לַ/אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ
𐤋/𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤌𐤋𐤊
laavimelekhe
to Abimelech
from אָב and מֶלֶךְ; father of (the) king; Abimelek, the name of two Philistine kings and of two Israelites; Abimelech.
Genesis 21:27 · Word #6
Lexicon H40
| Lemma | אֲבִימֶלֶךְ |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤌𐤋𐤊 |
| Transliteration | ʼĂbîymelek |
| Strong's | H40 |
| In-context | to Abimelech |
Morphology HR/Np
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | p — Proper Name — Proper name |
SIBI-P1 H40-03
to My-Father-is-King
| Root | אב־מלך (ʾ-b / m-l-k) |
| Core Meanings | father, ancestor, source; king, reign, royal authority |
| Semantic Range | Personal name borne by Philistine kings and Israelites; conveys dynastic legitimacy, royal association, or claim of authority through paternal lineage. |
| Conceptual Significance | The name reflects ancient Near Eastern royal ideology, where kingship was tied to paternal lineage or divine sonship. In biblical narratives, bearers of this name often stand at intersections of covenantal promise, political power, and questions of legitimate rule. |
| Morphological Notes | Proper masculine singular noun (Np) with prefixed preposition לַ ("to"). The element אֲבִי includes the 1cs pronominal suffix ("my father"). |
| Rendering Rationale | The name אֲבִימֶלֶךְ combines אָב (father) with מֶלֶךְ (king), with the first-person singular suffix "-i" ("my father"), yielding the meaning "My Father is King" or "Father of a King." The prefixed לַ indicates the preposition "to," and the proper noun is masculine singular, so the rendering preserves both the embedded possessive and the directional preposition. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Word Usage (67 occurrences of H40)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 20:2 | אֲבִימֶ֨לֶךְ֙ | avimelekhe | Abimelech |
| Genesis 20:3 | אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ | avimelekhe | Abimelech |
| Genesis 20:4 | וַ/אֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ | vaavimelekhe | But Abimelech |