In the Tanakh or Old Testament, Abimelech was a son of the great judge Gideon (Judges 9:1); thus his name ×ֲבִימֶלֶךְ / ×ֲבִימָלֶךְ can best be interpreted "my father, the king". "Abimelech", a name claiming the inherited right to rule, was also a common name of the Philistine kings. He was, however, merely the son of Gideon's concubine; and to make good his claim to rule over Ephraim, he resorted to force.