Chapter Nine

1–5. The killing of Gideon’s sons by the Shechemites, instigated by Abimelech. 6. Abimelech becomes king. 7–20. The parable and flight of Jotham. 22–57. The period of Abimelech’s reign and his downfall.

Judges 9:1. Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s family and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, Judges 9:2. “Tell all the citizens of Shechem: is it better for you that all seventy of Jerubbaal’s sons rule over you, or that one rules over you? Remember, I am your own flesh and blood. Judges 9:3. His mother’s relatives spoke all these words concerning him to the citizens of Shechem, and their hearts inclined toward Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother. Judges 9:4. They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used them to hire reckless and worthless men, who followed him. Judges 9:5. He went to his father’s household at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived because he hid. Judges 9:6. All the citizens of Shechem and the whole house of Millo went together and made Abimelech king by the oak at Shechem. Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his Shechemite concubine, appealed to the inhabitants of the city of Shechem (modern Nablus) as his mother’s relatives and persuaded them to slaughter Gideon’s sons born to his other wives. With the seventy shekels of silver given to him by the Shechemites from the treasury of the Baal-Berith temple that stood in Shechem (compare Judg 8:33), he hired worthless men who committed the heinous murder of all Gideon’s sons except the one who escaped, Jotham. After this, the Shechemites and the inhabitants of the Shechem citadel (“the whole house of Millo”) made Abimelech king. The place of his coronation was an oak that stood near Shechem, probably the same one under which Joshua set up the memorial of the covenant of the Lord (Josh 24:26).

Judges 9:7. When this was reported to Jotham, he went up to the top of Mount Gerizim and cried out in a loud voice, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, and may God listen to you! Judges 9:8. “Once the trees decided to anoint a king over themselves and said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ Judges 9:9. “But the olive tree answered them, ‘Should I give up my rich oil that both gods and humans honor, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’ Judges 9:10. “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’ Judges 9:11. “But the fig tree answered them, ‘Should I give up my sweetness and my excellent fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?’ Judges 9:12. “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’ Judges 9:13. “But the vine answered them, ‘Should I give up my wine that brings joy to gods and humans just to wave back and forth over the trees?’ Judges 9:14. “Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and reign over us.’ Judges 9:15. “The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you truly anoint me as your king, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’ Judges 9:16. “Now then, have you acted truthfully and honestly in making Abimelech king? Have you been fair to Jerubbaal and his house, and have you repaid him for what he did for you? Judges 9:17. “My father fought for you, not caring if he lost his life, and rescued you from the hand of the Midianites; Judges 9:18. “But you have risen up against my father’s family and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your brother. Judges 9:19. “If you have acted truthfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he rejoice in you; Judges 9:20. “But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and the house of Millo, and may fire come from the citizens of Shechem and the house of Millo and consume Abimelech. The shameful deed of the Shechemites against Gideon’s descendants and the making of Abimelech king prompted Jotham, one of the surviving sons of Gideon, to pronounce from the top of Mount Gerizim an accusatory speech to them in the form of an allegory or parable about trees that chose themselves a king.

Judges 9:21. And Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer, where he lived in hiding from his brother Abimelech. After the allegory, Jotham fled to Beersheba, which some understand to be Beersheba (Gen 21:31), as the most distant place from Shechem.

Judges 9:22. Now Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. Abimelech “ruled” over Israel for three years, but he did not “judge” Israel like the other judges of Israel.

Judges 9:23. God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem became disloyal to Abimelech, Judges 9:24. so that the bloodshed of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and upon the citizens of Shechem, who helped him kill his brothers. Judges 9:25. The citizens of Shechem set men in ambush for him on the hilltops, and they robbed anyone who passed by on the road. This was reported to Abimelech. Abimelech’s despotic rule as governor provoked the Shechemites themselves against him, and they set an ambush for him, though Abimelech became aware of it.

