The Hebrew title Abi ha-Ezri (אֲבִי הָעֶזְרִי) means "the Abiezrite" — a member of the clan or family of Abiezer ("My Father is help"). The term appears in Judges 6:11, 24, and 8:32 in connection with Gideon and his father Joash, who were Abiezrites of the tribe of Manasseh. Abiezer was the son of Gilead and grandson of Manasseh (Numbers 26:30).
The Abiezrite connection to Gideon is theologically rich. When the angel of the LORD calls Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, Gideon protests: "my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family" (Judges 6:15). Yet he is from the Abiezrite clan — whose very name means "My Father is help." Gideon's weakness and the clan's name together form a perfect theological irony: human weakness is the very arena in which God's helping power is displayed. This is the pattern of Scripture — God chooses the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). The threshing floor where the angel appears (Judges 6:11) becomes the altar YHWH Shalom — "The LORD is Peace" — a monument to God's surprising help.