Juges 9
Louis Segond
9 Abimélec, fils de Jerubbaal, se rendit à Sichem vers les frères de sa mère, et voici comment il leur parla, ainsi qu'à toute la famille de la maison du père de sa mère:
2 Dites, je vous prie, aux oreilles de tous les habitants de Sichem: Vaut-il mieux pour vous que soixante-dix hommes, tous fils de Jerubbaal, dominent sur vous, ou qu'un seul homme domine sur vous? Et souvenez-vous que je suis votre os et votre chair.
3 Les frères de sa mère répétèrent pour lui toutes ces paroles aux oreilles de tous les habitants de Sichem, et leur coeur inclina en faveur d'Abimélec, car ils se disaient: C'est notre frère.
4 Ils lui donnèrent soixante-dix sicles d'argent, qu'ils enlevèrent de la maison de Baal Berith. Abimélec s'en servit pour acheter des misérables et des turbulents, qui allèrent après lui.
5 Il vint dans la maison de son père à Ophra, et il tua ses frères, fils de Jerubbaal, soixante-dix hommes, sur une même pierre. Il n'échappa que Jotham, le plus jeune fils de Jerubbaal, car il s'était caché.
6 Tous les habitants de Sichem et toute la maison de Millo se rassemblèrent; ils vinrent, et proclamèrent roi Abimélec, près du chêne planté dans Sichem.
7 Jotham en fut informé. Il alla se placer sur le sommet de la montagne de Garizim, et voici ce qu'il leur cria à haute voix: Écoutez-moi, habitants de Sichem, et que Dieu vous écoute!
8 Les arbres partirent pour aller oindre un roi et le mettre à leur tête. Ils dirent à l'olivier: Règne sur nous.
9 Mais l'olivier leur répondit: Renoncerais-je à mon huile, qui m'assure les hommages de Dieu et des hommes, pour aller planer sur les arbres?
10 Et les arbres dirent au figuier: Viens, toi, règne sur nous.
11 Mais le figuier leur répondit: Renoncerais-je à ma douceur et à mon excellent fruit, pour aller planer sur les arbres?
12 Et les arbres dirent à la vigne: Viens, toi, règne sur nous.
13 Mais la vigne leur répondit: Renoncerais-je à mon vin, qui réjouit Dieu et les hommes, pour aller planer sur les arbres?
14 Alors tous les arbres dirent au buisson d'épines: Viens, toi, règne sur nous.
15 Et le buisson d'épines répondit aux arbres: Si c'est de bonne foi que vous voulez m'oindre pour votre roi, venez, réfugiez-vous sous mon ombrage; sinon, un feu sortira du buisson d'épines, et dévorera les cèdres du Liban.
16 Maintenant, est-ce de bonne foi et avec intégrité que vous avez agi en proclamant roi Abimélec? avez-vous eu de la bienveillance pour Jerubbaal et sa maison? l'avez-vous traité selon les services qu'il a rendus? -
17 Car mon père a combattu pour vous, il a exposé sa vie, et il vous a délivrés de la main de Madian;
18 et vous, vous vous êtes levés contre la maison de mon père, vous avez tué ses fils, soixante-dix hommes, sur une même pierre, et vous avez proclamé roi sur les habitants de Sichem, Abimélec, fils de sa servante, parce qu'il est votre frère. -
19 Si c'est de bonne foi et avec intégrité qu'en ce jour vous avez agi envers Jerubbaal et sa maison, eh bien! qu'Abimélec fasse votre joie, et que vous fassiez aussi la sienne!
20 Sinon, qu'un feu sorte d'Abimélec et dévore les habitants de Sichem et la maison de Millo, et qu'un feu sorte des habitants de Sichem et de la maison de Millo et dévore Abimélec!
21 Jotham se retira et prit la fuite; il s'en alla à Beer, où il demeura loin d'Abimélec, son frère.
22 Abimélec avait dominé trois ans sur Israël.
23 Alors Dieu envoya un mauvais esprit entre Abimélec et les habitants de Sichem, et les habitants de Sichem furent infidèles à Abimélec,
24 afin que la violence commise sur les soixante-dix fils de Jerubbaal reçût son châtiment, et que leur sang retombât sur Abimélec, leur frère, qui les avait tués, et sur les habitants de Sichem, qui l'avaient aidé à tuer ses frères.
