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Judges 9
Legacy Standard Bible

Abimelech Kills His Brothers

9 And (A)Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s [a]relatives and spoke to them and to the whole family of the household of his mother’s father, saying, 2 “Speak, now, in the hearing of all the lords of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that (B)seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?’ Also, remember that I am (C)your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s [b]relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the lords of Shechem; and [c]they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is (D)our [d]relative.” 4 So they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of (E)Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him. 5 Then he came to his father’s house at Ophrah and (F)killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, (G)seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 6 Then all the lords of Shechem and all [e]Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the [f]oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

7 Then they told Jotham, so he went and stood on the top of (H)Mount Gerizim and lifted his voice and called out. Thus he said to them, “Listen to me, O lords of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8 The trees surely went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness, with [g]which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ 10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good produce and go to wave over the trees?’ 12 Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which makes God and men glad, and go to wave over the trees?’ 14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in [h]truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

16 “So now, if you have dealt in [i]truth and integrity and made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with (I)Jerubbaal and his house and [j]have dealt with him according to the bountiful works of his hands— 17 for my father fought for you and [k]risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian; 18 but you have risen against my father’s house today and have killed (J)his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, (K)the son of his maidservant, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your [l]relative— 19 if then you have dealt in [m]truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, be glad in Abimelech, and let him also be glad in you. 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and [n]Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem and from [o]Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.” 21 Then Jotham escaped and fled and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother.

Zebul Deceives Abimelech

22 And Abimelech governed over Israel three years. 23 (L)Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem (M)dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 (N)so that the violence [p]done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and (O)their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25 And the lords of Shechem set [q]men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.

26 Then Gaal the son of Ebed came with his [r]relatives, and they crossed over into Shechem; and the lords of Shechem put their trust in him. 27 And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trod them and celebrated a [s]festival; and they came into the house of (P)their god and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is Zebul not his [t]officer? Serve the men of (Q)Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29 [u](R)Would, therefore, that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out.”

30 Then Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, and his anger burned. 31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech [v]deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his [w]relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are [x]stirring up the city against you. 32 So now, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field. 33 And it will be in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and behold, he and the people who are with him will come out against you, and you shall (S)do to them [y]whatever your hand finds pleasing.”

34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four [z]companies. 35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush. 36 Then Gaal saw the people and said to Zebul, “Behold, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.” 37 Yet Gaal spoke again and said, “Behold, people are coming down from (T)the [aa]highest part of the land, and one [ab]company comes by the way of [ac]the soothsayers’ [ad]oak.” 38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your [ae]boasting now with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people whom you rejected? Go out now and fight with them!” 39 So Gaal went out before the lords of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him; and many fell slain up to the entrance of the gate. 41 Then Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul drove out Gaal and his [af]relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.

42 Now it happened the next day, that the people went out to the field, and it was told to Abimelech. 43 So he took [ag]his people and divided them into three [ah]companies and lay in wait in the field; then he looked, and behold, the people were coming out from the city. So he arose against them and struck them down. 44 Then Abimelech and the [ai]company who was with him rushed forward and stood in the entrance of the city gate; but the other two [aj]companies rushed upon all who were in the field and struck them down. 45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he (U)tore the city down and sowed it with salt.

46 Then all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard of it, and they entered the inner chamber of the [ak]temple of (V)El-berith. 47 And it was told to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 So Abimelech went up to Mount (W)Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took [al]an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and lifted it and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do [am]likewise.” 49 And all the people also cut down each one his branch and followed Abimelech and put them on the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem also died, about one thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the lords of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower. 52 So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 But (X)a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and she smashed his skull. 54 Then (Y)he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and put me to death, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So [an]the young man pierced him through, and he died. 55 Then the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, so each went away to his [ao]home. 56 Thus (Z)God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 God also returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their own heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came [ap]upon them.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 9:1 Lit brothers
  2. Judges 9:3 Lit brothers
  3. Judges 9:3 Lit their hearts inclined after
  4. Judges 9:3 Lit brother
  5. Judges 9:6 Or the house of Millo
  6. Judges 9:6 Or terebinth
  7. Judges 9:9 Lit which by me
  8. Judges 9:15 Or sincerity
  9. Judges 9:16 Or sincerity
  10. Judges 9:16 Lit if you have
  11. Judges 9:17 Lit cast his soul in front
  12. Judges 9:18 Lit brother
  13. Judges 9:19 Or sincerity
  14. Judges 9:20 Or the house of Millo
  15. Judges 9:20 Or the house of Millo
  16. Judges 9:24 Lit of the seventy
  17. Judges 9:25 Lit liers-in-wait for
  18. Judges 9:26 Lit brothers
  19. Judges 9:27 Lit rejoicing
  20. Judges 9:28 Lit overseer
  21. Judges 9:29 Lit And who will give this people into my hand
  22. Judges 9:31 Or in Tormah
  23. Judges 9:31 Lit brothers
  24. Judges 9:31 Lit besieging
  25. Judges 9:33 Lit as your hand can find
  26. Judges 9:34 Lit heads
  27. Judges 9:37 Or center
  28. Judges 9:37 Lit head
  29. Judges 9:37 Heb Elommeonenim
  30. Judges 9:37 Or terebinth
  31. Judges 9:38 Lit mouth
  32. Judges 9:41 Lit brothers
  33. Judges 9:43 Lit the
  34. Judges 9:43 Lit heads
  35. Judges 9:44 Singular with Gr; Heb plural, heads
  36. Judges 9:44 Lit heads
  37. Judges 9:46 Lit house
  38. Judges 9:48 Lit the axes
  39. Judges 9:48 Lit like me
  40. Judges 9:54 Lit his
  41. Judges 9:55 Lit place
  42. Judges 9:57 Lit to
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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

