And 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,
Abimelech
Judges 8:31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, whose …
Shechem
Genesis 33:18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land …
Genesis 34:2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, …
1 Kings 12:1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem …
communed
2 Samuel 15:6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king …
1 Kings 12:3,20 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation …
Psalm 83:2-4 For, see, your enemies make a tumult: and they that hate you have …
Jeremiah 18:18 Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; …
Speak, 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.
whether, etc. Heb. What is good? whether etc. Threescore
Judges 8:30 And Gideon had three score and ten sons of his body begotten: for …
your bone
Genesis 29:14 And Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. And he …
2 Samuel 19:13 And say you to Amasa, Are you not of my bone, and of my flesh? God …
1 Chronicles 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron, saying, Behold, …
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Hebrews 2:14 For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, …
And 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.
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
house
Judges 9:46-49 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered …
Judges 8:33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children …
vain. worthless and dissolute men; persons who were living on the public, and had nothing to lose. Such was the foundation of his Babel government. By a cunning management of such unprincipled men most revolutions are brought about.
Judges 11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelled in the land of …
1 Samuel 22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, …
2 Chronicles 13:7 And there are gathered to him vain men, the children of Belial, and …
Job 30:8 They were children of fools, yes, children of base men: they were …
Proverbs 12:11 He that tills his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that …
Acts 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took to them certain …
And 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.
And 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.
And 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.
mount Gerizim
Deuteronomy 11:29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD your God has brought you …
Deuteronomy 27:12 These shall stand on mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you …
Joshua 8:33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges…
John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say, that in Jerusalem …
Hearken
Psalm 18:40,41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy …
Psalm 50:15-21 And call on me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you …
Proverbs 1:28,29 Then shall they call on me, but I will not answer; they shall seek …
Proverbs 21:13 Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry …
Proverbs 28:9 He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer …
Isaiah 1:15 And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: …
Isaiah 58:6-10 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, …
Matthew 18:26-34 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, …
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy; …
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
the trees. This is the most ancient fable or apologue extant; and is extremely beautiful, apposite, and intelligible.
2 Kings 14:9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying…
Ezekiel 17:3 And say, Thus said the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, …
Daniel 4:10 Thus were the visions of my head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree …
olive tree. The zayith or olive tree, in the Linnean system, is a genus of the diandra monogynia class of plants. It is of a moderate height, and grows best in sunny places. Its trunk is knotty; bark smooth, of an ash colour: wood solid and yellowish; leaves oblong, almost like those of the willow, of a dark green colour on the upper side, and whitish below. In June it puts forth white flowers, growing in bunches, each of one piece, widening towards the top, and dividing into four parts. After this succeeds the fruit, which is oblong and plump; first green, then pale, and when quite ripe, black. Within it is enclosed a hard stone, filled with oblong seeds. It was the most useful of all trees in the forest; as the bramble was the meanest and most worthless. reign
Judges 8:22,23 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule you over us, both you, …
But 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?
wherewith
Exodus 29:2,7 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and …
Exodus 35:14 The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, …
Leviticus 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering to the LORD, his offering …
1 Kings 19:15,16 And the LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness …
Psalm 89:20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
Psalm 104:15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face …
Acts 4:27 For of a truth against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, …
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: …
1 John 2:20 But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things.
God. elohim, rather gods; the parable being adapted to the idolatrous Shechemites. to be promoted over the trees. Heb. up and down for other trees.
Job 1:7 And the LORD said to Satan, From where come you? Then Satan answered …
Job 2:2 And the LORD said to Satan, From where come you? And Satan answered …
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
And 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.
shadow
Isaiah 30:2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; …
Daniel 4:12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in …
Hosea 14:7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive …
Matthew 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it …
let fire
Judges 9:20,49 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men …
Numbers 21:28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of …
Isaiah 1:31 And the strong shall be as wick, and the maker of it as a spark, …
Ezekiel 19:14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which has devoured …
the cedars
2 Kings 14:9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying…
Psalm 104:16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which …
Isaiah 2:13 And on all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and …
Isaiah 37:24 By your servants have you reproached the Lord, and have said, By …
Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and …
Now 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;
(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
fought
Judges 7:1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with …
Judges 8:4-10 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred …
adventured his life. Heb. cast his life
Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and …
Romans 5:8 But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, …
Romans 16:4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: to whom not only …
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of …
And 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;)
If 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:
But 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.
let fire come out
Judges 9:15,23,56,57 And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you anoint me king …
Judges 7:22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's …
2 Chronicles 20:22,23 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes …
Psalm 21:9,10 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger: the …
Psalm 28:4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness …
Psalm 52:1-5 Why boast you yourself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of …
Psalm 120:3,4 What shall be given to you? or what shall be done to you, you false tongue…
Psalm 140:10 Let burning coals fall on them: let them be cast into the fire; into …
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Beer. Probably the Beer mentioned by Mr. Maundrell, three hours and a half, or about ten miles, north of Jerusalem, towards Shechem. It is situated toward the south, on an easy declivity; and has a fountain of excellent water at the bottom of the hill, from which it has taken its name. Close to the well are the mouldering walls of a ruined khan; and on the summit of the hill two large arches still remain of a ruined convent. Dr. Richardson says, that it seems to have been once a place of considerable consequence.
Numbers 21:16 And from there they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD …
Joshua 19:8 And all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, …
2 Samuel 20:14 And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Bethmaachah, …
When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
A.M.
