Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal
went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the
family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, “Please speak in the
hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy
of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember
that I am your own flesh and bone.”
And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing
of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech,
for they said, “He is our brother.”
Abimelech
was the son of Jerubbaal (another name for Gideon given in Judges 8:35),
but he was not the clear successor to his father’s place of leadership. This
was for two reasons: God had not established a hereditary monarchy in Israel,
and there were sixty-nine other sons of Gideon (Judges 8:30) who might also
want to succeed their father.
At the
city of Shechem, Abimelech convinced his brothers on his mother’s side to
support him as king over his brothers on his father’s (Gideon’s) side. So, the men of Shechem agreed to
accept Abimelech as the new leader - perhaps even the king - of Israel.
The
reference to the men of Shechem (Judges 9:2) is literally ‘the baals
of Shechem’, the word having here its original meaning of ‘lord’ or ‘owner’.”
So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which
Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him. Then he went
to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of
Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left,
because he hid himself.
So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of
Baal-Berith: The relatives of Abimelech on his mother’s side gave him
some “start-up money” to establish his leadership. He did this, but in a way
that they never imagined - he hired worthless and reckless men to kill all his brothers, making certain there
would never be a challenger to his leadership.
herefore
Abimelech killed his brothers with the support of his relatives on his mother’s
side. The men of Shechem(Judges 9:1-5)
supported the plan because it was good for them, not because it
was morally good or right.
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