The Meaning of Judges 9:18 Explained

Judges 9:18

KJV: 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;)

YLT: and ye have risen against the house of my father to-day, and slay his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and cause Abimelech son of his handmaid to reign over the masters of Shechem, because he is your brother --

Darby: and you have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abim'elech, the son of his maidservant, king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your kinsman--

ASV: 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 maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother);

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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;  ) 

What does Judges 9:18 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 9:18 mean?

but you have risen up against house of my father this day and killed - his sons seventy persons on stone one and made king Abimelech the son of his maidservant over the men of Shechem because your brother he [is]
וְאַתֶּ֞ם קַמְתֶּ֨ם עַל־ בֵּ֤ית אָבִי֙ הַיּ֔וֹם וַתַּהַרְג֧וּ אֶת־ בָּנָ֛יו שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ עַל־ אֶ֣בֶן אֶחָ֑ת וַתַּמְלִ֜יכוּ אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ בֶּן־ אֲמָתוֹ֙ עַל־ בַּעֲלֵ֣י שְׁכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י אֲחִיכֶ֖ם הֽוּא

וְאַתֶּ֞ם  but  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine plural
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
קַמְתֶּ֨ם  have  risen  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
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.
בֵּ֤ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִי֙  of  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
הַיּ֔וֹם  this  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וַתַּהַרְג֧וּ  and  killed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בָּנָ֛יו  his  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
שִׁבְעִ֥ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
אִ֖ישׁ  persons 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֶ֣בֶן  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
אֶחָ֑ת  one 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
וַתַּמְלִ֜יכוּ  and  made  king 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ  Abimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king of Gerar in Abraham’s time.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אֲמָתוֹ֙  of  his  maidservant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמָה  
Sense: maid-servant, female slave, maid, handmaid, concubine.
עַל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
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.
בַּעֲלֵ֣י  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.
שְׁכֶ֔ם  of  Shechem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁכֶם 
Sense: son of Hamor, the chieftain of the Hivites at Shechem at the time of Jacob’s arrival.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲחִיכֶ֖ם  your  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
הֽוּא  he  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 9:18?

Loading Information...