Judges 9:15,20 And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you anoint me king …
1 Samuel 16:14-16 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit …
1 Samuel 18:9,10 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward…
1 Kings 12:15 Why the king listened not to the people; for the cause was from the …
1 Kings 22:22,23 And the LORD said to him, With which? And he said, I will go forth, …
2 Chronicles 10:15 So the king listened not to the people: for the cause was of God, …
2 Chronicles 18:19-22 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he …
Isaiah 19:2,14 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall …
2 Thessalonians 2:11,12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they …
dealt
Judges 9:16 Now therefore, if you have done truly and sincerely, in that you …
Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you that spoil, and you were not spoiled; and deal treacherously…
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what …
That 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.
that the
1 Samuel 15:33 And Samuel said, As the sword has made women childless, so shall …
1 Kings 2:32 And the LORD shall return his blood on his own head, who fell on …
Esther 9:25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that …
Psalm 7:16 His mischief shall return on his own head, and his violent dealing …
Matthew 23:34-36 Why, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and …
aided him in the killing of Heb. strengthened his hands to kill. Sooner or later, God will make inquisition for blood, and will return it on the heads of those that shed it. Accessaries will be reckoned with, as well as principals, in that and other sins. The Shechemites, who countenanced Abimelech's pretensions, aided and abetted him in his bloody project, and avowed the fact by making him king after he had done it, must fall with him, fall by him, and fall first. Those that combine together to do wickedly, are justly dashed in pieces one against another. Blood cannot be a lasting cement to any interest.
And 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.
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
And 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.
merry. or, songs
Isaiah 16:9,10 Therefore I will mourn with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: …
Isaiah 24:7-9 The new wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry hearted do sigh…
Jeremiah 25:30 Therefore prophesy you against them all these words, and say to them, …
Amos 6:3-6 You that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence …
the house
Judges 9:4 And they gave him three score and ten pieces of silver out of the …
Judges 16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer …
Exodus 32:6,19 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, …
Daniel 5:1-4,23 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, …
did eat
Isaiah 22:12-14 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to …
Luke 12:19,20 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for …
Luke 17:26-29 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days …
cursed
Leviticus 24:11 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, …
1 Samuel 17:43 And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me …
Psalm 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him: as he delighted not in …
And 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?
And 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.
would to God. The very words and conduct of a sly, hypocritical demagogue
2 Samuel 15:4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that …
1 Kings 20:11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that …
Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, and blesses the covetous, …
Romans 1:30,31 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors …
And he said. Rather, and I would say to Abimelech, as the LXX renders; for as Dr. Wall observes, this was probably not said in the presence of Abimelech; but at an intemperate feast, in his absence, when he boasted he would challenge him. increase thine army
2 Samuel 2:14-17 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before …
2 Kings 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son …
2 Kings 18:23 Now therefore, I pray you, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, …
Isaiah 36:8,9 Now therefore give pledges, I pray you, to my master the king of …
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
And 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.
privily. Heb. craftily, or to Tormah. they fortify. Under pretence of repairing the walls and towers, they were actually putting the place in a state of defence, intending to seize on the government as soon as they found Abimelech coming against them.
Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
And 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.
And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
And 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.
Gaal. Of this person we know no more than is here recorded. He was probably one of the descendants of the Canaanites, who hoped, from the state of the public mind and their disaffection to Abimelech, to cause a revolution, and thus to restore the ancient government as it was under Hamor, the father of Shechem. Josephus says he was a man of authority, who sojourned with them, with his armed men and kinsmen; and that the Shechemites desired that he would allow them a guard during the vintage. the people
Judges 9:44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, …
And 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.
seest the shadow. Doubdan states, that in some parts of the Holy Land there are many detached rocks scattered up and down, some growing out of the ground, and others fragments broken off from rocky precipices, the shadow of which, it appears, Josephus thought might be most naturally imagined to look like troops of men at a distance, rather than that of the mountains; for he represents Zebul as saying to Gaal, that he mistook the shadow of the rocks for men.
Ezekiel 7:7 The morning is come to you, O you that dwell in the land: the time …
Mark 8:24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
And 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.
Then 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.
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
And 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.
And 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.
And 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.
he took
Judges 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men …
beat
Deuteronomy 29:23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, …
1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelled therein; …
2 Kings 3:25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast …
Psalm 107:34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
Ezekiel 47:11 But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be …
Zephaniah 2:9 Therefore as I live, said the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely …
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy; …
sowed. Salt in small quantities renders land extremely fertile; but too much of it destroys vegetation. Every place, says Pliny, in which salt is found is barren, and produces nothing. Hence the sowing of a place with salt was a custom in different nations to express permanent desolation. Sigonium observes, that when Milan was taken, A.D.
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
an hold
Judges 9:4,27 And they gave him three score and ten pieces of silver out of the …
Judges 8:33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children …
1 Kings 8:26 And now, O God of Israel, let your word, I pray you, be verified, …
2 Kings 1:2-4 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that …
Psalm 115:8 They that make them are like to them; so is every one that trusts in them.
Isaiah 28:15-18 Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with …
Isaiah 37:38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god…
And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
And 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.
Zalmon
Psalm 68:14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
What ye
Judges 7:17,18 And he said to them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when …
Proverbs 1:11,12 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk …
me do. Heb. I have done
And 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.
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
Thebez. According to Eusebius, thirteen miles from Shechem, towards Scythopolis.
But 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.
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
Then 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.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
God rendered. Both the fratricide Abimelech and the unprincipled men of Shechem had the iniquity visited upon them of which they had been guilty. Man's judgment may be avoided; but there is no escape from that of God. How many houses have been sown with salt in France, by the just judgment of God, for the massacre of the Protestants on the eve of St. Bartholomew!
Judges 9:45,24 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the …
Job 31:3 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the …
Psalm 9:12 When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: he forgets …
Psalm 11:6 On the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible …
Psalm 58:10,11 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance: he shall …
Psalm 94:23 And he shall bring on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them …
Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be …
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what …
Acts 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, …
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that …
Revelation 19:20,21 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that worked …
And 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.
