Judges 9:52-57 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 9:50-57

We have seen the ruin of the Shechemites completed by the hand of Abimelech; and now it comes to his turn to be reckoned with who was their leader in villany. Thebez was a small city, probably not far from Shechem, dependent upon it, and in confederacy with it. Now, I. Abimelech attempted the destruction of this city (Jdg. 9:50), drove all the inhabitants of the town into the castle, or citadel, Jdg. 9:51. When he had them there he did not doubt but he should do the same execution here that he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:52

And Abimelech came unto the tower ,.... With his army to besiege it: and fought against it ; using all the methods he could to oblige those in it to surrender: and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire ; in order to get entrance into it; and perhaps the tower was built of stone, so that no other part could be set fire to; and to do this he drew near to the door himself, for nothing more is meant by the phrase, "went hard", than drawing near in his own person to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:53

And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone ,.... Of the upper millstone, as the word signifies, which is observed by Jarchi and other Jewish commentators; this with other stones being carried up to the top of the tower, to do what execution they could with them: and a woman observing Abimelech making up to the door of the tower, took up this piece of millstone, and threw it down upon Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull ; she did it with that view, though it may as well be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:54

Then he called hastily to the young man his armourbearer ,.... Perceiving it was a mortal blow that was given him, and he should soon expire; and that the cast of the stone was by the hand of a woman, and therefore he was in haste to have the young man come to him: and said unto him, draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, a woman slew him ; it being reckoned very ignominious and reproachful to die by the hand of a woman, and especially any great personage, as a king or... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:55

And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead ,.... That is, those that were with him, the men of his army, who were all Israelites: they departed every man to his place ; disbanded themselves, and went everyone to their own home, and so the inhabitants of Thebez escaped the vengeance of Abimelech. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:56

Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech which he did unto his father ,.... To the disgrace of his father's character, and to the hurt of his father's family: in slaying his seventy brethren ; excepting one, which was a piece of unheard of wickedness, attended with most sad aggravations; the shedding such blood required blood to be shed again, and it was righteous judgment God rendered to him; this, and the following verse contain the remarks made upon this history by the writer of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:57

And all the evil of the men of Shechem ,.... In aiding Abimelech to slay his brethren, and in making him king after so foul a fact committed: did God render upon their heads ; by suffering Abimelech to beat down their city, and destroy the inhabitants of it, and by burning the hold in which the men of the tower of Shechem were, and them in it: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal ; both upon Abimelech, and the men of Shechem, they being destroyed by one... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:53

A piece of a millstone - רכב פלח pelach recheb , a piece of a chariot wheel; but the word is used in other places for upper millstones, and is so understood here by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. And all to break his skull - A most nonsensical version of גלגלתו את ותרץ vattarits eth gulgolto , which is literally, And she brake, or fractured, his skull. Plutarch, in his life of Pyrrhus, observes that this king was killed at the siege of Thebes, by a... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:54

Draw thy sword , and slay me - It was a disgrace to be killed by a woman; on this account, Seneca the tragedian deplores the death of Hercules: - O turpe fatum! femina Herculeae necis Autor feritur read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:56

Thus God rendered , etc. - Both the fratricide Abimelech, and the unprincipled men of Shechem, had the iniquity visited upon them of which they had been guilty. Man's judgment may be avoided; but there is no escape from the judgments of God. I Have said that the fable of Jotham is the oldest, and perhaps the best, in the world; and referred for other particulars to the end of the chapter. On the general subject of fable, apologue, and parable, the reader will find a considerable... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 9:50-57

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:52

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:53

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:54

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:55

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:56

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 9:57

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:53

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:54

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 9:56

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