Discovery BoxJudges 9:1-27
Context9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 1 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 9:2 “Tell 3 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 4 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.’” 5 9:3 His mother’s relatives 6 spoke on his behalf to 7 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 8 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 9 they said, “He is our close relative.” 10 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 11 men as his followers. 12 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 13 the seventy legitimate 14 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 15 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 16 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 17 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 18 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 19 and choose a king for themselves. 20 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 21 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!’ 22
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 23 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!’ 24
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 25 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!’ 26
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 27 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 28 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 29 Otherwise 30 may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, 31 if you have properly repaid him 32 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 33 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 34 9:18 But you have attacked 35 my father’s family 36 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 37 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 38 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 39 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 40 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 41 to Beer and lived there to escape from 42 Abimelech his half-brother. 43
9:22 Abimelech commanded 44 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 45 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 46 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 47 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 48 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 49 bandits in 50 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 51
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 52 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 53 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 54 squeezed out the juice, 55 and celebrated. They came to the temple 56 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech.
[9:1] 2 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
[9:2] 3 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
[9:2] 4 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
[9:2] 5 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
[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] 11 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
[9:4] 12 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
[9:5] 13 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[9:5] 14 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:6] 16 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).
[9:7] 17 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
[9:7] 18 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
[9:8] 19 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.”
[9:8] 20 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
[9:8] 21 tn Or “Rule over us!”
[9:9] 22 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.
[9:10] 23 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:11] 24 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.
[9:12] 25 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:13] 26 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.
[9:14] 27 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:15] 28 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
[9:15] 29 tn Heb “in my shade.”
[9:16] 32 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
[9:17] 33 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
[9:18] 35 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
[9:18] 37 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:18] 38 tn Heb “your brother.”
[9:19] 40 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
[9:21] 41 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
[9:21] 42 tn Heb “from before.”
[9:21] 43 tn Heb “his brother.”
[9:22] 44 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
[9:23] 45 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
[9:23] 46 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 47 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 48 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
[9:25] 49 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
[9:25] 50 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 51 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 52 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
[9:26] 53 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
[9:27] 55 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
