Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:7
And when they told [it] to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
7. the top of mount Gerizim ] is 979 ft. above the town: the language is not to be pressed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 21. Jotham’s fable
The author of the fable had several points in his mind: ( a) the contrast between Gideon’s refusal of the kingship and the arrogant claim of the son of his concubine; the other sons (or many respectable members of the community) had qualities which entitled them to rule; it was left to the mean ‘bramble’ to claim the rank of king; ( b) a warning to the Shechemites of the dangerous character of their upstart chief; his protection was worthless if they trusted him, and if they did not he would be their ruin; ( c) a rebuke of the Shechemites for their ingratitude towards the house of Gideon. The fable, however, is not entirely consistent with the moral drawn from it; especially after Jdg 9:15, the connexion is so difficult to trace, that many think that the fable was not composed for the occasion but borrowed from the folk-tales current at the time. This is possible; nevertheless we can hardly look for rigid consistency in the details of a fable; similar inconsistencies may be found in some of the Gospel parables (e.g. St Luk 16:1-9).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The top of Mount Gerizim – The ancient Shechem was perhaps situated there. The population of Shechem is supposed to have been keeping some public festival outside the city when Jotham addressed them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Stood in the top of Mount Gerizim] Gerizim and Ebal were mounts very near to each other; the former lying to the north, the latter to the south, and at the foot of them Shechem. But see some remarks on the extent of the human voice in some hilly countries in the following extract from a late traveller in the East: –
“The great extent to which the sound of the voice is conveyed may be mentioned. Some persons have thought this a proof of the extreme rarity of the atmosphere. A similar observation is made by Captain Parry in his Voyage of Discovery to the Polar Regions in 1819-20, where he states that in the depth of winter the sound of the men’s voices was heard at a much greater distance than usual. This phenomenon is constantly observed on the Neilgherries. I have heard the natives, especially in the morning and evening, when the air was still, carry on conversation from one hill to another, and that apparently without any extraordinary effort. They do not shout in the manner that strangers think necessary in order to be heard at so great a distance, but utter every syllable as distinctly as if they were conversing face to face. When listening to them, I have often been reminded of those passages in holy writ where it is recorded that Jotham addressed the ungrateful men of Shechem from Mount Gerizim, that David cried ‘from the top of a hill afar off’ to Abner and to the people that lay about their master Saul, and that Abner addressed Joab from the top of a hill.” – Letters on the Climate, Inhabitants, Productions, &c., &c., of the Neilgherries, or Blue Mountains of Coimbatoor, South India, by James Hough, of Madras: 1829.
That God may hearken unto you.] It appears that Jotham received this message from God, and that he spoke on this occasion by Divine inspiration.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mount Gerzim lay near Shechem, and near Mount Ebal. The valley between these two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal was a famous place, employed for a religious use, even for the solemn reading of the law, and its blessings and curses, Deu 11:29; 27:12; Jos 8:33; and therefore it is probable it was still used, even by the superstitious and idolatrous Israelites, for such-like occasions, who delighted to use the same places which their religious ancestors had consecrated and used.
Lifted up his voice, and cried; so as they that stood in the valley might hear him, though not suddenly come at him to take him.
Ye men of Shechem; who are here met together upon a solemn occasion, as Josephus notes, Abimelech being absent.
That God may harken unto you, when you cry unto him for mercy; so he conjures and persuades to give him patient audience, as they did.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. he . . . stood in the top ofmount Gerizim and lifted up his voiceThe spot he chose was,like the housetops, the public place of Shechem; and the parable [Jud9:8-15] drawn from the rivalry of the various trees wasappropriate to the diversified foliage of the valley below. Easternpeople are exceedingly fond of parables and use them for conveyingreproofs, which they could not give in any other way. The top ofGerizim is not so high in the rear of the town, as it is nearer tothe plain. With a little exertion of voice, he could easily have beenheard by the people of the city; for the hill so overhangs thevalley, that a person from the side or summit would have nodifficulty in speaking to listeners at the base. Modern historyrecords a case, in which soldiers on the hill shouted to the peoplein the city and endeavored to instigate them to an insurrection.There is something about the elastic atmosphere of an Eastern climewhich causes it to transmit sound with wonderful celerity anddistinctness [HACKETT].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when they told it to Jotham,…. Or when it was told him that Abimelech was made king in Shechem by some of his friends:
he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim; a mount near Shechem; it hung over the city, as Josephus says c, and so a very proper place to stand on and deliver a speech from it to the inhabitants of it; who, as the same writer says, were now keeping a festival, on what account he says not, perhaps to Baalberith their idol: over against this mountain was another, called Ebal, and between them a valley; and very likely they were assembled in this valley, where the children of Israel stood when the blessings were delivered from Gerizim, and the curses from Ebal; and if so, Jotham might be heard very well by the Shechemites:
and he lifted up his voice, and cried; that he might be heard by them:
and said unto them, hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you; which was a very solemn manner of address to them, tending to excite attention, as having somewhat of importance to say to them, and suggesting, that if they did not hearken to him, God would not hearken to them when they cried to him, and therefore it behoved them to attend: it is an adjuration of them to hearken to him, or a wish that God would not hearken to them if they were inattentive to him.
c Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When Jotham, who had escaped after the murder, was told of the election which had taken place, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim, which rises as a steep wall of rock to the height of about 800 feet above the valley of Shechem on the south side of the city ( Rob. iii. p. 96), and cried with a loud voice, “ Hearken to me, ye lords of Shechem, and God will also hearken to you.” After this appeal, which calls to mind the language of the prophets, he uttered aloud a fable of the trees which wanted to anoint a king over them-a fable of true prophetic significance, and the earliest with which we are acquainted (Jdg 9:8-15). To the appeal which is made to them in succession to become king over the trees, the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine all reply: Shall we give up our calling, to bear valuable fruits for the good and enjoyment of God and men, and soar above the other trees? The briar, however, to which the trees turn last of all, is delighted at the unexpected honour that is offered it, and says, “ Will ye in truth anoint me king over you? Then come and trust in my shadow; but if not, let fire go out of the briar and consume the cedars of Lebanon. ” The rare form ( Chethib, Jdg 9:8, Jdg 9:12) also occurs in 1Sa 28:8; Isa 32:11; Psa 26:2: see Ewald, 228, b.). (Jdg 9:10) is also rare (see Ewald, 226, b). The form (Jdg 9:9, Jdg 9:11, Jdg 9:13), which is quite unique, is not “ Hophal or Hiphil, compounded of or ” ( Ewald, 51, c), for neither the Hophal nor the Hiphil of occurs anywhere else; but it is a simple Kal, and the obscure o sound is chosen instead of the a sound for the sake of euphony, i.e., to assist the pronunciation of the guttural syllables which follow one after another. The meaning of the fable is very easy to understand. The olive tree, fig tree, and vine do not represent different historical persons, such as the judges Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon, as the Rabbins affirm, but in a perfectly general way the nobler families or persons who bring forth fruit and blessing in the calling appointed them by God, and promote the prosperity of the people and kingdom in a manner that is well-pleasing to God and men. Oil, figs, and wine were the most valuable productions of the land of Canaan, whereas the briar was good for nothing but to burn. The noble fruit-trees would not tear themselves from the soil in which they had been planted and had borne fruit, to soar ( , float about) above the trees, i.e., not merely to rule over the trees, but obire et circumagi in rebus eorum curandis . includes the idea of restlessness and insecurity of existence. The explanation given in the Berleb. Bible, “We have here what it is to be a king, to reign or be lord over many others, namely, very frequently to do nothing else than float about in such restlessness and distraction of thoughts, feelings, and desires, that very little good or sweet fruit ever falls to the ground,” if not a truth without exception so far as royalty is concerned, is at all events perfectly true in relation to what Abimelech aimed at and attained, to be a king by the will of the people and not by the grace of God. Wherever the Lord does not found the monarchy, or the king himself does not lay the foundations of his government in God and the grace of God, he is never anything but a tree, moving about above other trees without a firm root in a fruitful soil, utterly unable to bear fruit to the glory of God and the good of men. The expression “ all the trees ” is to be carefully noticed in Jdg 9:14. “ All the trees ” say to the briar, Be king over us, whereas in the previous verse only “ the trees” are mentioned. This implies that of all the trees not one was willing to be king himself, but that they were unanimous in transferring the honour to the briar. The briar, which has nothing but thorns upon it, and does not even cast sufficient shadow for any one to lie down in its shadow and protect himself from the burning heat of the sun, is an admirable simile for a worthless man, who can do nothing but harm. The words of the briar, “ Trust in my shadow, ” seek refuge there, contain a deep irony, the truth of which the Shechemites were very soon to discover. “ And if not, ” i.e., if ye do not find the protection you expect, fire will go out of the briar and consume the cedars of Lebanon, the largest and noblest trees. Thorns easily catch fire (see Exo 22:5). The most insignificant and most worthless man can be the cause of harm to the mightiest and most distinguished.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Jotham’s Parable. | B. C. 1209. |
7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. 8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. 9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. 11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. 15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18 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;) 19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
