ABIEZER ab’ ĭ ē’ zər (אֲבִיעֶ֜זֶר, father is help). 1. A descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, who settled on the W side of the Jordan (Num 26:30; Josh 17:2) and is prob. the same as “Jeezer” (or “Iezer,” both a contraction of Abiezer), the son of Gilead (1 Chron 7:18).

This district of Manasseh, inhabited by the Abiezrites (Judg 6:34), was the native region from which Gideon, the son of Joash the Abiezrite came (6:11). The site of the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Gideon was Ophrah of the Abiezrites (6:24). It was from this town that Gideon drew his first support of men to fight the Midianites (6:34) which led to the Ephraimite jealousy. Gideon solved the problem by issuing the following proverb: “Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?” (8:2). With this soft answer, the wrath of the Ephraimites was mollified and the tactful Gideon had averted a situation filled with political consequences. Notice that this division continued, however, to build in other situations and finally the pugnacious Ephraimites had their way in 931 b.c. when the kingdom was divided.

2. One of David’s military elite, the “thirty”; a native of Anathoth in Benjamin (2 Sam 23:27; 1 Chron 11:28). He was one of David’s month-by-month army commanders having his turn in the ninth month (1 Chron 27:12).

Bibliography A. E. Cundall and L. Morris, Judges and Ruth (1968), 104-125.