  1. 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.
  2. Judges 9:1 tn Heb “brothers.”
  3. Judges 9:1 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
  4. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
  5. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
  6. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
  7. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
  8. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
  9. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “and all these words.”
  10. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
  11. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “our brother.”
  12. Judges 9:4 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
  13. Judges 9:4 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
  14. Judges 9:5 tn Heb “his brothers.”
  15. Judges 9:5 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  16. Judges 9:5 tn Heb “remained.”
  17. 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).
  18. Judges 9:7 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
  19. Judges 9:7 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
  20. 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.”
  21. Judges 9:8 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
  22. Judges 9:8 tn Or “Rule over us!”
  23. 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.
  24. Judges 9:10 tn Or “and rule over us!”
  25. 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.
  26. Judges 9:12 tn Or “and rule over us!”
  27. 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.
  28. Judges 9:14 tn Or “and rule over us!”
  29. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
  30. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “in my shade.”
  31. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “If not.”
  32. Judges 9:16 tn Heb “house.”
  33. Judges 9:16 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
  34. 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.
  35. Judges 9:17 tn Heb “hand.”
  36. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
  37. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “house.”
  38. Judges 9:18 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  39. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “your brother.”
  40. Judges 9:19 tn Heb “house.”
  41. Judges 9:19 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
  42. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
  43. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “there from before.”
  44. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “his brother.”
  45. 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).
  46. 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.”
  47. Judges 9:23 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  48. Judges 9:24 tn Heb “their brother.”
  49. 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.”
  50. 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.
  51. Judges 9:25 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
  52. Judges 9:25 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
  53. 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.
  54. 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).
  55. Judges 9:27 tn Heb “vineyards.”
  56. 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.
  57. Judges 9:27 tn Heb “house.”
  58. Judges 9:28 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
  59. Judges 9:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  60. Judges 9:29 tn Heb “people.”
  61. 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.
  62. 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….’”
  63. Judges 9:29 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
  64. Judges 9:29 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
  65. Judges 9:30 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
  66. 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.
  67. Judges 9:31 tn Heb “Look!”
  68. 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.
  69. 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).
  70. Judges 9:32 tn Heb “arise.”
  71. Judges 9:32 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
  72. Judges 9:32 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  73. 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].”
  74. Judges 9:34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
  75. Judges 9:34 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  76. 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.
  77. Judges 9:36 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
  78. 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.
  79. Judges 9:37 tn Heb “head.”
  80. Judges 9:37 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
  81. Judges 9:38 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
  82. Judges 9:38 tn Heb “the people.”
  83. Judges 9:38 tn Or “despised.”
  84. Judges 9:39 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
  85. Judges 9:40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  86. Judges 9:40 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
  87. 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.
  88. Judges 9:41 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
  89. Judges 9:42 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  90. Judges 9:42 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
  91. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “his people.”
  92. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
  93. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
  94. Judges 9:44 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
  95. Judges 9:44 tn Heb “stood [at].”
  96. Judges 9:45 tn Or “destroyed.”
  97. 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.
  98. Judges 9:46 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
  99. 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.
  100. Judges 9:46 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
  101. Judges 9:47 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
  102. Judges 9:47 tn Heb “were assembled.”
  103. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “his people.”
  104. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
  105. Judges 9:48 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
  106. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
  107. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
  108. Judges 9:49 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  109. Judges 9:49 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
  110. Judges 9:49 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
  111. Judges 9:50 tn Or “went.”
  112. Judges 9:50 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
  113. Judges 9:51 tn Or “strong.”
  114. Judges 9:51 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
  115. 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.
  116. 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.
  117. Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  118. Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  119. Judges 9:55 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
  120. Judges 9:56 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
  121. Judges 9:57 tn Heb “came.”
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