The Meaning of Judges 9:56 Explained

Judges 9:56

KJV: Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

YLT: and God turneth back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brethren;

Darby: Thus God requited the crime of Abim'elech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers;

ASV: Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus God  rendered  the wickedness  of Abimelech,  which he did  unto his father,  in slaying  his seventy  brethren: 

What does Judges 9:56 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 9:41-57 - The Burning Of The Bramble
Terrible deeds like these give tokens of the power of the god of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Alas, similar atrocities are being perpetrated still, after all these centuries of what is called Christian civilization. But this Christianity is only a very shallow veneer, and when national passions break loose, there is little to choose between war today and in pre-Christian ages.
Men have no right to attribute the sins, cruelties, barbarities and enormities of the present day to Christianity. They are due to its absence. The whole Gospel of the Son of man protests against them. We must sadly admit that His "enemy hath done this." And there will be no real cessation of the evils beneath which the world groans until the King comes to His own and sets up His everlasting Kingdom. What has happened of late in Europe, notwithstanding all the efforts toward arbitration and peace, proves that something new must be brought to pass before the Father's kingdom can come and His will be done on earth. [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 9:56 mean?

Thus repaid God - the wickedness of Abimelech which he had done to his father by killing - seventy his brothers
וַיָּ֣שֶׁב אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֖ת רָעַ֣ת אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ לְאָבִ֔יו לַהֲרֹ֖ג אֶת־ שִׁבְעִ֥ים אֶחָֽיו

וַיָּ֣שֶׁב  Thus  repaid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אֱלֹהִ֔ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
רָעַ֣ת  the  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ  of  Abimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king of Gerar in Abraham’s time.
עָשָׂה֙  he  had  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לְאָבִ֔יו  to  his  father 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
לַהֲרֹ֖ג  by  killing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
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.
שִׁבְעִ֥ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
אֶחָֽיו  his  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.