Judges 9:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.

NIV: Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

NASB: So God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.

CSB: In this way, God brought back Abimelech’s evil—the evil that Abimelech had done to his father when he killed his seventy brothers.

NLT: In this way, God punished Abimelech for the evil he had done against his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

KJV: Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

NKJV: Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.

The writer of Judges has spoken much of God in the telling of Abimelech's story. The main participants on all sides likely worshiped the false gods of the Canaanites. Now, the writer reminds the reader that this bloody incident is squarely in the middle of a wider story: that of God and His relationship with His people, Israel (Judges 2:11–19).

Abimelech was done in by a millstone tossed from a tower by a woman, before being run through by his own armor-bearer (Judges 9:52–54). This verse points out that neither the woman nor Abimelech's servant were ultimately responsible for his death. God brought this evil on Abimelech to repay the evil Abimelech committed against his father Gideon: killing nearly seventy of his brothers (Judges 9:1–6). The fact that few years had passed since that abomination did not mean God had forgotten it (Judges 9:22). In the end, God fulfilled Jotham's curse against Abimelech (Judges 9:7, 19–20) to bring justice to the murderer.

Gideon's triumphant and terrible story ends with the death of a son presumptuously named "the king is my father" (Judges 8:31).

Judges 9:22–57 describes the brutal fulfillment of Jotham's curse against his brother, Abimelech, and the leaders of the city of Shechem. God allows the two sides to be split by an evil spirit. First, Shechem's leaders attempt to kill Abimelech. Then they plot with a man named Gaal to overthrow him. Helped by his officer in the city, Abimelech and his men ambush Gaal and Shechem. They kill all the people and destroy the city. They then move on to the town of Thebez to do the same, but Abimelech is killed. Jotham's prediction of divine vengeance (Judges 9:19–20) comes true.

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).