Judges 9, Gideon's Son in Shechem

Gideon (Jerub-Baal) had a son by a concubine in a nearby town.  That son, whose name means "my father is king", now seeks power.

Judges 9: 1-4, Abimelech calls out the people of Shechem

Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan, "Ask all the citizens of Shechem, `Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh and blood."

When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers.

Abimelech's mother is a native of Shechem and has many relatives in that town. Abimelech rouses the people of Shechem to support him, a true citizen of the town, against the seventy sons of Gideon living in nearby Ophrah.  Abimelech claims that these seventy sons will shortly rule Shechem and should be opposed. (Gideon's king-like attitude might have contributed to this belief.)

We note that the silver comes from the temple of Baal-Berith. Worship of Baal violates Israel's covenant with YHWH and Abimelech's father had previously pulled down the idol in Ophrah. It might be particularly galling here that Berith means "covenant" and so Baal-Berith is "Baal of the covenant", as opposed to YHWH's covenant!

Judges 9: 5-6, Massacre

He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.

Abimelech massacres most of his step brothers. One escapes. The author of Judges identifies these brothers as being executed on "one stone", a symbol we will see again.

Abimelech presumbably believes his father made a mistake in turning down the offer of kingship. a mistake Abimelech rectifies.

Judges 9: 7-15, Jotham's fable

When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, 

"Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, `Be our king.'

"But the olive tree answered, `Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'

"Next, the trees said to the fig tree, `Come and be our king.'

"But the fig tree replied, `Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'

"Then the trees said to the vine, `Come and be our king.'

"But the vine answered, `Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?'

"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, `Come and be our king.'

"The thornbush said to the trees, `If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'

Jotham tells a fable to the people of Shechem, accusing them of choosing a wild thornbush to be their king.

Judges 9: 16-21, "Are you honorable?"

"Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves -- and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian (but today you have revolted against my father's family, murdered his seventy sons on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother) -- if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!

But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!"

Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.

Jotham challenges the people about their abandonment of his father, the man who threw off their oppressors, in favor of this (illegitimate?) upstart. Here we have Abimelech's mother identified as a slave girl of Gideon's, a derogatory statement about her status.

Jotham's "if ... then ..." statements are intended to communicate a prophecy.  Since the people have not acted honorably, they will be consumed by a fire from Abimelech.  And eventually Abimelech will also be consumed.

After this strong accusation, Jotham flees. We do not hear of him again.

(Beth Millo is either a village near to Shechem or part of the town of Shechem.)

Judges 9: 22-25, An evil spirit creates division

After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech.

God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.

In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.

The people of Shechem, already identified as ruffians, begin robbing local travelers. This is an act of YHWH, setting up a somewhat natural punishment for people who have already betrayed the family of Gideon.

Judges 9: 26-29, Gaal's rebellion

Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech.

Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech?

If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, `Call out your whole army!'"

Gaal calls the people of Shechem back to the service of Hamor, Shechem's father. This lineage goes back to Jacob's time, see Genesis 33: 18-20. Recall that Shechem, son of Hamor, raped Jacob's daughter, Dinah, in Genesis 34.

Gaal, hearing curses of Abimelech at a pagan festival, takes the opportunity to suggest a rebellion.

This pagan harvest festival apparently occurs in the temple of Baal-Berith, suggesting that Baal-Berith was a fertility god.

Judges 9: 30-34, Abimelech warned

When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do."

So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies.

Gaal, in his plans for rebellion, is betrayed and word gets to the governor of the city, who contacts Abimelech. An ambush is set, with Gaal the target. Apparently Gaal and his men are in Shechem, in a position of control, and Abimelech is outside the city. Abimelech is to advance on the city at night with plans to attack at dawn.

Judges 9: 35-39, Gaal attacked, Zebul taunts

Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place.

When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" 

Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."

But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree."

Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, `Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"

So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech.

Gaal sees the men of Abimelech approaching and is caught off guard by the number of enemy soldiers, appearing in different places. Zebul, who arranged this, says, "Where is your big talk now?" (A very modern turn of phrase.) And so the fight begins.

Note a landmark called "the soothsayers' tree". Is this a place where people might go to have their fortunes told?

Judges 9: 40-45, Shechem destroyed

Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight--all the way to the entrance to the gate. Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.

The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down.

All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

Abimelech attacks from the outside of the city while Zebul surprises Gaal from within the city, driving the soldiers into the open fields. Abimelech wins the battle the next day and then begins to destroy the city, taking vengeance on those who had first supported him. (We do not hear what happened to Gaal.)

Judges 9: 46-40, Burned in a tower

On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.

When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!"

So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.

Trapping the remaining people in a tower, Abimelech burns the tower and those inside. Thus Jotham's prediction that this chaotic thornbush will burn the town is fulfilled.

Judges 9: 50-54, A woman's millstone

Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.

Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women--all the people of the city--fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, `A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died.

Abimelech tries the same trick in another town -- collecting the citizens in a tower and then burning it down -- but a woman fatally injures him by dropping a millstone on his head. We are given no explanation for why nearby Thebez is attacked, but there Abimelech, who executed all his step brothers on a single stone in Ophrah, is himself killed by a single stone. As Jotham has foretold, Shechem got its revenge. 

Note Abimelech's last request -- he doesn't want people to say a woman killed him! Yet centuries later, Joab, commander of David's army, will recall this danger of getting too close to the wall (see II Samuel 11: 18-21) and remembers that it was woman who did the killing. Abimelech, despite his great ambition, is remembered for his stupidity in getting so close to a city wall that a woman could kill him

Judges 9: 55-57, Curse of Jotham realized

When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

Jotham had accused the people of Shechem of following a thornbush, and cursed them by saying, "May fire consume you!"  And his curse came true!