We have here the only testimony that appears to have been borne against the wicked confederacy of Abimelech and the men of Shechem. It was a sign they had provoked God to depart from them that neither any prophet was sent nor any remarkable judgment, to awaken this stupid people, and to stop the progress of this threatening mischief. Only Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, who by a special providence escaped the common ruin of his family (v. 5), dealt plainly with the Shechemites, and his speech, which is here recorded, shows him to have been a man of such great ingenuity and wisdom, and really such an accomplished gentleman, that we cannot but the more lament the fall of Gideon’s sons. Jotham did not go about to raise an army out of the other cities of Israel (in which, one would think, he might have made a good interest for his father’s sake), to avenge his brethren’s death, much less to set up himself in competition with Abimelech, so groundless was the usurper’s suggestion that the sons of Gideon aimed at dominion (v. 2); but he contents himself with giving a faithful reproof to the Shechemites, and fair warning of the fatal consequences. He got an opportunity of speaking to them from the top of Mount Gerizim, the mount of blessings, at the foot of which probably the Shechemites were, upon some occasion or other, gathered together (Josephus says, solemnizing a festival), and it seems they were willing to hear what he had to say.
I. His preface is very serious: “Hearken unto me, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you, v. 7. As ever you hope to obtain God’s favour, and to be accepted of him, give me a patient and impartial hearing.” Note, Those who expect God to hear their prayers must be willing to hear reason, to hear a faithful reproof, and to hear the complaints and appeals of wronged innocency. If we turn away our ear from hearing the law, our prayer will be an abomination, Prov. xxviii. 9.
II. His parable is very ingenious–that when the trees were disposed to choose a king the government was offered to those valuable trees the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine, but they refused it, choosing rather to serve than rule, to do good than bear sway. But the same tender being made to the bramble he accepted it with vain-glorious exultation. The way of instruction by parables is an ancient way, and very useful, especially to give reproofs by.
1. He hereby applauds the generous modesty of Gideon, and the other judges who were before him, and perhaps of the sons of Gideon, who had declined accepting the state and power of kings when they might have had them, and likewise shows that it is in general the temper of all wise and good men to decline preferment and to choose rather to be useful than to be great. (1.) There was no occasion at all for the trees to choose a king; they are all the trees of the Lord which he has planted (Ps. civ. 16) and which therefore he will protect. Nor was there any occasion for Israel to talk of setting a king over them; for the Lord was their king. (2.) When they had it in their thoughts to choose a king they did not offer the government to the stately cedar, or the lofty pine, which are only for show and shade, and not otherwise useful till they are cut down, but to the fruit-trees, the vine and the olive. Those that bear fruit for the public good are justly respected and honoured by all that are wise more than those that affect to make a figure. For a good useful man some would even dare to die. (3.) The reason which all these fruit-trees gave for their refusal was much the same. The olive pleads (v. 9), Should I leave my wine, wherewith both God and man are served and honoured? for oil and wine were used both at God’s altars and at men’s tables. And shall I leave my sweetness, saith the fig-tree, and my good fruit (v. 11), and go to be promoted over the trees? or, as the margin reads it, go up and down for the trees? It is intimated, [1.] That government involves a man in a great deal both of toil and care; he that is promoted over the trees must go up and down for them, and make himself a perfect drudge to business. [2.] That those who are preferred to places of public trust and power must resolve to forego all their private interests and advantages, and sacrifice them to the good of the community. The fig-tree must lose its sweetness, its sweet retirement, sweet repose, and sweet conversation and contemplation, if it go to be promoted over the trees, and must undergo a constant fatigue. [3.] That those who are advanced to honour and dignity are in great danger of losing their fatness and fruitfulness. Preferment is apt to make men proud and slothful, and thus spoil their usefulness, with which in a lower sphere they honoured God and man, for which reason those that desire to do good are afraid of being too great.