25 Les habitants de Sichem placèrent en embuscade contre lui, sur les sommets des montagnes, des gens qui dépouillaient tous ceux qui passaient près d'eux sur le chemin. Et cela fut rapporté à Abimélec.
26 Gaal, fils d'Ébed, vint avec ses frères, et ils passèrent à Sichem. Les habitants de Sichem eurent confiance en lui.
27 Ils sortirent dans la campagne, vendangèrent leurs vignes, foulèrent les raisins, et se livrèrent à des réjouissances; ils entrèrent dans la maison de leur dieu, ils mangèrent et burent, et ils maudirent Abimélec.
28 Et Gaal, fils d'Ébed, disait: Qui est Abimélec, et qu'est Sichem, pour que nous servions Abimélec? N'est-il pas fils de Jerubbaal, et Zebul n'est-il pas son commissaire? Servez les hommes de Hamor, père de Sichem; mais nous, pourquoi servirions-nous Abimélec?
29 Oh! si j'étais le maître de ce peuple, je renverserais Abimélec. Et il disait d'Abimélec: Renforce ton armée, mets-toi en marche!
30 Zebul, gouverneur de la ville, apprit ce que disait Gaal, fils d'Ébed, et sa colère s'enflamma.
31 Il envoya secrètement des messagers à Abimélec, pour lui dire: Voici, Gaal, fils d'Ébed, et ses frères, sont venus à Sichem, et ils soulèvent la ville contre toi.
32 Maintenant, pars de nuit, toi et le peuple qui est avec toi, et mets-toi en embuscade dans la campagne.
33 Le matin, au lever du soleil, tu fondras avec impétuosité sur la ville. Et lorsque Gaal et le peuple qui est avec lui sortiront contre toi, tu lui feras ce que tes forces permettront.
34 Abimélec et tout le peuple qui était avec lui partirent de nuit, et ils se mirent en embuscade près de Sichem, divisés en quatre corps.
35 Gaal, fils d'Ébed, sortit, et il se tint à l'entrée de la porte de la ville. Abimélec et tout le peuple qui était avec lui se levèrent alors de l'embuscade.
36 Gaal aperçut le peuple, et il dit à Zebul: Voici un peuple qui descend du sommet des montagnes. Zebul lui répondit: C'est l'ombre des montagnes que tu prends pour des hommes.
37 Gaal, reprenant la parole, dit: C'est bien un peuple qui descend des hauteurs du pays, et une troupe arrive par le chemin du chêne des devins.
38 Zebul lui répondit: Où donc est ta bouche, toi qui disais: Qui est Abimélec, pour que nous le servions? N'est-ce point là le peuple que tu méprisais? Marche maintenant, livre-lui bataille!
39 Gaal s'avança à la tête des habitants de Sichem, et livra bataille à Abimélec.
40 Poursuivi par Abimélec, il prit la fuite devant lui, et beaucoup d'hommes tombèrent morts jusqu'à l'entrée de la porte.
41 Abimélec s'arrêta à Aruma. Et Zebul chassa Gaal et ses frères, qui ne purent rester à Sichem.
42 Le lendemain, le peuple sortit dans la campagne. Abimélec, qui en fut informé,
43 prit sa troupe, la partagea en trois corps, et se mit en embuscade dans la campagne. Ayant vu que le peuple sortait de la ville, il se leva contre eux, et les battit.
44 Abimélec et les corps qui étaient avec lui se portèrent en avant, et se placèrent à l'entrée de la porte de la ville; deux de ces corps se jetèrent sur tous ceux qui étaient dans la campagne, et les battirent.
45 Abimélec attaqua la ville pendant toute la journée; il s'en empara, et tua le peuple qui s'y trouvait. Puis il rasa la ville, et y sema du sel.
46 A cette nouvelle, tous les habitants de la tour de Sichem se rendirent dans la forteresse de la maison du dieu Berith.
47 On avertit Abimélec que tous les habitants de la tour de Sichem s'y étaient rassemblés.
48 Alors Abimélec monta sur la montagne de Tsalmon, lui et tout le peuple qui était avec lui. Il prit en main une hache, coupa une branche d'arbre, l'enleva et la mit sur son épaule. Ensuite il dit au peuple qui était avec lui: Vous avez vu ce que j'ai fait, hâtez-vous de faire comme moi.
