Judges 9:7-8

Context

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news,¹ he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,² “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

9:8 “The trees were determined to go out³ and choose a king for themselves.⁴ They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’⁵

[9:7] ¹tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

[9:7] ²tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

[9:8] ³tn 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] ⁴tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”

[9:8] ⁵tn Or “Rule over us!”