Adoni-bezek

Biblical Account

Adoni-bezek appears only in Judges 1:4–7. His name is generally interpreted to mean "lord of Bezek," that is, "king of Bezek." Some interpreters regard it as a title rather than a personal name.

After the death of Joshua, the tribe of Judah, together with the tribe of Simeon, went up into the land of Canaan and attacked the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They slew ten thousand men in Bezek (Judges 1:4). They then encountered Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him. When he fled, they pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. Adoni-bezek then said, "Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me" (Judges 1:7). They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

Significance Within Scripture

This episode is one of the conquest accounts in Judges 1, which opens the period of the judges. Adoni-bezek's words are a confession that he had been repaid in kind for what he had done to others. His confession recalls the Old Testament principle that harm is to be repaid in equal measure, known as the law of retaliation (lex talionis) (Leviticus 24:17–22). A frequently noted feature of the passage is that a foreign king himself acknowledges the work of the God of Israel.

The New Testament does not mention Adoni-bezek.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Relationship to Adoni-zedek: Some scholars identify him with Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem mentioned in Joshua 10. The reasons cited reportedly include the fact that the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) renders Adoni-zedek's name as Adoni-bezek in Joshua 10, and the fact that Adoni-bezek was taken to Jerusalem, where he died. Many others, however, regard them as separate individuals because the locations and circumstances in the two passages differ.
• Meaning of the mutilation: Without thumbs and great toes, a person would have difficulty gripping a weapon or standing firm in battle. Many interpreters therefore explain the act as an ancient Near Eastern practice for incapacitating defeated enemies.
• Moral evaluation: The text does not say that God commanded this punishment. Some commentators read it as just retribution. Others read it as a scene showing that Israel had adopted the cruel practices of the Canaanites.
• The seventy kings: Many regard the figure as a round number indicating a large quantity rather than an exact count. It is also noted that a Canaanite "king" of that time was the ruler of a small town.
• What the text does not say: The text does not specify the exact location of Bezek or describe Adoni-bezek's life before these events.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Adoni-bezek is discussed mainly in expository sermons on Judges 1. His confession is sometimes cited, alongside the teaching that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7) and Hosea 8:7, as an illustration of moral retribution and the justice of God.