Abdon

Abdon is a name borne by several men in the Hebrew Bible and attaches as well to a Levitical town in the territory of Asher. The most prominent figure is the minor judge Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite (Jud 12:13-15); the other bearers of the name appear in genealogical and administrative lists across Joshua, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles.

Abdon the Judge

Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite "judged Israel" after his predecessor in the sequence of minor judges (Jud 12:13). His tenure is summarized in family terms: "he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons, that rode on seventy donkey colts: and he judged Israel eight years" (Jud 12:14). The note about seventy mounted descendants is the only narrative detail attached to his rule, signaling stature and household wealth rather than military or judicial action.

His death and burial close the notice: "And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites" (Jud 12:15). The burial in Pirathon places him geographically in Ephraim, and the toponymic phrase "the hill-country of the Amalekites" is preserved verbatim in the UPDV.

The Levitical City of Abdon

A town named Abdon appears in the allotment of Levitical cities given out of the tribe of Asher: "And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs" (Jos 21:30). The parallel chronicler's list repeats the assignment with a minor spelling variation for the neighboring town: "and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, and Abdon with its suburbs" (1Ch 6:74). The two lists together establish Abdon as a Gershonite Levitical city in Asher's territory.

Abdon Among the Benjamites

A Benjamite named Abdon appears in the heads-of-houses list in 1 Chronicles 8: "and Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan" (1Ch 8:23). He stands among the chiefs of the fathers' houses descending from the Benjamite genealogy compiled in that chapter.

Abdon Son of Gibeon

A second Benjamite Abdon appears as the firstborn in the family of Jeiel of Gibeon. Two parallel verses list the same household in identical order: "and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab" (1Ch 8:30); and again, "and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab" (1Ch 9:36). The verbatim repetition is part of the Chronicler's doubled Benjamite genealogy.

Abdon Son of Micah, Josiah's Commissioner

After the discovery of the law-book in the temple, Josiah dispatches a commission to inquire of Yahweh. The Chronicler names its members: "And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's slave, saying," (2Ch 34:20).

The parallel account in Kings names the same commission but substitutes Achbor son of Micaiah for Abdon son of Micah: "And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's slave, saying," (2Ki 22:12). The two lists are otherwise identical in personnel and order, so Abdon of Chronicles is identified with Achbor of Kings as the same man under variant names.