🔼The name Abdon: Summary
- Meaning
- Place Of Work, Working One
- Etymology
- From the verb עבד ('abad), to work or serve.
🔼The name Abdon in the Bible
The name Abdon occurs quite a few times in the Bible; four times as the name of men and once as that of a city: The city named Abdon occurs first in Joshua 21:30, where it is listed among the towns assigned to the Levitical sub-tribe of Gershon and given to them by the tribe of Asher. The men named Abdon are:
- A minor judge, son of Hillel the Pirathonite, who judged Israel after the death of judge Elon and was succeeded by Samson (Judges 12:13);
- A son of Shashak of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:23);
- A son of Jeiel and Maacah of the town of Gibeon, also of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:30). This Abdon has a brother named Ner who becomes the father of Kish, the father of king Saul (1 Chronicles 9:39);
- A son of Micah, who was sent by king Josiah to inquire of Huldah the prophetess concerning the word of the book that was found in the temple (2 Chronicles 34:20). This Abdon is also known as Achbor, and his father as Michaiah (2 Kings 22:12).
🔼Etymology of the name Abdon
The name Abdon is constructed from the root עבד ('abad), meaning servant or to serve:
עבד
The verb עבד ('abad) means to work or serve, and the noun עבד ('ebed) denotes someone who works: from a slave to a hired expert. The Greek equivalent of this noun is δουλος (doulos).
The name Abdon is formed by extending the root with the waw-nun couple that brings about a personification or localization of the root. The name Abdon means Place Of Work or Working One.
🔼Abdon meaning
For a meaning of the name Abdon, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Servile. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads the same but adds Hard Slavery. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate.