Judges 9

KJV · Chapter 9/21

¹And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

²Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

³And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

⁴And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal–berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

⁵And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

⁶And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

⁹But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹⁰And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹¹But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹²Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹³And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹⁴Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹⁵And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

¹⁷(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

¹⁸And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

¹⁹If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

²⁰But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

²¹And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

²²When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

²³Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

²⁴That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

²⁵And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

²⁶And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

²⁷And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

²⁸And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

²⁹And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

³⁰And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

³¹And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

³²Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:

³³And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

³⁴And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

³⁵And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.

³⁶And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.

³⁷And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

³⁸Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

³⁹And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

⁴⁰And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

⁴¹And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

⁴²And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

⁴³And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.

⁴⁴And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.

⁴⁵And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.

⁴⁷And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

⁴⁸And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.

⁴⁹And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

⁵¹But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

⁵²And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

⁵³And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.

⁵⁴Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

⁵⁵And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

⁵⁶Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

⁵⁷And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Abimelech, Gideon's son by a concubine, kills his seventy half-brothers and becomes king of Shechem. Jotham prophesies his downfall through a parable of the trees, which is fulfilled by the end of the chapter.

Explanation

Abimelech represents the exact opposite of his father Gideon's values: instead of refusing power, he seizes it through force and the mass murder of his own brothers. Jotham's parable, told from atop a mountain to escape persecution, is one of the earliest recorded fables in Hebrew literature, using trees that refuse to rule (because they are useful) and a useless thornbush that accepts, as a biting critique of leaders who seek power without having any real substance to offer. The chapter ends with severe poetic justice: Abimelech dies after being struck by a millstone thrown by a woman, and asks his armor-bearer to kill him so it would not be said a woman brought him down — but the irony remains recorded forever in the text.

Fun facts

Jotham's parable is considered one of the oldest fables in world literature preserved in writing, predating similar Greek fables such as Aesop's by centuries.
Abimelech's death by a millstone thrown by a woman is recalled centuries later by Joab in 2 Samuel 11:21 as a classic, shameful example of an avoidable death in battle.

