Abinoam

Biblical Record

Abinoam appears only in the Book of Judges, where he is mentioned four times, always in the phrase "Barak the son of Abinoam" (Judges 4:6, 4:12, 5:1, 5:12). This reflects a common Old Testament convention of identifying a person by placing the father's name after the son's.

In Judges 4, Deborah summons Barak from Kedesh-naphtali and delivers the LORD's command to take ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun and go toward Mount Tabor (Judges 4:6). Word that Barak has gone up to Mount Tabor is then brought to Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite army (Judges 4:12). In the song that Deborah and Barak sing together after the victory (Judges 5), Barak is again called "the son of Abinoam" (Judges 5:1, 5:12).

The text records nothing about Abinoam's own deeds, character, birth, or death. Because his son Barak was summoned from Kedesh-naphtali, the family is generally thought to have come from there, but the text does not directly state Abinoam's place of residence or his tribe.

Significance Within the Bible

Abinoam serves only as a name identifying Barak in the deliverance narrative of the period of the judges. The New Testament does not mention Abinoam. Hebrews 11:32 lists Barak among the people of faith but does not give his father's name.

Interpretation and Discussion

The Hebrew name Abinoam is commonly interpreted to mean "my father is delight" (or "pleasantness"). Because the Bible records almost nothing about him, accounts of Abinoam's faith or of how he raised his family have no basis in the text. Such accounts should be recognized as applications added in preaching or devotional reflection.

In the Korean Church

Abinoam is rarely treated as a sermon topic in his own right. His name usually comes up as Barak's father when passages about Deborah and Barak are read and taught. Both the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) and the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) render the name as "Abinoam" (아비노암).