Bible Encyclopedias
Achbor

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

1. Father of Baal-hanan (comp. Hannibal), king of Edom (Genesis 36:38,39, and in the corresponding list of 1 Chronicles 1:49). It has been suggested that the name implies a species of totemism (W. R. Smith, "Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia," p. 302), and the discovery of sacrificial mice by the Palestine Exploration Fund ("Quart. Statement," 1893, p. 296; see illustration in next column) gives the theory some interest. The name Baal-hanan ben Achbor finds an exact parallel in the inscription on the accompanying seal, Hananyahu bar Achbor.
   
   Hananyahu bar Achbor.
   (From Benzinger.)
2. One of the men sent by King Josiah to consult the prophetess Huldah concerning the finding of the "book of the law" (2 Kings, 22:12,14); son of Michaiah. In 2 Chronicles 34:20 his name is given as Abdon, but the existence of the name Achbor on an archaic Hebrew seal found at Jerusalem (see illustration above) proves this to be a misreading. Achbor is referred to again only as the father of Elnathan (Jeremiah 26:22, 36:12).