Judges 9:57 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

NIV: God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

NASB: God also returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

CSB: God also brought back to the men of Shechem all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

NLT: God also punished the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Gideon was fulfilled.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

God's justice always prevails. In the case of Abimelech, God did not allow the murder of Gideon's sons to stand unavenged (Judges 9:1–6). He used an embarrassingly simple means—a woman with a simple stone tool—to crush the skull of the power-hungry murderer. At the same time, God also used Abimelech to bring justice on the men of Shechem who put Abimelech in power in the first place. Those influential Shechemites gave Abimelech silver to hire the criminals who helped kill Gideon's sons.

The sole survivor of that massacre, Gideon's son Jotham, pronounced the curse that eventually came true. Abimelech's fire would devour those men (Judges 9:20). Abimelech killed the last of the people of Shechem and their leaders by setting fire to the safehouse in which they were hiding (Judges 9:49). Here, again, Scripture is clear: the vicious act by Abimelech was the very work of God in fulfilment of Jotham's curse. Abimelech served God's purpose, as did those who killed him.

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 4/27/2024 7:43:26 PM