Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:2
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.
2. the men of Shechem ] lit. possessors (plur. of ba‘al) i.e. citizens of S.; so throughout this chap., cf. Jdg 20:5, 1Sa 23:11 f. etc.
all the sons of Jerubbaal ] Evidently Gideon had exercised some kind of authority in Ophrah and its neighbourhood which his sons claimed to inherit; see on Jdg 8:23. But we need not think of 70 men literally ‘ruling’; Abimelech wanted to put the case in the worst light possible. If his mother had been a ada wife (cf. Jdg 8:31), the children would have belonged to her clan and not the father’s; this would make the appeal to ‘bone and flesh’ all the stronger, cf. Gen 29:14, 2Sa 5:1 ; 2Sa 19:12 f.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The men of Shechem – literally, the masters. Compare Jos 24:11; 1Sa 23:11-12.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Whether is better for you, either that all the sons] This was a powerful argument: Whether will you have seventy tyrants or only one! For, as he had no right to the government, and God alone was king at that time in Israel; so he must support his usurped rule by whatever means were most likely to effect it: a usurped government is generally supported by oppression and the sword.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He supposeth that
the sons of Jerubbaal would take that government which their father modestly refused, and that the multitude of his sons would occasion horrible divisions, and confusions, and contests about the sovereign power; all which they might avoid by choosing him king; and so they might enjoy the monarchy which they had long and oft desired.
Your bone and your flesh; your kinsman, of the same tribe and city with you; which will be no small honour and advantage to you.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. Whether is better for you, eitherthat all the sons of Jerubbaal, . . . or that one reign over youafalse insinuation, artfully contrived to stir up jealousy and alarm.Gideon had rejected, with abhorrence, the proposal to make himself orany of his family king, and there is no evidence that any of hisother sons coveted the title.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem,…. Which, though the Targum calls the inhabitants of the place, Ben Melech better interprets it the lords of Shechem, as the phrase will bear to be rendered; for it is more likely he would have this first whispered and suggested to the principal men of the city, before the common people were acquainted with it, and indeed in order to use their influence with them:
whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, [which are] seventy persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? intimating thereby, that though Gideon his father had refused the regal government when offered him, it was but reasonable that his sons, or some one of them, should be tried, whether it would be acceptable to them; nay, he would insinuate, that the sons of Gideon, who were seventy in number, were either contending with one another about it, or contriving to divide the government among them, and therefore desired it might be moved to consideration, whether it would not be more eligible to fix upon some one person to be their ruler, than to be under the government of seventy; or, in other words, whether it was not better to have one king than seventy kings; but in reality there was no necessity for any consultation about this matter, the sons of judges never succeeded their fathers in government; nor does it appear that any of Gideon’s sons had any thought about it, nor any desire to be made kings, as appears from Jotham’s parable; and this was only a wicked insinuation of this man’s, with an ambitious view of getting the kingdom to himself, as follows:
remember also that I am your bone and your flesh; was of the same tribe and city with them, born among them, his mother always living with them, and he having now many near relations by his mother’s side that dwelt there; and therefore while they had this affair of government under consideration, he would have them think of him to be their king, which would be to their honour, and to their advantage, to have one so nearly related to them on the throne, from whom they might expect many favours.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2) All the men of Shechem.Rather, the lords (Baali) of Shechem. These seem to be the same as the men (anoshi), or lords (Baali) of the tower of Shechem, in Jdg. 9:46; Jdg. 9:49. It is by no means impossible that the Canaanites may have still held possession of the fortress, though the Israelites were nominally predominant in the town. At any rate, this particular title of lords, as applied to the chief people of a town, seems to have been Canaanite rather than Hebrew: the lords of Jericho (Jos. 24:11), the lords of Gibeah (Jdg. 21:5), of Keilah (1Sa. 23:11). The term is applied also to the Hittite Uriah (2Sa. 11:20). What is clear is that, as in so many other towns of Palestine at this epoch (see Jdg. 1:32, &c), there was a mixed population living side by side in a sort of armed neutrality, though with a mutual dislike, which might at any time break out in tumults. The Israelites held much the same position in many towns as the Normans among the English during the years after the conquest. The Israelites had the upper hand, but they were fewer in numbers, and might easily be overborne at any particular point. It must be borne in mind also that Abimelech, as a Shechemite, would more easily win the adherence of the proud and jealous Ephraimites, who disliked the hegemony (see on Jdg. 8:1, and comp. 2Sa. 20:1, 1Ki. 12:16) which Manasseh had acquired from the victories of Gideon. The plans of Abimelech were deep-laid. In counsel no less than in couragethough both were so grievously misdirectedhe shows himself his fathers son.