Verse-by-verse explanation

Judges 9:1Abimelech, Gideon’s son by a concubine from Shechem, goes to his mother’s family in that city to speak with his relatives on his mother’s side.
Judges 9:2He asks the men of Shechem which is better: to be ruled by all seventy of Gideon’s sons, or by one man alone, reminding them that he himself is their own flesh and blood through his mother.
Judges 9:3His mother’s relatives pass this proposal on to the citizens of Shechem, and their hearts incline toward Abimelech, because, as they say, “He is our brother.”
Judges 9:4The men of Shechem give Abimelech seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, and with this money he hires reckless, idle men willing to follow him into anything.
Judges 9:5Abimelech goes to his father’s house in Ophrah and kills his own seventy brothers upon one stone; only Jotham, the youngest, escapes because he has hidden himself.
Judges 9:6The citizens of Shechem and all the house of Millo gather by an oak and make Abimelech king, carrying out his plan.
Judges 9:7On hearing this, Jotham climbs to the top of mount Gerizim and cries out for the men of Shechem to hear what he has to say, beginning the fable of the trees.
Judges 9:8In the fable, the trees go out to anoint a king over themselves, and they first invite the olive tree to reign.
Judges 9:9The olive tree refuses, asking whether it should give up its own oil, prized by both God and men, just to go waving over the other trees.
Judges 9:10In Jotham’s fable, the trees then invite the fig tree after the olive tree refuses, and each useful tree will say no, until only the bramble is left.
Judges 9:11The fig tree likewise refuses, unwilling to give up its sweetness and its good fruit for the task of reigning over the other trees.
Judges 9:12Next, in Jotham’s fable, the trees turn and invite the vine to reign over them instead.
Judges 9:13The vine refuses in the same way, unwilling to give up the wine that cheers God and men just to go on reigning.
Judges 9:14At last, with no other option, all the trees invite the bramble, the most useless and dangerous plant on the list, to reign over them.
Judges 9:15In Jotham’s fable, only the bramble, the most useless and dangerous plant, agrees to reign over the other trees, while the olive, fig, and vine refuse because they already have a better purpose. It is a direct jab at Abimelech, compared to a bramble that promises shade but can only send out fire.
Judges 9:16Jotham challenges the men of Shechem: if they acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if they have treated Gideon’s family well, then all is well.
Judges 9:17He reminds them that their father risked his very life fighting to deliver them from the Midianites, a sacrifice that now seems forgotten.
Judges 9:18Jotham accuses them: instead of honoring that debt, they rose up against Gideon’s house, killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made the son of his slave woman king.
Judges 9:19If they have dealt in truth and sincerity, Jotham says, then let Abimelech and the men of Shechem find joy in each other.
Judges 9:20But if they have not, Jotham asks that fire come out from Abimelech to consume Shechem, and fire come out from Shechem to consume Abimelech, foreshadowing the mutual destruction that actually happens at the end of the chapter.
Judges 9:21After speaking, Jotham flees to the city of Beer and lives there, afraid of his own half-brother Abimelech.
Judges 9:22Abimelech rules over Israel for three years before things start to fall apart.
Judges 9:23The text says it was God who sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, causing the alliance between them to break apart. This is how the narrative explains Abimelech’s downfall as a direct consequence of the blood of the seventy brothers he shed.
Judges 9:24The text explains the reason for the evil spirit God sends: to bring down upon Abimelech and the men of Shechem the blood of the seventy murdered brothers, since the citizens had helped finance the crime.
Judges 9:25The men of Shechem begin setting ambushes on the hilltops against Abimelech himself, robbing everyone who passes by on the road, and word of it reaches him.
Judges 9:26A man named Gaal, son of Ebed, comes to Shechem with his brothers, and the citizens of the city come to trust him.
Judges 9:27The people go out to gather grapes, hold a festival with singing in the house of their own god, eat, drink, and curse Abimelech during the celebration.
Judges 9:28Gaal openly asks why they should serve Abimelech, pointing out that he is Gideon’s son and suggesting they serve some other leader instead.
Judges 9:29Gaal boasts that if he were in command, he would drive out Abimelech, and he even dares him to muster his army and attack.
Judges 9:30Zebul, the ruler of the city who remains loyal to Abimelech, hears Gaal’s words and is furious.
Judges 9:31Zebul secretly sends messengers to warn Abimelech that Gaal is fortifying Shechem against him.
Judges 9:32Zebul advises Abimelech to attack by night with his men and set ambushes in the fields around the city.
Judges 9:33The plan is to attack in the morning, as soon as the sun rises and Gaal comes out to face him, taking advantage of the element of surprise.
Judges 9:34Abimelech follows the plan and organizes his men into four companies hidden around Shechem during the night.
Judges 9:35Gaal goes out and takes his stand at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelech and his men come out of hiding.
Judges 9:36Gaal sees the movement and remarks to Zebul that people are coming down from the mountaintops; Zebul plays it down, saying it is only the shadows of the mountains that look like men.
Judges 9:37Gaal insists, pointing to another company coming down from the middle of the land and a company coming by way of the diviners’ oak, showing that an army is truly closing in.
Judges 9:38Zebul then turns on Gaal, demanding to know where all his earlier boasting has gone, and dares him to go out and fight the people he had scorned.
Judges 9:39Gaal goes out at the head of the citizens of Shechem to face Abimelech in battle.
Judges 9:40Abimelech chases Gaal, who flees, and many fall wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate.
Judges 9:41Abimelech stays at Arumah, while Zebul drives out Gaal and his brothers, keeping them from continuing to live in Shechem.
Judges 9:42The next day, the people of Shechem go out into the fields, and word of it reaches Abimelech.
Judges 9:43Abimelech divides his men into three companies, sets ambushes in the field, and attacks the people as soon as they come out of the city.
Judges 9:44One of Abimelech’s companies blocks the entrance to the city, while the other two attack everyone scattered across the field.
Judges 9:45Abimelech fights against the city the whole day, takes it, kills the people in it, tears it down, and sows the ground with salt, a symbolic gesture of total and final destruction.
Judges 9:46On hearing this, the people of the tower of Shechem take refuge inside the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.
Judges 9:47Word reaches Abimelech that all these people have gathered together in the stronghold.
Judges 9:48Abimelech goes up to mount Zalmon with his men, cuts a bough from a tree, puts it on his shoulder, and orders everyone to do the same, quickly, following his example.
Judges 9:49Each man cuts his own bough, and together they pile the wood against the stronghold and set it on fire, killing about a thousand men and women who had been hiding inside it.
Judges 9:50After this, Abimelech goes to Thebez, besieges the city, and captures it.
Judges 9:51Inside Thebez there was a strong tower where all the inhabitants take refuge, lock the doors, and climb up to the roof for safety.
Judges 9:52Abimelech comes up to the tower to attack it and draws near the door, intending to set it on fire.
Judges 9:53A woman up above throws a piece of a millstone down onto Abimelech’s head and breaks his skull.
Judges 9:54Abimelech asks to be killed by his own armor-bearer, just so it will never be said that a woman brought him down by throwing a millstone from the tower. It is a concern for his own reputation that feels almost out of place given how grave the scene is.
Judges 9:55When the men of Israel see that Abimelech is dead, each man goes back to his own home, and the conflict comes to an end.
Judges 9:56The text interprets Abimelech’s end as God bringing back upon him the evil he had done in killing his own seventy brothers.
Judges 9:57In the same way, the evil committed by the men of Shechem also comes back upon them, fulfilling exactly the curse Jotham had pronounced from mount Gerizim.

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