seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Judges 9:22 After Abimelek had governed Israel three years, 23 God stirred up animosity between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem so that they acted treacherously against Abimelek. 24 God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelek and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers. 25 In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelek.
26 Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his clan into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. 27 After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelek, and why should we Shechemites be subject to him? Isn’t he Jerub-Baal’s son, and isn’t Zebul his deputy? Serve the family of Hamor, Shechem’s father! Why should we serve Abimelek? 29 If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelek, ‘Call out your whole army!’”
30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. 31 Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelek, saying, “Gaal son of Ebed and his clan have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. 33 In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, seize the opportunity to attack them.”
34 So Abimelek and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. 35 Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelek and his troops came out from their hiding place.
36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!”
Zebul replied, “You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men.”
37 But Gaal spoke up again: “Look, people are coming down from the central hill, and a company is coming from the direction of the diviners’ tree.”
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your big talk now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelek that we should be subject to him?’ Aren’t these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!”
39 So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelek. 40 Abimelek chased him all the way to the entrance of the gate, and many were killed as they fled. 41 Then Abimelek stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his clan out of Shechem.
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.
Here's the link to the commentary I use.So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait: Abimelech agreed with and followed the plan suggested by Zebul.
Zebul said to him, “You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men”: Zebul deceived Gaal, allowing Abimelech’s troops to take position. With the advantage of their superior position, Abimelech and his soldiers drove out Gaal and his men.
Where indeed is your mouth now: When Zebul knew that Gaal was at a disadvantage, he could not resist rebuking him for his proud, arrogant words against Abimelech, an enemy he could not defeat.
Abimelech killed 69 of Gideon's legitimate sons. Jotham went into hiding and was not murdered with the rest.
Abimelech killed those 69 men with one rock. I'm still trying to figure out how he did it. Now, God is going to get Abimelech for the murders.
He took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt: Abimelech then turned his fury against the people of Shechem, and killed as many of them as he could, and he demolished their city.
A certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull: At Thebez, a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech’s head and mortally wounded him.
This was probably a stone used to grind grain by hand. “Such hand-stones averaged ten to fourteen inches long and weighed five pounds or more.” (Wood)
So, Abimelech was run through with a sword instead.... nevertheless, his reputation for being killed by a woman is well noted in the Bible for anyone who takes the time to actually read what the preacher is supposed to be talking about.
Well, the bastard son had his revenge. I'm pretty sure his mom talked about his dad a lot. After all, she had no ring on her finger... and it would have been so easy for Gideon to make her an honest wife. He had lots of wives and kids running around... He had 70 sons. I wonder, how many daughters did he have? So, what would one more wife and son make? They would just blend right in... right?
But no.... for some reason, Gideon never got around to actually marrying Abimelech's mom. Abimelech was the bastard son his whole life.... because his father didn't marry his mom. His mom taught him to hate Gideon.
And that's how Abimelech got so mean and angry. He burned down towers filled with men, women, and children! They burned to death... stuck... no escape! How angry can one man be?
And now... Abimelech will always be known as the man who conquered Shechem only to be murdered by a woman. Sure, his buddy ran him through with a sword... but that was just a courtesy jab.
Hubby and I were talking about how Abimelech could have actually killed all those men with one rock. Check out verse 36... There were mountains around. At first, I thought the men had to be standing in a group hug to be murdered by one rock... like a millstone... because the size of the stone and the size of the crowd of 68 men had been used as a calculator. After reading that the men could be hiding in the shadows of the mountains, I was thinking it might have been a boulder that took them out. If Abimelech loosened a boulder on the side of the mountain... A landslide or rock slide would take care of it.
But the Bible doesn't tell us how he killed them all with one rock. It does, however, tell us how a woman killed him with just one rock!
A certain woman did it!
