Abdon

Ab'don (Heb. Abdon', עבדּוֹן and עבדוֹן, servile; Sept. Α᾿βδών), the name of four men and one city.

1. The son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, of the tribe of Ephraim, and the twelfth Judge of Israel for eight years, B.C. 1233-1225. His administration appears to have been peaceful (ςΑβδων, Josephus, Ant. 5, 7, 15); for nothing is recorded of him but that he had forty sons and thirty nephews, who rode on young asses — a mark of their consequence (Jg 12:13-15). He is probably the BEDAN SEE BEDAN referred to in 1Sa 12:11.

2. The first-born of Jehiel, of the tribe of Benjamin, apparently by his wife Maachab, and resident at Jerusalem (1Ch 8:30; 1Ch 9:36), B.C. ante 1093.

3. The son of Micah, and one of the persons sent by King Josiah to ascertain of the prophetess Huldah the meaning of the recently-discovered look of the Law (2Ch 34:20), B.C. 628. In the parallel passage (2Ki 22:12) he is called ACHBOR SEE ACHBOR , the son of Michaiah.

4. A "son" of Shashak, and chief Benjamite of Jerusalem (1Ch 8:23), B.C. ante 598.

5. A Levitical town of the Gershonites, in the tribe of Asher, mentioned between Mishal or Mashal and Helkath or Hukkok (Jos 21:30; 1Ch 6:74). The same place, according to several MSS., is mentioned in Jos 19:28, instead of HEBRON SEE HEBRON (Reland, Palest. p. 518). Under this latter form Schwarz (Palest. p. 192) identifies it with a village, Ebra, which he affirms lies in the valley of the Leontes, south of Kulat Shakif; perhaps the place by the name of Abnon marked in this region on Robinson's map (new ed. of Researches). It is probably identical with the ruined site Abdeh, 8 or 9 miles N.E. of Accho (Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 280).