Judges 9:26. Now Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and entered Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem trusted in him. Judges 9:27. They went out into the fields and gathered their grapes, trod them in the winepresses, and made a festival. They went to the temple of their god, ate and drank there, and cursed Abimelech. Judges 9:28. Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech? Judges 9:29. “If only this people were under my command, I would get rid of Abimelech.” And word was brought to Abimelech: “Increase your army and come out! During the grape harvest festival, probably held in honor of the god Adonis, a man named Gaal son of Ebed stirred up the Israelites against Abimelech, urging them to serve the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem, who still remained in Shechem (compare Gen 34:2).

Judges 9:30. When Zebul the city official heard Gaal son of Ebed’s words, he became very angry. Judges 9:31. He sent messengers to Abimelech saying, “Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. Judges 9:32. “So at night you and the people with you should come and wait in the fields. Judges 9:33. “In the morning as soon as the sun is up, advance and attack the city. When he and his men come out against you, do to them all you can. Judges 9:34. So Abimelech and all the men with him set out by night and took up positions against Shechem in four companies. Judges 9:35. In the morning, Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Abimelech and his men came out from their positions. Judges 9:36. When Gaal saw the men, he said to Zebul, “Look, men are descending from the hilltops!” But Zebul replied, “You are seeing the shadows of the hills as if they were men. Judges 9:37. Gaal spoke again, “Look, men are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the Oak of the Soothsayers. Judges 9:38. Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your big talk now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are not these the men you despised? Go out and fight them! Judges 9:39. So Gaal led the citizens of Shechem out and fought Abimelech. Judges 9:40. Abimelech chased him and Gaal fled. Many were killed and fell slain all the way to the entrance of the city gate. Judges 9:41. Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out so they would not live in Shechem. Judges 9:42. The next day the people went out into the fields, and Abimelech was told about it. Judges 9:43. So he divided the people he had with him into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose up and attacked them. Judges 9:44. While Abimelech and the men with him moved up to the entrance of the city gate, the other two companies attacked and struck down all those in the fields and killed them. Judges 9:45. Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He took the city and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt on it. The uprising of the Shechemites against Abimelech, who was warned in time by Zebul the city governor, ended in the defeat of the Shechemites, the expulsion of Gaal and his brothers, and the destruction of the city itself, whose site was sown with salt—that is, transformed into a saltworks. The “Oak of the Soothsayers” (v. 37) indicates a superstitious custom of the Shechemites, who had a temple of Baal-Berith and apparently also worshiped Adonis (v. 27), consulting by the movement of clouds. The village of Arumah (41) was not far from Shechem, now El-Orma, probably identical with Rumah (2 Kgs 23:36).

Judges 9:46. When the people in the tower of Shechem heard this, they went to the stronghold of the temple of Baal-Berith. Judges 9:47. Abimelech was told that all the men of the tower of Shechem had gathered there. Judges 9:48. So Abimelech went to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people with him. He took an axe and cut off some branches, which he carried on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have seen me do! Judges 9:49. So all the people also cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women. The remnant of the Shechemites, trapped in the tower of Baal-Berith, perished in the fire along with the tower when it was besieged by Abimelech.

Judges 9:50. Then Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and took it. Judges 9:51. But inside the city was a strong tower. All the people, both men and women, fled to the tower and shut themselves in and went up on the tower roof. Judges 9:52. Abimelech came to the tower and attacked it. As he approached the door of the tower to set it on fire, Judges 9:53. a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull. Judges 9:54. He quickly called his armor-bearer and said, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they cannot say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his servant ran him through, and he died. Judges 9:55. When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they scattered, each going to his own place. Judges 9:56. Thus God repaid Abimelech for the evil he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. Judges 9:57. God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads; and the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them. During the siege of the city of Thebez, which lay north of Shechem (now Tubaz) and whose inhabitants apparently also participated in the conspiracy of the Shechemites against Abimelech, Abimelech himself fell, struck by a stone thrown from the city wall by a woman above (compare 2 Sam 11:21-22).