Bible Word Study
אֲדֹנִי־בֶזֶק
ʼĂdônîy-Bezeq · Adoni-Bezek; a Canaanitish king
אֲדֹנִי־בֶזֶק
Adoni-Bezek; a Canaanitish king
Definition
Adoni-Bezek is the name of a Canaanite king whose name means 'lord of Bezek.' He is known from the book of Judges as a ruler defeated by the tribes of Judah and Simeon during their conquest of Canaan (Judges 1:4-5). His name signifies his dominion over the city or region of Bezek. The biblical narrative focuses on his capture and the ironic punishment he receives, where his thumbs and big toes are cut off, mirroring the mutilation he had inflicted on seventy other kings (Judges 1:6-7).
Biblical Usage
This proper noun appears exclusively in Judges 1:5-7, detailing the early conquest period after Joshua's death. It is used in a narrative context to identify a specific defeated enemy king. The usage highlights themes of divine judgment and poetic justice, as Adoni-Bezek's fate directly corresponds to his own prior cruel actions.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'Adoni' (אֲדֹנִי), meaning 'my lord' or 'lord,' derived from the root 'adon' (H113), and 'Bezeq' (בֶּזֶק, H966), likely a place name meaning 'lightning' or possibly 'scattering.' Thus, the name translates to 'lord of Bezek,' identifying him as the ruler of that location.
Semantic Range
The story of Adoni-Bezek illustrates the biblical principle of divine retribution or lex talionis ('an eye for an eye'), where his punishment fits his crime (Judges 1:7). It serves as a narrative example of God's justice being executed through human agents during the conquest, demonstrating that cruelty and tyranny against others ultimately rebound on the perpetrator. Understanding this episode enriches reading by showing how the book of Judges portrays the moral chaos and cycles of violence in the pre-monarchic period. In ancient Near Eastern culture, mutilating captured kings (like cutting off thumbs and big toes) was a practice to permanently disable them from ruling or waging war—thumbs prevented effective weapon use, and big toes hindered stable movement. Adoni-Bezek's admission of receiving his 'due' (Judges 1:7) reflects a cultural awareness of retributive justice. His status as a Canaanite king also represents the entrenched pagan powers Israel was commanded to dispossess. melekh (מֶלֶךְ, H4428) — A general term for 'king'; Adoni-Bezek is a specific king identified by his domain. sar (שַׂר, H8269) — Means 'prince' or 'ruler,' a broader leadership term not tied to a specific place like this name.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]