Adonizedek | |
|---|---|
| King of Jerusalem | |
| Reign | c. 1350BCE |
According to theBook of Joshua,Adonizedek (Hebrew:אֲדֹנִי־צֶדֶקʾĂḏōnī-ṣeḏeq, also transliteratedAdoni-zedec) was king ofJerusalem at the time of theIsraelite invasion ofCanaan.[1] According to Cheyne and Black, the name originally meant "Ṣedeḳ is lord", but this would likely have been read later as meaning "lord of righteousness" or "my lord is righteous".[2][3]
Adonizedek led a coalition of five of the neighboringAmorite rulers (Hoham, king ofHebron;Piram, king ofJarmuth;Japhia, king ofLachish; andDebir, king ofEglon) in resisting the invasion, but the allies were defeated atGibeon, and suffered atBeth-horon, not only from their pursuers, but also from a great hail storm. The five allied kings took refuge in a cave atMakkedah and were imprisoned there until after the battle, whenJoshua commanded that they be brought before him; whereupon they were brought out, humiliated, and put to death.[4]
According to theMidrash, the name Adoni-zedek is translated as "Master of Zedek"—that is, "of Jerusalem", the city of righteousness.[5]
Genesis 14:18-20 records that, some 600 years prior to Adoni-zedek, there was another ruler of Jerusalem namedMelchi-zedek. It may be possible thatZedek was a dynastic name/title for the rulers of Jerusalem before David.
M. G. Easton, in the 1894Easton's Bible Dictionary, identifies Adonizedek with a king of Jerusalem called `Abdi-Heba ("servant of Heba"), who around 1350 BC wrote several letters to thePharaoh ofEgypt. Six of his letters to the king of Egypt are included in theAmarna letters,[6] and he is mentioned in a seventh.[7]
Adonizedek was portrayed by actorMário Frias (onceJair Bolsonaro's Secretary of Culture) in the Brazilian soap operaA Terra Prometida. In it, Adonizedek is portrayed as an arrogant king later revealed to be sadistic; further, he keeps the skeletons of his mother and his wife, and talks to them.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."Adoni-zedek".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Adoni-zedec".Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.