_AND ABIMELECH THE SON OF JERUBBAAL WENT TO SHECHEM UNTO HIS MOTHER'S BRETHREN, AND COMMUNED WITH THEM, AND WITH ALL THE FAMILY OF THE HOUSE OF HIS MOTHER'S FATHER, SAYING,_ Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem. The idolatry which had been stealthily creeping into Israel during the latter... [ Continue Reading ]
_SPEAK, I PRAY YOU, IN THE EARS OF ALL THE MEN OF SHECHEM, WHETHER IS BETTER FOR YOU, EITHER THAT ALL THE SONS OF JERUBBAAL, WHICH ARE THREESCORE AND TEN PERSONS, REIGN OVER YOU, OR THAT ONE REIGN OVER YOU? REMEMBER ALSO THAT I AM YOUR BONE AND YOUR FLESH._ Whether is better for you ... that all th... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HIS MOTHER'S BRETHREN SPAKE OF HIM IN THE EARS OF ALL THE MEN OF SHECHEM ALL THESE WORDS: AND THEIR HEARTS INCLINED TO FOLLOW ABIMELECH; FOR THEY SAID, HE IS OUR BROTHER._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THEY GAVE HIM THREESCORE AND TEN PIECES OF SILVER OUT OF THE HOUSE OF BAALBERITH, WHEREWITH ABIMELECH HIRED VAIN AND LIGHT PERSONS, WHICH FOLLOWED HIM._ The house of Baal-berith - either the temple or the place where this idol was worshipped-Baal-berith, 'god of the covenant,' by invocation of... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WENT UNTO HIS FATHER'S HOUSE AT OPHRAH, AND SLEW HIS BRETHREN THE SONS OF JERUBBAAL, BEING THREESCORE AND TEN PERSONS, UPON ONE STONE: NOTWITHSTANDING YET JOTHAM THE YOUNGEST SON OF JERUBBAAL WAS LEFT; FOR HE HID HIMSELF._ Went unto ... Ophrah, and slew his brethren ... upon one stone. This... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ALL THE MEN OF SHECHEM GATHERED TOGETHER, AND ALL THE HOUSE OF MILLO, AND WENT, AND MADE ABIMELECH KING, BY THE PLAIN OF THE PILLAR THAT WAS IN SHECHEM._ All the men of Shechem ... and all the house of Millo - i:e. a mound or rampart; so that the meaning is, all the men in the house or temple;... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN THEY TOLD IT TO JOTHAM, HE WENT AND STOOD IN THE TOP OF MOUNT GERIZIM, AND LIFTED UP HIS VOICE, AND CRIED, AND SAID UNTO THEM, HEARKEN UNTO ME, YE MEN OF SHECHEM, THAT GOD MAY HEARKEN UNTO YOU._ He went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice. The spot he chose was,... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE TREES WENT FORTH ON A TIME TO ANOINT A KING OVER THEM; AND THEY SAID UNTO THE OLIVE TREE, REIGN THOU OVER US._ The trees went forth - literally, 'went on going.'... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT THE OLIVE TREE SAID UNTO THEM, SHOULD I LEAVE MY FATNESS, WHEREWITH BY ME THEY HONOUR GOD AND MAN, AND GO TO BE PROMOTED OVER THE TREES?_ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE VINE SAID UNTO THEM, SHOULD I LEAVE MY WINE, WHICH CHEERETH GOD AND MAN, AND GO TO BE PROMOTED OVER THE TREES?_ Wine, which cheereth God and man. Not certainly in the same manner. God might be said to be 'cheered' by it when the sacrifices were accepted, as He is said also to be honoured b... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN SAID ALL THE TREES UNTO THE BRAMBLE, COME THOU, AND REIGN OVER US._ Bramble [Rhamnus paliurus, Linnaeus] - southern buckthorn.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE BRAMBLE SAID UNTO THE TREES, IF IN TRUTH YE ANOINT ME KING OVER YOU, THEN COME AND PUT YOUR TRUST IN MY SHADOW: AND IF NOT, LET FIRE COME OUT OF THE BRAMBLE, AND DEVOUR THE CEDARS OF LEBANON._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JOTHAM RAN AWAY, AND FLED, AND WENT TO BEER, AND DWELT THERE, FOR FEAR OF ABIMELECH HIS BROTHER._ Jotham ran away, and fled. The moral of the parable he had spoken was this-That foolish and wicked men are found boldly usurping places of power and prominence, from the responsibility of which wi... [ Continue Reading ]
_WHEN ABIMELECH HAD REIGNED THREE YEARS OVER ISRAEL,_ When Abimelech had reigned three years. His reign did not probably at first extend beyond Shechem; but by stealthy and progressive encoachments he subjected some of the neighbouring towns to his away. None could 'reign' in Israel except by rebel... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN GOD SENT AN EVIL SPIRIT BETWEEN ABIMELECH AND THE MEN OF SHECHEM; AND THE MEN OF SHECHEM DEALT TREACHEROUSLY WITH ABIMELECH:_ Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem - i:e., in the course of Providence, jealousy, distrust, secret disaffection, and smothered rebel... [ Continue Reading ]