49 Et ils coupèrent chacun une branche, et suivirent Abimélec; ils placèrent les branches contre la forteresse, et l'incendièrent avec ceux qui y étaient. Ainsi périrent tous les gens de la tour de Sichem, au nombre d'environ mille, hommes et femmes.
50 Abimélec marcha contre Thébets. Il assiégea Thébets, et s'en empara.
51 Il y avait au milieu de la ville une forte tour, où se réfugièrent tous les habitants de la ville, hommes et femmes; ils fermèrent sur eux, et montèrent sur le toit de la tour.
52 Abimélec parvint jusqu'à la tour; il l'attaqua, et s'approcha de la porte pour y mettre le feu.
53 Alors une femme lança sur la tête d'Abimélec un morceau de meule de moulin, et lui brisa le crâne.
54 Aussitôt il appela le jeune homme qui portait ses armes, et lui dit: Tire ton épée, et donne-moi la mort, de peur qu'on ne dise de moi: C'est une femme qui l'a tué. Le jeune homme le perça, et il mourut.
55 Quand les hommes d'Israël virent qu'Abimélec était mort, ils s'en allèrent chacun chez soi.
56 Ainsi Dieu fit retomber sur Abimélec le mal qu'il avait fait à son père, en tuant ses soixante-dix frères,
57 et Dieu fit retomber sur la tête des gens de Sichem tout le mal qu'ils avaient fait. Ainsi s'accomplit sur eux la malédiction de Jotham, fils de Jerubbaal.
Judges 9
New English Translation
Abimelech Murders His Brothers
9 Now Abimelech son of Jerub Baal[a] went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives.[b] He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family,[c] 2 “Tell[d] all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want[e] 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.’”[f] 3 His mother’s relatives[g] spoke on his behalf to[h] all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal.[i] The leaders were drawn to Abimelech;[j] they said, “He is our close relative.”[k] 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous[l] men as his followers.[m] 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half brothers,[n] the seventy legitimate[o] sons of Jerub Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub Baal’s youngest son, escaped,[p] 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 pillar[q] in Shechem.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When Jotham heard the news,[r] he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,[s] “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
8 “The trees were determined to go out[t] and choose a king for themselves.[u] They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’[v] 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!’[w]
10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’[x] 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!’[y]
12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’[z] 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!’[aa]
14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’[ab] 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose[ac] me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches.[ad] Otherwise[ae] 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,[af] if you have properly repaid him[ag]— 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life[ah] and delivered you from Midian’s power.[ai] 18 But you have attacked[aj] my father’s family[ak] today. You murdered his seventy legitimate[al] 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.[am] 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub Baal and his family[an] today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness![ao] 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 away[ap] to Beer and lived there to escape from[aq] Abimelech his half-brother.[ar]
God Fulfills Jotham’s Curse
22 Abimelech commanded[as] Israel for three years. 23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility[at] between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal[au] to Abimelech. 24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother[av] who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them.[aw] 25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting[ax] bandits in[ay] the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it.[az]
26 Gaal son of Ebed[ba] came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him.[bb] 27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes,[bc] squeezed out the juice,[bd] and celebrated. They came to the temple[be] 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?[bf] Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?[bg] 29 If only these men[bh] were under my command,[bi] I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech,[bj] “Muster[bk] your army and come out for battle!”[bl]
30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious.[bm] 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah,[bn] reporting, “Beware![bo] Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming[bp] to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you.[bq] 32 Now, come up[br] at night with your men[bs] and set an ambush in the field outside the city.[bt] 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.”[bu]
34 So Abimelech and all his men came up[bv] at night and set an ambush outside Shechem; they divided into[bw] 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 men[bx] 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.”[by] 37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center[bz] of the land. A unit[ca] is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.”[cb] 38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words,[cc] ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men[cd] you insulted?[ce] Go out now and fight them!” 39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out[cf] and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal[cg] ran from him. Many Shechemites[ch] fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech went back[ci] to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.[cj]
42 The next day the Shechemites[ck] came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it,[cl] 43 he took his men[cm] and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city,[cn] he attacked and struck them down.[co] 44 Abimelech and his units[cp] attacked and blocked[cq] 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 leveled[cr] the city and spread salt over it.[cs]
46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem[ct] heard the news, they went to the stronghold[cu] of the temple of El Berith.[cv] 47 Abimelech heard[cw] that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place.[cx] 48 He and all his men[cy] went up on Mount Zalmon. He[cz] took an ax[da] in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it[db] on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!”[dc] 49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches[dd] against the stronghold and set fire to it.[de] All the people[df] of the Tower of Shechem died—about 1,000 men and women.
