The name ABIMELECH is derived from two Hebrew words: אב (ab), meaning "father," and מלך (melek), meaning "king." So the name Abimelek, anglicized as ABIMELECH , means "my father is king." It was apparently a common name, as several people (including some kings) were named ABIMELECH in the Bible (cf. Genesis 20:2; 26:1–16; Judges 8:31; Psalm 34).