ABESAN (Hebrew 'Ibṣan «swift», equivalent to the Arabic 'abūs). — A minor judge who ruled Israel for 7 years. A native of Bethlehem (probably of Zebulun, about 12 km northwest of Nazareth), he was head of an influential family and formed marital alliances with many other families through his 30 sons and 30 daughters. These men likely played a role in reducing the barriers between the various nomadic clans, contributing to the formation of a more homogeneous Israelite nation (Judg. 12:8-10).
BIBL.: L. Desnoyers, Histoire du Peuple Hébreu, I, Paris 1922, pp. 188-189.