Judges 8:33--9:6

Israel Returns to Baal-Worship

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ¹  their god. 8:34 The Israelites did not remain true ²  to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 8:35 They did not treat ³  the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.

Abimelech Murders His Brothers

9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. ⁴  He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, ⁵  9:2 “Tell ⁶  all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want ⁷  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.’” ⁸  9:3 His mother’s relatives ⁹  spoke on his behalf to ¹⁰  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ¹¹  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ¹²  they said, “He is our close relative.” ¹³  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 ¹⁴  men as his followers. ¹⁵  9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, ¹⁶  the seventy legitimate ¹⁷  sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, ¹⁸  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 ¹⁹  in Shechem.

[8:33]  ¹ sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.

[8:34]  ² tn Heb “remember.”

[8:35]  ³ tn Heb “did not do loyalty with,” or “did not act faithfully toward.”

[9:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”

[9:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”

[9:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “What good is it to you?”

[9:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”

[9:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and all these words.”

[9:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

[9:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “our brother.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “empty and reckless.”

[9:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they followed him.”

[9:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[9:5]  ⁹ tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “remained.”

[9:6]  ⁹ 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).