Judges 9:7-21

Jotham Rebukes the Shechemites Judges 9:7-21

7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 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.
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18 And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

6.

Where was Mount Gerizim? Judges 9:7

Mount Gerizim was the more southern of the two mountains between which Shechem was snuggled. The northern mountain was named Mount Ebal. Here the people of Israel under Joshua gathered for the reading of the Law and the hearing of the blessings and of the cursings (Joshua 8). Alexander the Great gave Sanballat the privilege of building a temple on Mount Gerizim. From the top of this mountain, the traveler receives one of the finest views in Palestine. Snowcapped Mount Hermon is on the northern horizon, the Mediterranean Sea is visible to the west, and the highlands of Gilead appear like a dark blue band below the horizon on the east.

7.

What was the point of Jotham's fable? Judges 9:7-21

The fable tells of the kingship of the trees, which, after being declined by all useful plants, was finally offered to the bramble. The latter, inflated by its unexpected dignity, pompously offers its shade to its faithful subjects, while threatening all traitors with punishment (brambles carry forest fires). This was the manner of an oriental monarch assuming the throne. Having thus parodied the relationship of the worthless Abimelech to the Shechemites, Jotham sarcastically wished both parties happiness in their bargain, which ended in destruction for all concerned.

8.

Where was Beer? Judges 9:21

The word, beer, means well in Hebrew and signifies a place where water is available. Such a place is mentioned in Numbers 21:16-18 as a spot east of the Jordan River. There is also a Beeroth mentioned in Joshua 9:17. If we are correct in identifying Beer with Beeroth, it would lie some eight miles north of Jerusalem, along the main road north. Usually the word beer is compounded with another word, as in Beersheba and Beerlahairoi (Genesis 21:31; Genesis 16:14).