The Meaning of Judges 9:8 Explained

Judges 9:8

KJV: The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

YLT: 'The trees have diligently gone to anoint over them a king, and they say to the olive, Reign thou over us.

Darby: The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'

ASV: The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us.

Discover Judges 9:8

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Judges 9:8?

MEANING: What does Judges 9:8 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Judges 9:8 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Judges 9:8?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The trees  went forth  {08676;01980:08800} [on a time] to anoint  a king  over them; and they said  unto the olive tree,  Reign  thou over us. 

What does Judges 9:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 9:7-21 - The Bramble King
Men must have leadership. The reason lies deep in human nature. The French Revolutionaries destroyed the royal family, but Robespierre, Danton and Marat were practically enthroned in the position from which Louis was hurled. In Oliver Cromwell's commonwealth, he exercised the royal prerogative. Some of us enthrone the fatness of the olive, some the sweetness of the fig, and some the good cheer of the vine. In other words, the guiding ideal of some souls is Prosperity, of others Love, of others Pleasure. And yet others choose the bramble-with its prickly thorns-which, when scorched by the summer-heat, is near unto burning, Hebrews 6:8. It stands, therefore, for the useless and perilous life, which is doomed to the scrap-heap. See 1 Corinthians 9:27.
In the meanwhile Jesus waits to become the crowned King of each soul. He adventured his life and delivered us from the hand of the enemy, to whom we had sold ourselves. Do we deal truly and uprightly with Him, in allowing other lords to rule over us while we crown Him with thorns? See Judges 9:17; Judges 19:1-30. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 9

1  Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7  Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22  Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30  Zebul reveals it
34  Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46  He burns the hold of the god Berith
50  At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56  Jotham's curse is fulfilled

What do the individual words in Judges 9:8 mean?

Once went forth the trees to anoint over them a king and they said to the olive tree - Reign over us
הָל֤וֹךְ הָֽלְכוּ֙ הָעֵצִ֔ים לִמְשֹׁ֥חַ עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם מֶ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ לַזַּ֖יִת [מלוכה] (מָלְכָ֥ה) עָלֵֽינוּ

הָל֤וֹךְ  Once 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
הָֽלְכוּ֙  went  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
הָעֵצִ֔ים  the  trees 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
לִמְשֹׁ֥חַ  to  anoint 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: מָשַׁח  
Sense: to smear, anoint, spread a liquid.
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
מֶ֑לֶךְ  a  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ  and  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לַזַּ֖יִת  to  the  olive  tree 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: זַיִת  
Sense: olive, olive tree.
[מלוכה]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
(מָלְכָ֥ה)  Reign 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
עָלֵֽינוּ  over  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 9:8?

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Similar Scriptures for Judges 9:8

Judges 8:22-23 [3]
2 Kings 14:9 [3]
Ezekiel 17:3-10 [2]
Daniel 4:10-18 [2]