Judges 9:45

*“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 rose to power as a self-proclaimed king of Shechem in the mid-12th century BC after the death of Gideon (also called Jerubbaal), launches a fierce attack on the very city that had once supported his rule. The text states that he fought against the city for the entire day, overwhelming the inhabitants and slaughtering them. When he had taken complete control, he utterly destroyed the city and performed the symbolic act of sowing it with salt, a severe gesture in the ancient world signifying perpetual desolation and the curse of barrenness upon the land.

Abimelech’s merciless assault highlights the violent nature of his leadership and the deep divisions among the Israelites during the era of the judges, a time characterized by cycles of sin, oppression, and deliverance (Judges 2:16-19). By demolishing Shechem and salting its soil, Abimelech not only enacted total devastation on those who opposed him, but he also severed the covenant ties established between himself and the very people who had once helped him seize authority. This tragic event sets the stage for Abimelech’s own downfall, illustrating the destructive consequences of ambition lacking godly discernment and humility.

Abimelech’s destruction of Shechem shows how pride and violence ultimately bring ruin upon both the leader and his nation.