab-i-e'-zer, a-bi-e'-zer ('abhi`ezer, "father of help," or "my father is help." Iezer, Iezerite (in the King James Version Jeezer, Jeezerite), is Abiezer with the letter beth omitted): ⇒See a list of verses on ABIEZER in the Bible. (1) A descendant of Joseph the son of Jacob, and head of one of the families of Manasseh that settled West of the Jordan (Nu 26:30; Jos 17:1-6; 1Ch 7:14-19). As he was great uncle to Zelophehad's daughters, who brought a case before Moses (Nu 36:1-13), he must have been an old man at the time of the conquest. He was the son of Gilead the son of Machir, in the sense of being a more remote descendant, for Machir had sons before the death of Joseph (Ge 50:23). The Machir that possessed Gilead and Bashan because he was "a man of war" was the Manassite family of Machir, with Jair as its great general (Jos 17:1; 13:30-31; Nu 32:39-41; De 3:12-15). To Abiezer and other sons of Gilead territory was assigned West of the Jordan. In later generations the name survived as that of the family to which Gideon belonged, and perhaps also of the region which they oc…
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Abiezer
1. The name of a clan (nnjij'O Jos 17" (P or R) ; i^y Jg 6") belonging to the tribe of Manasseh (Jg 6"*). Consequently, in genealogical descriptions of the tribal relations, Abiezer appears as a son or descendant of Manasseh, Jos 17', 1 Ch 7", Nu 26** (P ; in this last passage the name is written lezer, ijj;'!?, LXX 'Ax'^fep). The most distinguished member of the clan was Gideon, who describes it (cf., however, Moore [Intern. Critical Comment- ary] on Jg 6") as ' the poorest in Manasseh,' Jg 6", cf. 8'. In the time of Gideon the clan was settled at Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Jg 6", cf. v."), which perhaps lay near Shechem. In any case it would be unsafe, from P's statement that Abiezer was a son of Gilead (Nu 26™ ; cf. 1 Ch 7'*, but cf. Jos 17*), to infer that the clan was ever settled on the E. of Jordan ; cf. Dillmann on Nu 26™. 2. Abiezer the Anathothite, i.e. man of Anathoth in Benjamin (1 Ch 27"; cf. Jer 1'). was one of David's heroes, 2 S 235' = 1 Ch 11=«. According to 1 Ch 27" he was the acting military officer of David's army in the 9th month. Abiezrite is the gentilic form. G…
Smith's Bible Dictionary on Abiezer
(father of help, helpful). Eldest son of Gilead, and descendant of Manasseh. (Joshua 17:2; 1 Chronicles 7:18) (B.C. 1450.) He was the ancestor of the great judge Gideon. [Gideon] One of David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:27; 1 Chronicles 11:28; 27:12) (B.C. 1014.)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia