English · ASV

Judges 9

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Abimelech Seeks Kingship in Shechem 1–6

1
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, ​
2
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. ​
3
And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
4
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. ​
5
And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. ​
6
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem. ​

Jotham's Fable and Curse 7–21

7
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. ​
8
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. ​
9
But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
10
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11
But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
12
And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ​
14
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15
And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. ​
16
Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands
17
(for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18
and ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother);
19
if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20
but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. ​
21
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

God Sows Discord Between Abimelech and Shechem 22–25

22
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. ​
23
And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: ​
24
that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. ​
25
And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

Gaal Incites Rebellion Against Abimelech 26–41

26
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.
27
And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trodthe grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. ​
28
And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him? ​
29
And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. ​
31
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against thee.
32
Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33
and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and rush upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people that are with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
34
And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
35
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambushment.
36
And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
37
And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
38
Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them.
39
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate.
41
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

Abimelech Destroys Shechem 42–49

42
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44
And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smote them.
45
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. ​
46
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith. ​
47
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48
And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49
And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. ​

Abimelech's Death at Thebez 50–57

50
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51
But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower.
52
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and drew near unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53
And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and brake his skull. ​
54
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armorbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. ​
55
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56
Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; ​
57
and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Judges 9

Verse 1

his mother's brethren — Abimelech's mother was Gideon's concubine 'in Shechem' (8:31), so he goes to her kin and not to his father's house at Ophrah. He is called 'the son of Jerubbaal', the name Gideon received when he threw down Baal's altar (6:32). Gideon himself had refused rule: 'neither shall my son rule over you' (8:23).

Verse 2

your bone and your flesh — The phrase claims kinship: Laban says it to Jacob (Gen 29:14) and the tribes say it to David at Hebron (2 Sam 5:1). Abimelech sets 'threescore and ten' sons of Jerubbaal, the number of 8:30, against 'one', and does not say that the one is himself. Gideon had answered, 'the LORD shall rule over you' (8:23).

Verse 4

vain and light persons — 'Vain' (reyq) is empty. 'Light' (pachaz) occurs only here and in Zeph 3:4, 'light and treacherous persons'. The silver came from the house of Baalberith, whom Israel had 'made … their god' as soon as Gideon was dead (8:33). Jephthah later gathers 'vain men' of the same word (11:3).

Verse 5

upon one stone — Abimelech kills his seventy brothers at Ophrah, where Gideon had built the altar Jehovahshalom (6:24). Jotham repeats the phrase when he accuses Shechem (v.18). The youngest son escapes by hiding, as Joash alone survives the slaying of 'the seed royal' by Athaliah, because Jehosheba 'hid him' (2 Kgs 11:1–2).

Verse 6

the plain of the pillar — 'Plain' is elon, the word of 'the plain of Moreh' at Shechem where Abram stopped when he first passed through the land (Gen 12:6). Shechem was where Joshua made the covenant with the people (Josh 24:25) and set up a great stone 'by the sanctuary of the LORD' (24:26). Here the same city crowns Abimelech.

Verse 7

the top of mount Gerizim — Gerizim was the mountain where the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand 'to bless the people', while Ebal was for the curse (Deut 27:12–13; 11:29). Jotham speaks his curse from the mountain of blessing, and asks that 'God may hearken unto you' as they hearken to him.

Verse 8

to anoint a king — Jotham's parable asks the olive, fig and vine in turn (vv.9, 11, 13), and each refuses before the bramble accepts (vv.14–15). 'Reign thou over us' echoes the men of Israel to Gideon, 'Rule thou over us' (8:22), which he refused. Anointing is the pouring of oil, as Samuel did to Saul (1 Sam 10:1).

Verse 13

which cheereth God and man — Wine went to God in the drink offering that accompanied the burnt offering (Num 15:5, 10), and it 'maketh glad the heart of man' (Ps 104:15). The olive says the same of its fatness (v.9). 'Promoted' is nua, to sway or wave to and fro: the vine will not leave its fruit to wave over the trees.

Verse 15

put your trust in my shadow — 'Put your trust' is chasah, to take refuge, the verb of 'put their trust under the shadow of thy wings' (Ps 36:7). The bramble offers the shade of a thorn bush, and threatens that fire from it will 'devour the cedars of Lebanon'. Verse 20 gives that fire its application.

Verse 20

let fire come out from Abimelech — Jotham turns the bramble's fire (v.15) into a fire that runs both ways. Abimelech's fire reaches Shechem when he burns the hold (v.49). Shechem's treachery begins in v.23, and Abimelech himself falls at Thebez to a woman's millstone (v.53). Verses 56–57 call both the doing of God.

Verse 22

reigned three years — The verb differs from the 'made … king' of v.6. It shares its root with 'they have made princes, and I knew it not' (Hos 8:4). The three years stand against the forty years of quiet 'in the days of Gideon' (8:28), and they end in the quarrel of vv.23–24.

Verse 23

an evil spirit — God 'sent' it between the two parties, as 'an evil spirit from the LORD troubled' Saul (1 Sam 16:14; 18:10). The result is that Shechem 'dealt treacherously' (bagad) with the man it had crowned. Verse 24 gives the reason: that the blood of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be laid on both.

Verse 24

the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons — 'Cruelty' is chamas, violence, the word for what filled the earth before the flood (Gen 6:11). The men of Shechem 'aided' Abimelech, literally strengthened his hands (chazaq, yad). The verb 'might come' is taken up again in v.57, 'came the curse of Jotham'.

Verse 27

made merry — Hillulim is a feast of thanksgiving for the vintage, a word found only here and in Lev 19:24, where the fruit of the fourth year is 'holy to praise the LORD withal'. In Shechem the harvest feast is held in 'the house of their god' (Baalberith, v.4), and it ends in cursing Abimelech.

Verse 28

the men of Hamor the father of Shechem — Gaal calls the city back to its older line. Hamor 'the Hivite, prince of the country' had a son Shechem (Gen 34:2), and Jacob bought a field from 'the children of Hamor' (Gen 33:19). Abimelech is only 'the son of Jerubbaal', and Zebul his 'officer' (paqid).

Verse 30

Zebul the ruler of the city — Gaal had called Zebul Abimelech's 'officer' (v.28); the text calls him the city's 'ruler' (sar). His anger leads him to send messengers 'privily' to Abimelech, telling him to come 'up by night' and lie in wait in the field (vv.31–32).

Verse 45

sowed it with salt — Moses describes a land of 'brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth' as the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Deut 29:23). Abimelech takes the city, slays the people, beats it down and sows salt, the end Jotham had named for the men of Shechem in v.20.

Verse 46

the house of the god Berith — This is El-berith, the god called Baalberith in v.4 and 8:33; the name contains berith, 'covenant'. At Shechem Joshua had made a covenant for Israel with the LORD (Josh 24:25). The 'hold' (tsariach) occurs in Judges only here and in v.49.

Verse 49

set the hold on fire upon them — Abimelech had told the people to cut a bough as he did (v.48), and they pile them against the hold. About a thousand men and women die in the tower of Shechem, the fire 'from Abimelech' that Jotham had said would 'devour the men of Shechem' (v.20).

Verse 53

a piece of a millstone — Joab repeats the detail to warn of Uriah's fate: 'did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez?' (2 Sam 11:21). The law forbids taking a millstone in pledge, since it takes 'a man's life' (Deut 24:6). The man who killed seventy brothers 'upon one stone' (v.5) dies from a stone.

Verse 54

A woman slew him — Abimelech's order is the one Saul gives his armourbearer, 'Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith' (1 Sam 31:4), where the armourbearer refuses. Here the young man obeys, yet the saying Abimelech feared is the one recorded in Judges and recalled in 2 Sam 11:21.

Verse 56

God rendered the wickedness — 'Rendered' is shub, to turn back, so that the wickedness returns upon the doer, as 'his mischief shall return upon his own head' (Ps 7:16). What he did 'unto his father' was the slaying of seventy brethren; v.24 had said that their blood would come upon him.

Verse 57

the curse of Jotham — The verb 'came' is the one of v.24, 'might come': the cruelty, the curse and the judgment are one thread. Shechem's evil is rendered on its own heads as Abimelech's was on his (v.56). The curse spoken on Gerizim, the mountain of blessing (Deut 11:29), was the curse that came.