Judges 9 (NET)

Abimelech Murders His Brothers

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 2 “Tell3 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want4 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 3 His mother’s relatives6 spoke on his behalf to7 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 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous11 men as his followers.12 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers,13 the seventy legitimate14 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped,15 because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar16 in Shechem.

Jotham’s Parable

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!

8 “The trees were determined to go out19 and choose a king for themselves.20 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’21 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

10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’23 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

12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’25 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

14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’27 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose28 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches!29 Otherwise30 may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

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 him32 – 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life33 and delivered you from Midian’s power.34 18 But you have attacked35 my father’s family36 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate37 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 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family39 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness!40 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!” 21 Then Jotham ran away41 to Beer and lived there to escape from42 Abimelech his half-brother.43

God Fulfills Jotham’s Curse

22 Abimelech commanded44 Israel for three years. 23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility45 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal46 to Abimelech. 24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother47 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them.48 25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting49 bandits in50 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it.51

26 Gaal son of Ebed52 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him.53 27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes,54 squeezed out the juice,55 and celebrated. They came to the temple56 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed?57 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?58 29 If only these men59 were under my command,60 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech,61 “Muster62 your army and come out for battle!”63

30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious.64 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah,65 reporting, “Beware!66 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming67 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you.68 32 Now, come up69 at night with your men70 and set an ambush in the field outside the city.71 33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.”72

34 So Abimelech and all his men came up73 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into74 four units. 35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 36 Gaal saw the men75 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.”76 37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center77 of the land. A unit78 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.”79 38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words,80 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men81 you insulted?82 Go out now and fight them!” 39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out83 and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal84 ran from him. Many Shechemites85 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech went back86 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.87

42 The next day the Shechemites88 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it,89 43 he took his men90 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city,91 he attacked and struck them down.92 44 Abimelech and his units93 attacked and blocked94 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled95 the city and spread salt over it.96

46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem97 heard the news, they went to the stronghold98 of the temple of El-Berith.99 47 Abimelech heard100 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place.101 48 He and all his men102 went up on Mount Zalmon. He103 took an ax104 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it105 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!”106 49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches107 against the stronghold and set fire to it.108 All the people109 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

50 Abimelech moved on110 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.111 51 There was a fortified112 tower113 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman threw an upper millstone114 down on his115 head and shattered his skull. 54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,116 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say,117 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.118

56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers.119 57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell120 on them.

19:1tn Heb “brothers.” 29:1tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.” 39:2tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.” 49:2tn Heb “What good is it to you?” 59:2tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.” 69:3tn Heb “brothers.” 79:3tn Heb “into the ears of.” 89:3tn Heb “and all these words.” 99:3tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.” 109:3tn Heb “our brother.” 119:4tn Heb “empty and reckless.” 129:4tn Heb “and they followed him.” 139:5tn Heb “his brothers.” 149:5tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. 159:5tn Heb “remained.” 169:6tc 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). 179:7tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite. 189:7tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.” 199:8tn 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.” 209:8tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.” 219:8tn Or “Rule over us!” 229:9tn 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. 239:10tn Or “and rule over us!” 249:11tn 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. 259:12tn Or “and rule over us!” 269:13tn 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. 279:14tn Or “and rule over us!” 289:15tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].” 299:15tn Heb “in my shade.” 309:15tn Heb “If not.” 319:16tn Heb “house.” 329:16tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.” 339:17tc 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. 349:17tn Heb “hand.” 359:18tn Heb “have risen up against.” 369:18tn Heb “house.” 379:18tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. 389:18tn Heb “your brother.” 399:19tn Heb “house.” 409:19tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.” 419:21tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.” 429:21tn Heb “from before.” 439:21tn Heb “his brother.” 449:22tn 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]).sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175). 459:23tn 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.” 469:23tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 479:24tn Heb “their brother.” 489:24tn 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.” 499:25tn Heb “set against him bandits.”sn Putting bandits in the hills. This piracy certainly interrupted or discouraged trade, and probably deprived Abimelech of tariffs or tribute. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 277; G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 253. 509:25tn Heb “on the tops of.” 519:25tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.” 529:26sn 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. 539:26tn 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). 549:27tn Heb “vineyards.” 559:27tn 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. 569:27tn Heb “house.” 579:28tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.” 589:28tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 599:29tn Heb “people.” 609:29tn Heb “in my hand.”sn If only these men were under my command. One might assume from v. 26b that the men were already at his disposal, but perhaps that was not one of the terms of the agreement. Another possibility is that v. 26 is a general summary statement, with vv. 27-29 then detailing how the alliance with Gaal came about. 619:29tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’” 629:29tn Heb “Make numerous.” 639:29tn The words “for battle” are interpretive. 649:30tn Heb “his anger burned.” 659:31tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable. 669:31tn Heb “Look!” 679:31tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage. 689:31tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). 699:32tn Heb “arise.” 709:32tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.” 719:32tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 729:33tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].” 739:34tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.” 749:34tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 759:36tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males. 769:36tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.” 779:37tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79. 789:37tn Heb “head.” 799:37tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV. 809:38tn Heb “is your mouth that says.” 819:38tn Heb “the people.” 829:38tn Or “despised.” 839:39tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.” 849:40tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 859:40tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification. 869:41tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way. 879:41tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.” 889:42tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 899:42tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.” 909:43tn Heb “his people.” 919:43tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.” 929:43tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.” 939:44tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.” 949:44tn Heb “stood [at].” 959:45tn Or “destroyed.” 969:45tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”sn The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (BibOr), 15, 53. Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment. 979:46sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city. 989:46tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places. 999:46sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El. 1009:47tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.” 1019:47tn Heb “were assembled.” 1029:48tn Heb “his people.” 1039:48tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style. 1049:48tn The Hebrew text has the plural here. 1059:48tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].” 1069:48tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.” 1079:49tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 1089:49tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.” 1099:49tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests. 1109:50tn Or “went.” 1119:50tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.” 1129:51tn Or “strong.” 1139:51tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52. 1149:53sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288. 1159:53tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style. 1169:54tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. 1179:54tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. 1189:55tn Heb “each to his own place.” 1199:56tn Heb “seventy brothers.” 1209:57tn Heb “came.”