50 Abimelech moved on[dg] to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.[dh] 51 There was a fortified[di] tower[dj] 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 millstone[dk] down on his[dl] head and shattered his skull. 54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,[dm] “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say,[dn] ‘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.[do]
56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half brothers.[dp] 57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub Baal fell[dq] on them.
Footnotes
- Judges 9:1 sn That is, Gideon, and so throughout Judges 9. Gideon was given the name Jerub Baal (meaning “Let Baal fight”) in Judges 6:32.
- Judges 9:1 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Judges 9:1 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “and all these words.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “our brother.”
- Judges 9:4 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
- Judges 9:4 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
- Judges 9:5 tn Heb “his brothers.”
- Judges 9:5 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:5 tn Heb “remained.”
- Judges 9:6 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) should be מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
- Judges 9:7 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
- Judges 9:7 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
- Judges 9:8 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.”
- Judges 9:8 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
- Judges 9:8 tn Or “Rule over us!”
- Judges 9:9 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.
- Judges 9:10 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:11 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.
- Judges 9:12 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:13 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.
- Judges 9:14 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “in my shade.”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “If not.”
- Judges 9:16 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:16 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
- Judges 9:17 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.
- Judges 9:17 tn Heb “hand.”
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:18 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “your brother.”
- Judges 9:19 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:19 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “there from before.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “his brother.”
- Judges 9:22 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]).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).
- Judges 9:23 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 (raʿah) 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.”
- Judges 9:23 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:24 tn Heb “their brother.”
- Judges 9:24 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.”
- Judges 9:25 tn 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.
- Judges 9:25 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
- Judges 9:25 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:26 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.
- Judges 9:26 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).
- Judges 9:27 tn Heb “vineyards.”
- Judges 9:27 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.
- Judges 9:27 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:28 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
- Judges 9:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “people.”
- Judges 9:29 tn 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.
- Judges 9:29 tn 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….’”
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
- Judges 9:29 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
- Judges 9:30 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
- Judges 9:31 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (betormah) 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, baʾrumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of ʾalef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
- Judges 9:31 tn Heb “Look!”
- Judges 9:31 tn 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.
- Judges 9:31 tn 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).
- Judges 9:32 tn Heb “arise.”
- Judges 9:32 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
- Judges 9:32 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:33 tn 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].”
- Judges 9:34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
- Judges 9:34 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:36 tn 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.
- Judges 9:36 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
- Judges 9:37 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
- Judges 9:37 tn Heb “head.”
- Judges 9:37 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
- Judges 9:38 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
- Judges 9:38 tn Heb “the people.”
- Judges 9:38 tn Or “despised.”
- Judges 9:39 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
- Judges 9:40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:40 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
- Judges 9:41 tc 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.
- Judges 9:41 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
- Judges 9:42 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:42 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “his people.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
- Judges 9:44 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
- Judges 9:44 tn Heb “stood [at].”
- Judges 9:45 tn Or “destroyed.”
- Judges 9:45 tn 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.
- Judges 9:46 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
- Judges 9:46 tn 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.
- Judges 9:46 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
- Judges 9:47 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:47 tn Heb “were assembled.”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “his people.”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
- Judges 9:48 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
- Judges 9:49 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:49 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
- Judges 9:49 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
- Judges 9:50 tn Or “went.”
- Judges 9:50 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
- Judges 9:51 tn Or “strong.”
- Judges 9:51 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
- Judges 9:53 sn 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.
- Judges 9:53 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
- Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Judges 9:55 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
- Judges 9:56 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
- Judges 9:57 tn Heb “came.”
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