Judges 9 Study Notes

9:26-29 Gaal may have been a Shechemite who had gone into exile to escape Abimelech. His return was welcomed by the citizens of Shechem who harvested grapes in order to throw a party for him. The grape harvest was often a time of riotous celebration and drunkenness. On this occasion, after eating and drinking a little too much, the participants cursed Abimelech—an action that could incur the death penalty (Ex 22:28; 1Kg 21:13). In a speech whose forthrightness seems emboldened by alcohol, Gaal claimed that if he were king he could do a better job of running Shechem than Abimelech.

9:30-41 Zebul, Abimelech’s governor in Shechem, called Gaal’s bluff, informing Abimelech of Gaal’s insubordination, and forcing Gaal to lead the citizens of Shechem against Abimelech’s army.

9:42-49 Abimelech took excessive revenge against Shechem. He massacred the inhabitants of the city and tore down its buildings. He also scattered salt over it. Since salt is a preservative, this act symbolized the eternal and unchanging nature of this destruction. Those who escaped fled to the temple of El-berith (Baal-berith, Shechem’s god). Rather than waste lives in assaulting this stronghold, Abimelech piled wood around it and burned the occupants alive. Fittingly, along with those who financed his original coup, he destroyed the source of the finance, the temple of Baal-berith. The fiery destruction of the citizens of Shechem perfectly matched the imagery of Jotham’s fable.

9:50-57 Encouraged by his success at Shechem, Abimelech sought to repeat it at Thebez, a town not far from Shechem. Instead, he was killed when a woman dropped a millstone on his head. Like Sisera, he met his end at the hand of a woman, even though his armor bearer struck the final blow. Abimelech’s fire thus consumed himself, as Jotham’s curse was fulfilled by the Lord.