Judges 9:7-21

Judges 9:7-21

[7] And when they told  it to Jotham,  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 honour  God  and go  to be promoted  over the trees?  [10] And the trees  said  to the fig tree,  thou, and reign  [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,  thou, and reign  over us. [13] And the vine  said  unto them, Should I leave  my wine,  which cheereth  God  and go  to be promoted  over the trees?  [14] Then said  all the trees  unto the bramble,  thou, and reign  [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  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,  to Beer,  and dwelt  there, for fear  of Abimelech  his brother. 

What does Judges 9:7-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Before Abimelech"s sole surviving brother went into hiding, he uttered a protest against Abimelech that predicted the effect of his rule. Jotham (lit. Yahweh is perfect, honest) stood on the same mountain where six of Israel"s tribes had declared the blessings of abiding by the Law of Yahweh and denounced the Shechemites for their foolish and wicked actions. The contrast between the Israelites" commitments in Joshua 8 , 24and this passage must be one reason the writer included Abimelech"s story in Judges.
Jotham"s fable was a parable with a moral (cf. 2 Samuel 12:1-4; 2 Kings 14:9-10). It is generally recognized as the first parable in the Bible. The olive and fig trees and the grape vine represented productive human beings-oil, figs, and wine being among the most important products of Canaan. Brambles bore no fruit and offered no shelter or protection. They only injured those who got too close to them. Moreover they spontaneously burst into flames in hot weather and sometimes caused much damage consequently ( Judges 9:15). Obviously the bramble represented Abimelech, the trees and vine more noble individuals, and the cedars of Lebanon the upright leaders of Shechem. [1]
Having finished his message Jotham fled to Beer (lit. Well, site uncertain) where he hid from his brother"s wrath. However, Beer may not have been the name of a town. Jotham may have hidden in some empty well for a long time (cf. 2 Samuel 17:18-21).