Judges 9:50-57

Death of Abimelech Judges 9:50-57

50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51 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.
52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull.
54 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,
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

19.

Why did Abimelech go to Thebez? Judges 9:50

Thebez was a place thirteen miles north and east of Shechem, now called Tubas. It was situated on a gentle hill, surrounded by large groves of olives and well cultivated fields. The city must have refused to submit to the rule of Abimelech; because after he had reduced Shechem to ruins, he turned his attention towards the people of this city. It was here that he found a strong tower into which all of the inhabitants had gathered for safety, climbing even to the roof of the tower. In the flush of victory, Abimelech threw caution away, and a woman cast a piece of upper millstone upon his head.

20.

What was a millstone? Judges 9:53

Generally, the upper millstone was a round stone. It is called lapis vector in Latin. Jesus said that it was better for a man to have a millstone to be tied around his neck and be cast into the sea rather than that he cause one of His followers to stumble (Luke 17:2). This was Jesus-' way of saying that having a millstone around one's neck was certain destruction if he were cast into the sea. Millstones were very heavy. Even a piece of one was sufficient to crush the skull of the ignominious Abimelech.

21.

What was the curse of Jotham? Judges 9:57

When Jotham gave his fable before the people of Shechem, he said that if the people had been sincere and just in their dealings with Jerubbaal, then the house of Abimelech should stand as a beneficent monarchy. If, on the other hand, they had been unjust in allowing him to hire vain fellows and kill all of Gideon's descendants except himself, Jotham prayed that fire would come to devour the men of Shechem and Abimelech. Abimelech set fire to the city of Shechem and the stronghold at Thebez. In the process, however, Abimelech, himself, met his death. Thus, the prayer of Jotham was answered. His prayer was a prediction which he evidently made in the form of a curse, contingent upon the will of God.