Judges 9:22-57

Shechem and Abimelech Fall

22 Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

23 ¹Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem ²dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

24 ³so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and ⁴their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

25 The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.

26 Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

27 They went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trod them, and held a festival; and they went into the house of ⁵their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.

28 Then Gaal the 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 Zebul not his lieutenant? Serve the men of ⁶Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?

29 "⁷Would *, therefore, that this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech." And he said to Abimelech, "Increase your army and come out."

30 When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burned.

31 He sent messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

32 "Now therefore, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.

33 "In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you shall ⁸do to them whatever you can."

34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

35 Now Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush.

36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains." But Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men."

37 Gaal spoke again * and said, "Behold, people are coming down from ⁹the highest part of the land, and one company comes by the way of the diviners' oak."

38 Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your boasting now with which you said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Is this not the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them!"

39 So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.

40 Abimelech chased him, and he fled before * him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.

41 Then Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.

42 Now it came about the next day, that the people went out to the field, and it was told to Abimelech.

43 So he took his people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field; when he looked and saw the people coming out from the city, he arose against them and slew them.

44 Then Abimelech and the company who was with him dashed forward and stood in the entrance of the city gate; the other two companies then dashed against all who were in the field and slew them.

45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he ¹⁰razed the city and sowed it with salt.

46 When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of ¹¹El-berith *.

47 It was told Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

48 So Abimelech went up to Mount ¹²Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees, and lifted it and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise."

49 All the people also cut down each one his branch and followed * Abimelech, and put them on the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it.

51 But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower.

52 So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 But ¹³a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull.

54 Then ¹⁴he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, 'A woman slew him.' " So the young man pierced him through, and he died.

55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home.

56 Thus ¹⁵God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.

57 Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Judges 9:22-57 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 9

This chapter contains an account of the craft and cruelty of Abimelech, by which he got himself made king of the Shechemites, Jud 9:1-6 of the parable of Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, concerning the trees, in which he exposes their folly in making Abimelech king, and foretells the ruin of them both, Jud 9:7-21 of the contentions which arose between Abimelech, and the men of Shechem, increased by Gaal the son of Ebed, Jud 9:22-29 who was drawn into a battle with Abimelech, and beaten and forced to fly, Jud 9:30-41 but the quarrel between Abimelech and the men of Shechem ceased not, but still continued, which issued in the entire ruin of the city and the inhabitants of it, Jud 9:42-49 and in the death of Abimelech himself, according to Jotham's curse, Jud 9:50-57.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 16:14; Isaiah 19:2, 14
• 2. Isaiah 33:1
• 3. Deuteronomy 27:25; Judges 9:56, 57
• 4. Numbers 35:33
• 5. Judges 8:33; Judges 9:46
• 6. Genesis 34:2
• 7. 2 Samuel 15:4
• 8. 1 Samuel 10:7
• 9. Ezekiel 38:12
• 10. 2 Kings 3:25
• 11. Judges 8:33
• 12. Psalms 68:14
• 13. 2 Samuel 11:21
• 14. 1 Samuel 31:4
• 15. Genesis 9:5, 6; Psalms 94:23

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "of the seventy"
• [b]. Lit "liers-in-wait for"
• [c]. Lit "brothers"
• [d]. Lit "rejoicing"
• [e]. Lit "overseer"
• [f]. Lit "And who will give this people into my hand"
• [g]. Or "in Tormah"
• [h]. Lit "brothers"
• [i]. Lit "besieging"
• [j]. Lit "as your hand can find"
• [k]. Lit "heads"
• [l]. Lit "Behold"
• [m]. Or "center"
• [n]. Lit "head"
• [o]. Heb "Elommeonenim"
• [p]. Or "terebinth"
• [q]. Lit "mouth"
• [r]. Lit "brothers"
• [s]. Lit "the"
• [t]. Lit "heads"
• [u]. Lit "behold"
• [v]. Lit "smote"
• [w]. Singular with Gr; Heb plural, "heads"
• [x]. Lit "heads"
• [y]. Lit "smote"
• [z]. Lit "house"
• [aa]. Lit "the axes"
• [ab]. Lit "like me"
• [ac]. Lit "his"
• [ad]. Lit "place"
• [ae]. Lit "to"