Judges 9:1-6

Abimelech Made King Judges 9:1-6

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,
2 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.
3 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.
4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
5 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.
6 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.

1.

Who was Abimelech? Judges 9:1

Abimelech was the son of Gideon and the grandson of Joash. He was born to Gideon and a concubine of Gideon's who lived in Shechem. He was thus of the family of Manasseh and pressed his claim to a place of leadership on the basis of being a son of Gideon. Although his father had declined to fill the office of king over Israel, he coveted the office, first winning the support of the members of his mother's family, and then murdering all the sons of his father to protect his claim to the inheritance of Gideon.

2.

Why did he go to Shechem? Judges 9:1 b

His mother was Gideon's concubine. She was also called a handmaid (Judges 9:18). A concubine was a woman with whom the man cohabited lawfully. She apparently enjoyed no other connubial right but that of cohabitation until the time of the Law when her state was protected by laws and regulations (Exodus 21:7-9 and Deuteronomy 21:10-14). The old Jewish rabbis differ as to what constitutes concubinage; some regard its distinguishing feature as the absence of the betrothing ceremonies and of the dowry. In Roman times, concubinage was an allowed custom. It was sometimes referred to as a marriage of conscience. It was not God's intention from the beginning that man should have more than one wife; but some of the patriarchs, including Abraham and Jacob, had these handmaids, or concubines. Abimelech's mother was Gideon's concubine in Shechem.

3.

Why did the men of Shechem follow Abimelech? Judges 9:3

Abimelech had very cunningly approached his relatives in Shechem. They are called his mother's brethren (Judges 9:1). These men evidently had a mistaken idea of the nature of the judgeship in Israel; for Abimelech approached them by suggesting he should succeed his father, Gideon, in the place of leadership. There is nothing in any of the narrative of the book of Judges to indicate that the office of judge was hereditary. Nevertheless, fooled by Abimelech as they were, these men who were relatives of Abimelech persuaded the other men of Shechem to allow Abimelech to take the leadership over them.

4.

Why did they give him seventy pieces of silver? Judges 9:4

These dishonorable men of Shechem supported Abimelech's campaign by providing seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, their pagan god. With this money, Abimelech was able to hire vain and wicked men who would follow him. Since there were seventy sons of Gideon, we are left to suppose Abimelech was paid one piece of silver each for the sons of Gideon whom he killed.

5.

Which son of Gideon escaped? Judges 9:5

Jotham, the youngest of Gideon's sons, escaped by hiding from Abimelech's assassins. We learn that Jether was Gideon's oldest son (Judges 8:20), and Jotham and Jether are the only other sons named here except Abimelech himself. Gideon's sons were many, being seventy in number; and they would doubtless have been a blessing to the people of Israel if they had been allowed to live. Abimelech's purge was similar to the attempt of Athaliah to rid Judah of any heir to the throne in Jerusalem (2 Kings 11:1).