Judges 9:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian,

NIV: Remember that my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian.

NASB: for my father fought for you, and risked his life and saved you from the hand of Midian;

CSB: for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from Midian,

NLT: For he fought for you and risked his life when he rescued you from the Midianites.

KJV: (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

NKJV: for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian;

Rather than simply telling the people of Shechem that Abimelech would be a worthless, dangerous king, Jotham began with a parable (Judges 9:7–15). Now, he finally says directly what his fable presented in poetry. Jotham doesn't bother to call out his brother Abimelech for his atrocities (Judges 9:1–6)—Abimelech is treated as one beyond hope of repentance. Rather, Jotham scolds the people of Shechem for participating in the slaughter of all his other brothers.

His father, Gideon, risked his own life to fight the Midianites (Judges 7:19–23) to deliver the people from oppressive annual raids (Judges 6:1–5). These attacks left the country in poverty and ruin. Jotham does not go into detail about how it was the Lord at work through Gideon that accomplished this (Judges 7:2). He simply describes why Gideon's memory and household should have been honored after his death. Instead, as Jotham will show, the opposite has happened.

The point of Jotham's speech is that Shechem has "settled" for a dangerous, worthless man as their king, simply because he is not one of Gideon's other sons. That will come back to haunt them.

Judges 9:6–21 contains a parable and prophecy spoken by the sole surviving son of Gideon. Jotham was the only one missed in a massacre orchestrated by his half-brother, Abimelech (Judges 9:1–6). During the coronation ceremony making Abimelech a local ruler, Jotham shouts out a curse against Abimelech and Shechem's leaders. This takes the form of a fable about trees making a bramble bush their king. The prediction intended by Jotham's declaration is that Shechem's leaders did not act in integrity, so they and Abimelech will destroy each other. Jotham then flees the area.

Shechem's leaders conspire with a concubine's son to kill Gideon's other seventy sons. They make this man, Abimelech, their ruler. Gideon's youngest son survives, however, and delivers a curse. Using a fable, he says Abimelech and Shechem's leaders will destroy each other. God causes a division between Shechem's leaders and Abimelech. The noblemen attempt to kill Abimelech and unite behind a new leader. Abimelech discovers the plot and kills everyone in Shechem, destroying the city. When attacking a tower in a nearby town, however, Abimelech's skull is crushed by a thrown millstone. The curse is fulfilled.

Gideon successfully defeated Midianite raiders but declined to become Israel's official king. His sons, however, were held in high esteem during his remaining years (Judges 8). After Gideon's death, ambitious men conspire to kill almost all those heirs. This results in a series of bloody events. Eventually, judgment comes on those responsible. Israel fails to learn from the tragedies. Chapter 10 explains further idolatry and sin, before introducing the next major judge, Jephthah, in chapter 11.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).