_THAT THE CRUELTY DONE TO THE THREESCORE AND TEN SONS OF JERUBBAAL MIGHT COME, AND THEIR BLOOD BE LAID UPON ABIMELECH THEIR BROTHER, WHICH SLEW THEM; AND UPON THE MEN OF SHECHEM, WHICH AIDED HIM IN THE KILLING OF HIS BRETHREN._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND GAAL THE SON OF EBED CAME WITH HIS BRETHREN, AND WENT OVER TO SHECHEM: AND THE MEN OF SHECHEM PUT THEIR CONFIDENCE IN HIM._ Gaal ... came with his brethren ... and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. An insurrection of the original Canaanites, headed by this man, at last broke out... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THEY WENT OUT INTO THE FIELDS, AND GATHERED THEIR VINEYARDS, AND TRODE THE GRAPES, AND MADE MERRY, AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THEIR GOD, AND DID EAT AND DRINK, AND CURSED ABIMELECH._ They went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards ... and went into the house of their god, and did e... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND GAAL THE SON OF EBED SAID, WHO IS ABIMELECH, AND WHO IS SHECHEM, THAT WE SHOULD SERVE HIM? IS NOT HE THE SON OF JERUBBAAL? AND ZEBUL HIS OFFICER? SERVE THE MEN OF HAMOR THE FATHER OF SHECHEM: FOR WHY SHOULD WE SERVE HIM?_ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THIS VERSE.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WOULD TO GOD THIS PEOPLE WERE UNDER MY HAND! THEN WOULD I REMOVE ABIMELECH. AND HE SAID TO ABIMELECH, INCREASE THINE ARMY, AND COME OUT._ Would to God this people were under my hand! He seems to have been a boastful, impudent, and cowardly person, totally unfit to be a leader in a revolutionar... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN ZEBUL THE RULER OF THE CITY HEARD THE WORDS OF GAAL THE SON OF EBED, HIS ANGER WAS KINDLED._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN ALL THE MEN OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM HEARD THAT, THEY ENTERED INTO AN HOLD OF THE HOUSE OF THE GOD BERITH._ They entered into an hold ... - literally, into the tower of the house of the god Berith, which was capacious enough to admit more than a thousand persons. Among the pagan, temples a... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT WAS TOLD ABIMELECH, THAT ALL THE MEN OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM WERE GATHERED TOGETHER._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ALL THE PEOPLE LIKEWISE CUT DOWN EVERY MAN HIS BOUGH, AND FOLLOWED ABIMELECH, AND PUT THEM TO THE HOLD, AND SET THE HOLD ON FIRE UPON THEM; SO THAT ALL THE MEN OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM DIED ALSO, ABOUT A THOUSAND MEN AND WOMEN._ All the people ... followed Abimelech ... and set the hold on fire... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN WENT ABIMELECH TO THEBEZ, AND ENCAMPED AGAINST THEBEZ, AND TOOK IT._ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against ... it - now Tobas, not far from Shechem.... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT THERE WAS A STRONG TOWER WITHIN THE CITY, AND THITHER FLED ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN, AND ALL THEY OF THE_ _ CITY, AND SHUT IT TO THEM, AND GAT THEM UP TO THE TOP OF THE TOWER._ All the men and women ... gat them up to the top of the tower. The Canaanite forts were generally mountain-fastnesses or... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ABIMELECH CAME UNTO THE TOWER, AND FOUGHT AGAINST IT, AND WENT HARD UNTO THE DOOR OF THE TOWER TO BURN IT WITH FIRE._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND A CERTAIN WOMAN CAST A PIECE OF A MILLSTONE UPON ABIMELECH'S HEAD, AND ALL TO BRAKE HIS SKULL._ A certain woman cast a ... millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull. Similar was the fate of Pyrrhus. The Argives did not receive him; he fell before the wall, a certain woman hav... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN HE CALLED HASTILY UNTO THE YOUNG MAN HIS ARMOURBEARER, AND SAID UNTO HIM, DRAW THY SWORD, AND SLAY ME, THAT MEN SAY NOT OF ME, A WOMAN SLEW HIM. AND HIS YOUNG MAN THRUST HIM THROUGH, AND HE DIED._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THUS GOD RENDERED THE WICKEDNESS OF ABIMELECH, WHICH HE DID UNTO HIS FATHER, IN SLAYING HIS SEVENTY BRETHREN:_ Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech ... The manner in which the Nemesis was dealt out to this fratricide and unprincipled usurper affords a striking instance of particular admin... [ Continue Reading ]