Judges 9 Summaries

*“And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives, and spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother’s father, saying,”* (v.1). Abimelech is identifie...

Abimelech, a son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal, who served as a judge in Israel around the late 12th century BC), seeks to persuade the citizens of Shechem in a bold attempt to secure power for h...

*“So his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem; and they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, ‘He is our relative.’”* (v.3) I...

*“They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him.”* (v.4) This verse recounts how Abimelech, the ...

Then Abimelech (sometimes spelled Abimelek), the son of Gideon—here referred to by his other name Jerubbaal—seized power for himself, eliminating competition by ruthless violence. Although Judges 9:5 ...

In this passage, we read, *“All the men of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.” (v.6)* Even though this...

In *“Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and called out and said to them, ‘Listen to me, O men of Shechem, that God may listen to you.’”* (v....

*“Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’”* (v.8). This verse introduces the parable that Jotham, the youngest surviving son of Gideon (...

*"But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’”* (Judges 9:9). In this verse, Jotham, the only surviving son of Gideon...

Then we read: *Then the trees said to the fig tree, “You come, reign over us!”* (v.10). This statement is part of a parable shared by Jotham at a critical moment in Israel’s history. After Gideon (who...

The passage reveals a portion of Jotham’s parable about the trees, where the fig tree is invited to reign over the forest. As the text states, *“But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetn...

Jotham continues his parable by describing yet another tree’s response, saying, *“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’” (v.12)*. In ancient Israel, the vine was crucial for cult...

“But the vine said to them, *‘Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?’* (v.13). In this verse, part of Jotham’s parable (Judges 9), the vine symbolizes an i...

In this portion of Scripture, we find a striking image within Jotham’s parable: *“Finally all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’”* (v.14). The story unfolds against the backdrop...

In Judges 9:15, Jotham tells a parable in which he describes how the “trees” (symbolizing the people of Shechem) seek a king among themselves, eventually appealing to the lowly bramble. We read, *“The...

During the time of the judges (circa 1200–1100 BC), Gideon, also called Jerubbaal, delivered Israel from Midian and faithfully served as a judge. After Gideon’s death, his son Abimelech persuaded the ...

*“for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian;”* (v.17). In this verse, Jotham, one of Gideon’s sons, appeals to the people of Shechem by reminding them ...

In this passage, Gideon’s (also called Jerubbaal) son Jotham describes how the men of Shechem sided with Abimelech to commit a grave injustice. He declares, *“but you have risen against my father’s ho...

In this verse, the people of Shechem are being challenged to evaluate their intentions and interactions with Gideon’s family—Gideon being known by his other name, Jerubbaal, who lived around 1150–1100...

Abimelech, the son of Gideon (also called Jerubbaal) around the early to mid-12th century BC, claimed authority over the region of Shechem after convincing its leaders to support him over his brothers...

*Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother.* (v.21) Here, the text presents Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal, who li...

*Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.* (v.22) This Abimelech, distinct from the Abimelech mentioned in Genesis (the king of Gerar), was the son of the judge Gideon, who likely served around th...

The text tells us that *“Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech”* (v.23) and reminds us that the LORD holds au...

*so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on all the men of Shechem, who strengthened his h...

*“The men of Shechem set 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.”* (v.25) At this point in the ...

In this passage, the scripture recounts that *“Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him”* (v.26). This unfolding e...

*They went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trod them, and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.* (Judges...

*“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 lieutenant? Serve the men of Hamor the father of...

Gaal’s bold challenge comes through clearly when he declares, *“Would, therefore, that this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, ‘Increase your arm...

*When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burned* (v.30). In this passage, Zebul is introduced as a governing figure in the ancient city of Shechem, which is...

In this passage, a city official alerts Abimelech to a threat against his rule: *“He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, ‘Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem...

When Zebul learned of Gaal’s plan to overthrow Abimelech in the city of Shechem, he sent word to Abimelech to make a preemptive move during the night. He advised him to *“arise by night, you and the p...

*“In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you shall do to them whatever you can...

*So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.* (v.34) Abimelech was the son of the judge Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal), who se...

*“So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and stood in the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush.”* (v.35) In this passage, Gaal, a cha...

*“When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, ‘Look, 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.’”* ...

Gaal, a newcomer to Shechem, was on the lookout as Abimelech—Gideon’s son—approached the city with hostile intent around the mid-12th century BC. In the midst of tense uncertainty, scripture says, *“T...

*Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your boasting now with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them!”* (v.38...

*So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.* (v.39) In Judges 9:39, the narrative focuses on Gaal’s bold decision to confront Abimelech, who had previously established h...

*“And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.” (Judges 9:40 NASB-95)* This verse describes the moment in which Abimelech, who was a son of G...

*“But Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.”* (v.41) This verse describes a pivotal moment in the conflict between Abimelech ...

*“Now it came about the next day, that the people went out to the field, and it was told to Abimelech.”* (v.42) In the broader account, Abimelech had seized leadership in the city of Shechem (an ancie...

Abimelech, who lived during the time of the judges (roughly between 1200–1100 BC), is the central figure in Judges 9:43. He was the son of Gideon (also called Jerubbaal), a key military leader and jud...

When Scripture describes, *So Abimelech and the company who was with him dashed forward and stood in the entrance of the city gate; the other two companies then dashed against all who were in the fiel...

*“Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he razed the city and sowed it with salt.”* (v.45) In this verse, Abimelech, who r...

The verse states, *“When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.”* (v.46) Shechem was located in the central hill country of anc...

*When it was told to Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together* (v.47). Abimelech, the son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal) who lived around the 12th century BC,...

Here we see how Abimelech, who was the son of Gideon and lived during the period of the Judges in the 12th century BC, led his followers in a destructive campaign against the citizens of Shechem. Scri...

When we come to Judges 9:49, it describes in vivid detail how Abimelech orchestrates a devastating action against the inhabitants of Shechem who had taken refuge in a fortified stronghold. The text sa...

*Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it.* (v.50) Abimelech was a son of Gideon (also called Jerubbaal), who served as one of Israel’s judges roughly around the 12t...

The account describes a dramatic scenario: *“But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and t...

In this passage, we see *“So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire”* (v.52). Abimelech, who was a son of Gideon (also called ...

*But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.* (v.53) This verse occurs during the siege of the city of Thebez, a location northeast of Shechem in the ancient ...

In this passage, we see the aftermath of Abimelech’s assault on the city of Thebez. After a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech’s head from a tower, mortally wounding him, Scripture records: *“So h...

*When all the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home.* (v.55) This verse follows the dramatic conclusion of Abimelech’s attempted domination in the region of Shechem, loc...

*“Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.”* (Judges 9:56) This verse emphasizes that the chaos and brutality that Abimelech unleas...

*Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.* (v.57) In this concluding statement to Abimelech’s story, Scri...