Judges 8:31

31 concubina autem illius quam habebat in Sychem genuit ei filium nomine Abimelech

Judges 8:31 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:31

And his concubine that was in Shechem
Which was not an harlot, but a secondary or half wife; such were generally taken from handmaids, and of the meaner sort, and were not in such esteem as proper wives, had not the management of household affairs, only a share in the bed, and their children did not inherit. This concubine of Gideon's seems not to have been taken into his house at all, but lived at Shechem, perhaps in her father's house, and here Gideon met with her when he went to Shechem as a judge to try causes; her name, according to Josephus F12, was Druma:

she also bare him a son;
as his other wives did; perhaps all the children he had were sons, and this was one over and above the seventy, and not to be reckoned into that number:

whose name he called Abimelech:
which signifies, "my father a king"; which he gave him either in memory of the offer made him to be king of Israel, or through foresight of what this son of his would be; or he might be moved to it by the mother from pride and vanity, and which name might afterwards inspire the young man to be made a king, as he was; and the account given of his name is because of the narrative of him in the following chapter.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect. 1.

Judges 8:31 In-Context

29 abiit itaque Hierobbaal filius Ioas et habitavit in domo sua
30 habuitque septuaginta filios qui egressi sunt de femore eius eo quod plures haberet uxores
31 concubina autem illius quam habebat in Sychem genuit ei filium nomine Abimelech
32 mortuusque est Gedeon filius Ioas in senectute bona et sepultus in sepulchro Ioas patris sui in Ephra de familia Ezri
33 postquam autem mortuus est Gedeon aversi sunt filii Israhel et fornicati cum Baalim percusseruntque cum Baal foedus ut esset eis in deum
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.