Judges 9:12

12 "Then the trees spoke to a vine. They said, 'Come and be our king.'

Judges 9:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 9:12

Then said the trees unto the vine
Another emblem of good and useful men; and it may be observed, that Jotham takes no notice of any trees but fruitful ones till he comes to the bramble, and them only such as were well known, and of the greatest use, in the land of Judea, as olives, figs, and vines, see ( Deuteronomy 8:8 ) ( Habakkuk 3:17 )

come thou, and reign over us;
this Jarchi applies to Gideon; but since there are three sorts of trees brought into the fable, and when the kingdom was offered to Gideon, it was proposed to him, and to his son, and his son's son, and refused, some reference may be had unto it in this apologue. Abarbinel thinks three sorts of men are intended as proper persons for rule and government, as honourable ones, such as are wealthy and rich, and also of good behaviour to God and man, as Gideon's sons were; but Abimelech was all the reverse.

Judges 9:12 In-Context

10 "Next, the trees spoke to a fig tree. They said, 'Come and be our king.'

11 "But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit? It's so good and sweet. Should I give that up just to rule over the trees?'

12 "Then the trees spoke to a vine. They said, 'Come and be our king.'

13 "But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine? It cheers up gods and people alike. Should I give that up just to rule over the trees?'

14 "Finally, all of the trees spoke to a bush that had thorns. They said, 'Come and be our king.'