That all the sons of Jerubbaal . . . reign over you.It seems to have been the merest calumny to suggest that they ever dreamt of making their fathers influence hereditary in this sense. Gideon had expressly repudiated all wish and claim to exercise rule (meshol, Jdg. 8:23) of this kind. The remark of Abimelech is quite in the ancient spirit
, .
(Comp. Eur. Suppl. 410.)
Your bone and your flesh.The same phrase is found in Gen. 2:23; Gen. 29:14; 2Sa. 5:1; 2Sa. 19:12. He was akin to both the elements of the population: to the Ephraimites, from the place of his birth, or at any rate of his mothers residence; and to the Canaanites (as the whole narrative implies), from her blood. The plea was like that of our Henry II., the first Norman son of a Saxon mother (Stanley).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. All the men of Shechem Literally, all the lords of Shechem, that is, all the prominent citizens, whether Israelitish or Canaanitish. Comp. Jdg 9:28. Abimelech’s usurpation was shrewdly planned and most skillfully executed. His address to the citizens of his native place was well adapted to win their hearts. The name of Jerubbaal, the Baal-fighter, was alone calculated to rouse the animosity of the Shechemites, who were devoted to the worship of Baal, and had a house erected to his honour. Jdg 9:4. Then, the notion of being ruled by seventy kings instead of one would be anything but agreeable; and though there may have been no evidence that the seventy sons of Jerubbaal aspired to reign, it might have been thought wise to provide against such a contingency. But what most swayed their minds was Abimelech’s significant reminder, I am your bone and your flesh. His mother’s family stood high in Shechem, and her son seemed, therefore, to be a brother of them all.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ Saying, “Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the chief men (‘lords’) of Shechem, and consider which is best for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and flesh.” ’
He suggested to his grandfather, together with his wider family, that they discuss with all the leading men of Shechem what the position was, and use their influence on his behalf to their mutual benefit.
His reference to seventy persons ruling was not so much to suggest plural rule as to indicate the problems that could arise for all as these sons sought to establish themselves in positions of authority. Surely it would be better if they were all got rid of leaving only one ruler to rule. And then he reminded them that it would be to their benefit, for he was their blood relation.
So had begun the battle to replace the dead ‘king’. The main reason for giving this story in such detail, one which is so in contrast to the remainder in the book, must surely be as a warning against kingship.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 9:2. In the ears of all the men of Shechem We are prepared for this exploit of Abimelech, by the mention of him in the 31st verse of the foregoing chapter. His mother, it is conjectured by some, gave him the name of Abimelech, i.e. my father a king, out of pride and arrogance; and possibly the early impressions of this sort which he received were the foundation of that cruel ambition which occasioned his ruin. What we render men of Shechem, Houbigant renders nobles or princes; because, says he, the citizens are evidently distinguished in the 45th and 46th verses from the nobles: for the citizens in the 45th verse are called haam, the people, but in the 46th verse, baali, nobles; who could not be the citizens of Shechem, as the house of their god Berith contained them all. The like distinction is made in the 51st verse: besides, the government of the tribes was aristocratical; and therefore the elders and chiefs, not the whole people, were to be consulted in the choice of a king. The same mode of expression is used in the foregoing chapter, Jdg 9:8 compared with Jdg 9:6. By the pieces of silver mentioned in Jdg 9:4 it is generally thought that shekels are meant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jdg 9:2 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.
Ver. 2. Whether is better for yon. ] Heb., What is good? The public good is usually pretended to private interest. He taketh it for granted that they would have a king, because they offered that dignity to his father: who, not so wise as he should have been, Abimelech thinks, refused it. He cunningly insinuateth also, that all Gideon’s sons affected domination over them; for so ill minded men muse as they use, and measure others by themselves; and would divide the kingdom amongst them, which would cause great stirs in the state.
Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
men = masters, lords, or owners. Hebrew. baalim.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Whether: etc. Heb. What is good
whether: etc
threescore: Jdg 8:30
your bone: Gen 29:14, 2Sa 19:13, 1Ch 11:1, Eph 5:30, Heb 2:14
Reciprocal: Gen 2:23 – bone Deu 33:5 – king 2Sa 5:1 – we 2Sa 19:12 – my bones 1Ki 1:5 – I will Isa 58:7 – thine own
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9:2 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 {b} bone and your flesh.
(b) Of your kindred by my mother’s side.