Judges 9:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Abimelech and all the men who were with him rose up by night and set an ambush against Shechem in four companies.

NIV: So Abimelek and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies.

NASB: So Abimelech and all the people who were with him got up at night, and lay in wait against Shechem, in four units.

CSB: So Abimelech and all the troops with him got up at night and waited in ambush for Shechem in four units.

NLT: So Abimelech and all his men went by night and split into four groups, stationing themselves around Shechem.

KJV: And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

NKJV: So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

Abimelech is away from the city over which he rules (Judges 9:1–6). Zebul, his governor, has become aware of a threat. A man named Gaal and his relatives are stirring up an open rebellion against Abimelech's rule. Gaal has even bragged that he would remove Abimelech from office by force (Judges 9:26–29).

Furious, Zebul sent a messenger to Abimelech with a strategic plan. Abimelech acted on this wise strategy (Judges 9:30–33). Under cover of darkness, he and his men hid in the hills surrounding the field outside the city's eastern gate. If they attack at dawn, they will be hidden in shadow until they reach the field. Even then, with the sun at their backs, the city's defenders will be blinded by the rising sun. Abimelech's men are also divided into four different companies, so they can attack the gate from four different positions.

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).

Accessed 5/7/2024 10:25:43 AM