2. He hereby exposes the ridiculous ambition of Abimelech, whom he compares to the bramble or thistle, v. 14. He supposes the trees to make their court to him: Come thou and reign over us, perhaps because he knew not that the first motion of Abimelech’s preferment came from himself (as we found, v. 2), but thought the Shechemites had proposed it to him; however, supposing it so, his folly in accepting it deserved to be chastised. The bramble is a worthless plant, not to be numbered among the trees, useless and fruitless, nay, hurtful and vexatious, scratching and tearing, and doing mischief; it began with the curse, and its end is to be burned. Such a one was Abimelech, and yet chosen to the government by the trees, by all the trees; this election seems to have been more unanimous than any of the others. Let us not think it strange if we see folly set in great dignity (Eccl. x. 6), and the vilest men exalted (Ps. xii. 8), and men blind to their own interest in the choice of their guides. The bramble, being chosen to the government, takes no time to consider whether he should accept it or no, but immediately, as if he had been born and bred to dominion, hectors, and assures them they shall find him as he found them. See what great swelling words of vanity he speaks (v. 15), what promises he makes to his faithful subjects: Let them come and trust in my shadow: a goodly shadow to trust in! How unlike to the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, which a good magistrate is compared to! Isa. xxxii. 2. Trust in his shadow!–more likely to be scratched if they came near him–more likely to be injured by him than benefited. Thus men boast of a false gift. Yet he threatens with as much confidence as he promises: If you be not faithful, let fire come out of the bramble (a very unlikely thing to emit fire) and devour the cedars of Lebanon–more likely to catch fire, and be itself devoured.
III. His application is very close and plain. In it, 1. He reminds them of the many good services his father had done for them, v. 17. He fought their battles, at the hazard of his own life, and to their unspeakable advantage. It was a shame that they needed to be put in mind of this. 2. He aggravates their unkindness to his father’s family. They had not done to him according to the deserving of his hands, v. 16. Great merits often meet with very ill returns. especially to posterity, when the benefactor if forgotten, as Joseph was among the Egyptians. Gideon had left many sons that were an honour to his name and family, and these they had barbarously murdered; one son he had left that was the blemish of his name and family, for he was the son of his maid-servant, whom all that had any respect to Gideon’s honour would endeavour to conceal, yet him they made their king. In both they put the utmost contempt imaginable upon Gideon. 3. He leaves it to the event to determine whether they had done well, whereby he lodges the appeal with the divine providence. (1.) If they prospered long in this villany, he would give them leave to say they had done well, v. 19. “If your conduct towards the house of Gideon be such as can be justified at any bar of justice, honour, or conscience, much good may it do you with your new king.” But, (2.) If they had, as he was sure they had, dealt basely and wickedly in this matter, let them never expect to prosper, v. 20. Abimelech and the Shechemites, that had strengthened one another’s hands in this villany, would certainly be a plague and ruin one to another. Let none expect to do ill and fare well.
Jotham, having given them this admonition, made a shift to escape with his life, v. 21. Either they could not reach him or they were so far convinced that they would not add the guilt of his blood to all the rest. But, for fear of Abimelech, he lived in exile, in some remote obscure place. Those whose extraction and education are ever so high know not to what difficulties and straits they may be reduced.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Jotham’s Prophetic Parable, vs. 7-21
It should be remembered that Shechem was the principal city of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Joshua had his possession nearby, and it was to this place he called the people to deliver his farewell addresses (Joshua, chap. 23, 24). To commemorate the pledge of Israel to follow and serve the Lord God alone Joshua had set up the great stone, or pillar, in the valley (Jos 24:26-27). Not only had these people not obeyed and fulfilled their covenant, but Abimelech and his crowd mocked it by choosing that site to declare Abimelech their king (see verse 6).
Shechem lay in the narrow valley between mounts Ebal and Gerizim. When the Israelites came into the land half had stood on mount Gerizim to utter the blessings of the Lord for Israel’s obedience, while the other six stood on mount Ebal to utter the curses,(Jos 8:30-35; Cp. De 27:1-8). The voice calling from the mountain top was heard clearly in the valley, so Jotham, the last surviving legitimate son of Gideon, went on mount Gerizim and spoke to the Shechemites about their dastardly deed. His parable was intended to impress on them their folly in choosing Abimelech.
The trees stood for the people involved, and are not hard to identify. The olive tree, seemingly, refers back to the earlier attempt to crown Gideon and his refusal. Oil of the .olive was used for sacred purposes as well as being a staple in the diet of the people. The olive would be leaving its more important purposes if it should become king of the trees. The fig and the vine (grape), representative of the legitimate sons of Gideon, answered similarly. The purposes they were already filling were of greater importance to the people than to rule over them. Ultimately the invitation went out to the bramble vine, which bears no fruit and fills no useful purpose.
The bramble readily agreed contingent on a ludicrous proposal. The trees must put themselves under the shade of the bramble. The bramble, of course, represented Abimelech, and if the people would not trust him he threatened them with devouring fire on the cedars of Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon must represent the men, elders, of Shechem who had chosen Abimelech. But how can a great cedar of Lebanon put itself in the shadow of a lowly bramble? The only way would be for the bramble to have an inordinate and unnatural growth whereby it could entwine itself over the great tree. This would eventually smother the tree to death.
Jotham next dwelt on the fairness of their treatment of his father’s house. Gideon had gone through great hardship and risked his life to deliver Israel from Midian, and had judged them benevolently for forty years. By murdering his sons they showed they had no appreciation for what he had done. But now they are asked to consider soberly what they have done. If it was honorable and right then they should rejoice in their choice of Abimelech and he in them. If it was evil and wrong then he asked that the fire of judgment come out of Abimelech and destroy the Shechemites, while at the same time fire would come out of Shechem and burn Abimelech. “Millo” refers to the rampart, a strong defensive point on the wall of the city.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Jotham Rebukes the Shechemites Jdg. 9:7-21
7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18 And ye are risen up against my fathers 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;)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
6.
Where was Mount Gerizim? Jdg. 9:7
Mount Gerizim was the more southern of the two mountains between which Shechem was snuggled. The northern mountain was named Mount Ebal. Here the people of Israel under Joshua gathered for the reading of the Law and the hearing of the blessings and of the cursings (Joshua 8). Alexander the Great gave Sanballat the privilege of building a temple on Mount Gerizim. From the top of this mountain, the traveler receives one of the finest views in Palestine. Snowcapped Mount Hermon is on the northern horizon, the Mediterranean Sea is visible to the west, and the highlands of Gilead appear like a dark blue band below the horizon on the east.
7.
What was the point of Jothams fable? Jdg. 9:7-21
The fable tells of the kingship of the trees, which, after being declined by all useful plants, was finally offered to the bramble. The latter, inflated by its unexpected dignity, pompously offers its shade to its faithful subjects, while threatening all traitors with punishment (brambles carry forest fires). This was the manner of an oriental monarch assuming the throne. Having thus parodied the relationship of the worthless Abimelech to the Shechemites, Jotham sarcastically wished both parties happiness in their bargain, which ended in destruction for all concerned.
8.
Where was Beer? Jdg. 9:21
The word, beer, means well in Hebrew and signifies a place where water is available. Such a place is mentioned in Num. 21:16-18 as a spot east of the Jordan River. There is also a Beeroth mentioned in Jos. 9:17. If we are correct in identifying Beer with Beeroth, it would lie some eight miles north of Jerusalem, along the main road north. Usually the word beer is compounded with another word, as in Beersheba and Beerlahairoi (Gen. 21:31; Gen. 16:14).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) In the top of mount Gerizim.Unless Shechem is not to be identified with Neapolis (Nablous), and was rather, as De Saulcy decides, on Mount Gerizim itself, at a spot still marked by extensive ruins, it would have been entirely impossible for Jotham to be heard at Shechem from the actual summit of Gerizim. But over the town of Nablous is a precipitous rock, to the summit of which the name Gerizim might be loosely given. Here Jotham might well have stood; and it seems certain that in the still clear air of Palestine the rhythmical chant adopted by Orientals might be heard at a great distance. A traveller mentions that standing on Gerizim he heard the voice of a muleteer who was driving his mules down Mount Ebal; and on the very summit of Mount Gerizim I heard a shepherd holding a musical colloquy with another, who was out of sight on a distant hill. The people in these mountainous countries are able from long practice to pitch their voices so as to be heard at distances almost incredible (Thomson, Land and Book, p. 473).
And cried.It may be asked how Jotham ventured to risk his life by thus upbraiding the Shechemites. No certain answer, but many probable ones, may be offered. At the summit of a precipitous crag far above the city, and on a hillside abounding with caverns and hiding-places, he would have sufficient start to have at least a chance of safety from any pursuit; or he may not have been without some followers and kindly partisans, who, now that the massacre of his brethren was over, would not be too willing to allow him to be hunted down. Indeed, the pathos of his opening appeal may have secured for him a favourable hearing. Josephus says that he seized an opportunity when there was a public feast at Shechem, and the whole multitude were gathered there. He spoke like the bard of the English ode, and before the startled assembly below could reach the rocky pinnacle where he stood, he was gone (Stanley, p. 352).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JOTHAM’S PARABLE, Jdg 9:7-21.
