seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Judges 9:42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelek. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. 44 Abimelek and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance of the city gate. Then two companies attacked those in the fields and struck them down. 45 All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.
46 On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. 47 When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there, 48 he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!” 49 So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
50 Next Abimelek went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. 51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
54 Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
46 On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. 47 When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there, 48 he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!” 49 So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
50 Next Abimelek went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. 51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
54 Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
What a wicked man.... in verse 49 the people were all in a tower.... and he set that tower on fire.....
Then in verse 53 a woman dropped cracked his skull with a millstone....
A millstone? Really? That big thing? NO>>>>> well actually, no, according to the commentary... it was probably a stone used for hand grinding.... but a baseball will crack a skull if it's thrown right.... and she had a rock.... good for her!
This is from the easy English site.
Thebez was 10 miles north-east from Shechem. It was another city whose people fought against Abimelech. Again he captured the city. He tried to destroy the tower as he had done at Shechem. A woman dropped a millstone on him and it hurt him badly. The stone was probably about 2-3 inches (6 centimetres) thick and 18 inches (45 centimetres) across. A young man was carrying Abimelech’s weapons and Abimelech asked the young man to kill him. This would avoid the shame that a woman killed him. We learn from this story how God’s judgement became true for Abimelech. God finally controls what happens at different times. These events show us that.
Now I had a hard time figuring out that last verse of the chapter.....
"The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them."
Jotham had warned them what would happen if they let his brother, the murderer, rule them. They ignored him. No doubt Jotham warned them that this man was so wicked that he killed 69 of his brothers. Jotham warned them. Now the curse that Jotham son of Jerub-Baal [Gideon] warned them about would play out.... and it's their own fault.
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