Text -- Judges 9:1-15 (NET)

Abimelech Murders His Brothers

9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 9:2 “Tell all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 9:3 His mother’s relatives spoke on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; they said, “He is our close relative.” 9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his followers. 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, the seventy legitimate sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem.

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you! 9:8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jdg 9:1

¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

² tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:2

¹ tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”

² tn Heb “What good is it to you?”

³ tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:3

¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

² tn Heb “into the ears of.”

³ tn Heb “and all these words.”

⁴ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

⁵ tn Heb “our brother.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:4

¹ tn Heb “empty and reckless.”

² tn Heb “and they followed him.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:5

¹ tn Heb “his brothers.”

² tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

³ tn Heb “remained.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:6

¹ tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).

NET Notes: Jdg 9:7

¹ tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

² tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:8

¹ tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”

² tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”

³ tn Or “Rule over us!”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:9

¹ tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.

NET Notes: Jdg 9:10

¹ tn Or “and rule over us!”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:11

¹ tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees? The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.

NET Notes: Jdg 9:12

¹ tn Or “and rule over us!”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:13

¹ tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.

NET Notes: Jdg 9:14

¹ tn Or “and rule over us!”

NET Notes: Jdg 9:15

¹ tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”

² tn Heb “in my shade.”

³ tn Heb “If not.”