Judges 9:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

NIV: The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'

NASB: And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

CSB: The bramble said to the trees, "If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon."

NLT: And the thornbush replied to the trees, ‘If you truly want to make me your king, come and take shelter in my shade. If not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you, Then come and take shelter in my shade; But if not, let fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’

Jotham's fable (Judges 9:7–14) has followed an imaginary search committee: trees looking for a king. They have asked the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grapevine to rule over them. All three said no. These plants valued what they were producing too much to stop and command other trees. Since they were capable, productive, and worthwhile, they had no drive to seek power over others. That changes when the trees turn to a different kind of plant: the bramble.

"Brambles" depicted in this passage are plants modern English speakers might call "pricker bushes" or simply "thornbushes." Middle eastern versions tend to have thin, woody stems producing hard spikes. These were most often considered weeds. Worse, they become a fire hazard. Dead brambles are natural tinder. In the context of this parable, the only thing a bramble can offer is pain and destruction—so it has every reason to be power-hungry and seek dominance over others.

For this reason, the bramble seems surprised by the offer, questioning if the other trees are coming "in good faith," meaning with sincerity and honesty. The bramble replies with a condition for its leadership. If the other trees anoint it as king "in good faith," they are welcome to take refuge under its protection. This, itself, is ironic, since a bramble produces almost no shade, does not have strong limbs, and has sharp thorns. If the other trees are not acting with good intent, the bramble promises to send out fire to devour all other trees.

The bramble's threat mentions the "cedars of Lebanon," a common metaphor for something strong and valuable. In modern English, an equivalent phrase might be "the mighty oaks."

Jotham delivers this fable as his murderous brother, Abimelech, is being anointed king (Judges 9:1–6). The takeaway seems simple: a bramble would not make a particularly good king over the trees, even if it was the only one willing to take the job. In fact, that decision carries far more risk than reward. The same applies to Shechem's choice of Abimelech. Jotham will add that meaning to the story in the following verses.

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).