Judges 9:1-6

Judges 9:1-6

[1] And Abimelech  the son  of Jerubbaal  to Shechem  unto his mother's  brethren,  and communed  with them, and with all the family  of the house  of his mother's  father,  saying,  [2] Speak,  I pray you, in the ears  of all the men  of Shechem,  Whether is better  for you, either that all the sons  of Jerubbaal,  which are threescore and ten  persons,  reign  over you, or that one  reign  over you? remember  also that I am your bone  and your flesh.  [3] And his mother's  brethren  spake  of him in the ears  of all the men  of Shechem  all these words:  and their hearts  inclined  to follow  Abimelech;  for they said,  He is our brother.  [4] And they gave  him threescore and ten  pieces of silver  out of the house  of Baalberith,  wherewith Abimelech  hired  vain  and light  persons,  him.  [5] And he went  unto his father's  house  at Ophrah,  and slew  his brethren  the sons  of Jerubbaal,  being threescore and ten  persons,  upon one  stone:  notwithstanding yet Jotham  the youngest  son  of Jerubbaal  was left;  for he hid  himself. [6] And all the men  of Shechem  gathered together,  and all the house  of Millo,  and made  Abimelech  king,  by the plain  of the pillar  that was in Shechem. 

What does Judges 9:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Though Gideon had rejected kingship officially ( Judges 8:23), though not practically, Abimelech desired it for himself. He also hated his half-brothers, presumably because he was the son of a concubine rather than the son of one of Gideon"s wives ( Judges 8:31). Shechem was one of the older city-states in Canaan. Canaanites were its primary inhabitants, as is evident from this story. They seem to have been even more open to having a king over them than the Israelites were ( Judges 9:6). As a local boy, as well as the son of Gideon, the famous military leader, the Shechemites favored accepting Abimelech as their king.
"At least Gideon had said the right thing about God"s sole sovereignty: "the LORD will rule over you" ( Judges 8:23). Abimelech, on the other hand, leaves the LORD out of the picture entirely." [1]
Evidently Abimelech felt that Gideon"s other sons were ambitious to be king too, though there is no indication in the text that any of them felt this way. He was perhaps projecting his feelings on them, as is often true of ambitious people. They sometimes become paranoid, as Abimelech did (cf. King Saul).
Abimelech was able to secure some popular and financial support by politicking. He hired some assistants who promoted him and probably helped him assemble and assassinate69 of his70 brothers ( Judges 9:5). He executed this slaughter on "one stone" ( Judges 9:5) suggesting a well-planned mass murder. Compare and contrast the similar story of Jehu"s slaughter of Ahab"s sons in2Kings10. Note how departure from God, idolatry, and self-assertion result in hatred and violence. [2]
The men of Shechem must have known about Abimelech"s slaughter of his brothers before they made him king ( Judges 9:6). Perhaps Abimelech"s violent behavior enhanced his value in their eyes. "Beth-millo" was the citadel in Shechem, the most heavily fortified part of the town. The writer also called it the tower of Shechem ( Judges 9:46; Judges 9:49). It may have been the fortress-temple of Baal-berith (cf. Judges 9:51; Judges 8:33). [3]
"The inhabitants of Shechem, the worshippers of Baal-berith, carried out the election of Abimelech as king in the very same place in which Joshua had held the last national assembly, and had renewed the covenant of Israel with Jehovah the true covenant God (Josh. xxiv1 , 25 , 26). It was there in all probability that the temple of Baal-berith was to be found, namely, according to Judges 9:46, near the tower of Shechem or the citadel of Millo." [4]
Abimelech was the first person ever to be crowned king in Israel, as far as the text records.