The following beautiful apologue, commonly called the parable of Jotham, is rather a fable than a parable. The parable moves in the higher realm of spiritual thought. Its imagery is always taken from real life, and its narrative that which may have been objectively true, and often has its parallel in the history of man. See note, Mat 13:3. The fable is based on imaginary actions of irrational creatures or inanimate things, and can therefore never be true to actual life. It deals with talking trees and beasts, imagery which all know has no foundation in fact, but which may still serve a useful purpose in setting forth most suggestive and valuable lessons for the people. Such a fable is this discourse of Jotham, the oldest and one of the best apologues in the world.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7. Mount Gerizim The steep mountain that overhangs Shechem on the south. See note and cuts at Jos 8:30.
Lifted up his voice This discourse of Jotham seems to have been uttered to the same assembly that had gathered to make Abimelech king, and on the very day of the inauguration. Jdg 9:19. “Several lofty precipices of Gerizim literally overhang the city, any one of which would answer his purpose. Nor would it be difficult to be heard, as every body knows who has listened to the public crier of villages on Lebanon. Indeed, the people in these mountainous countries are able, from long practice, so to pitch their voices as to be heard distinctly at distances almost incredible. They talk with persons across enormous wadies, and give the most minute directions, which are perfectly understood; and in doing this they seem to speak very little louder than their usual tone of conversation.” Thomson. On the acoustics of the Shechem valley see note on Jos 8:33.
That God may hearken unto you He addresses the Shechemites as one having divine authority, and evidently under divine inspiration.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Curse of Jotham ( Jdg 9:7-21 ).
Jdg 9:7
‘ And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and he lifted up his voice, and cried and said to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you.” ’
Once Jotham heard of the coronation he went to Shechem to utter a curse on Abimelech and on Shechem (Jdg 9:57). He climbed on to a spur on Mount Gerizim from where he could be observed in the city, and pronounced his curse.
“Listen to me — that God may listen to you.” By this he indicated that his words were intended as a warning to them. If they listened and responded perhaps God would then listen to their prayers once again. But if they would not listen then God would listen in another way, He would observe their words and actions (compare Num 12:2; Deu 1:34). Mount Gerizim was previously the mountain from which blessings were to be pronounced. Thus Jotham reversed the process. From it he pronounced a curse. They had forfeited their blessings by their actions. (Deu 11:29; Deu 27:12; Jos 8:33-34)
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Parable of Jotham
v. 7. And when they told it, v. 8. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them, v. 9. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, v. 10. And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou and reign over us.
v. 11. But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? v. 12. Then said the trees unto the vine, v. 13. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, v. 14. Then said all the trees unto the bramble, v. 15. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth, v. 16. Now, therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely in that ye have made Abimelech, v. 17. v. 18. v. 19. if ye, then, have dealt truly and sincerely, v. 20. but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house, v. 21. And Jotham ran away,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Jdg 9:7
On the top of Mount Gerizim. Mount Gerizim rises on the south-west side of Samaria or Shechem as a sheer rock about 800 feet in height, facing Mount Ebal, which is separated from it by the narrow valley, “some 500 yards wide,” in which Samaria, now Nablus, is built. It was from Mount Gerizim that Joshua, in accordance with the directions given by Moses in Deu 11:29, caused the blessings of the law to be proclaimed, after the capture of At, while the curses were proclaimed from Mount Ebal (Jos 8:33, Jos 8:35). Some explain the name to mean “the mount of the Gerizzites,” or Gerzites (1Sa 27:8); but the absence of the article makes this doubtful. Lifted up his voice. Implying that a considerable effort was necessary to be heard by the people below. The narrowness of the valley, however, and the rocky nature of the cliffs there largely increase the sound. I have myself heard the human voice utter an articulate word at a measured distance of one mile one furlong and seventeen yards; but it was in a peculiar state of the atmosphere The experiment has been made in recent years, and it has been proved that a man’s voice can be distinctly heard in Nablus, and also upon Ebal, from Gerizimo It is thought that Jotham, having emerged from one of the vast caverns, overhung with luxuriant creepers, which are in the mountain’s side, “stood upon a huge projecting crag of Gerizim” just above the ancient site of Sheehem, and thence addressed the people who were assembled beneath him. The rich vegetation of that well-watered spot, “unparalleled in Palestine,” supplied the materials of his fable; for the olive, the fig, the vine all grow in that rich valley; while the bramble, which creeps up the barren side of the mountain, and which is still used to kindle the fire to roast the lamb at the Samaritan Passover, was to be seen there in abundance.
Jdg 9:8
The trees, etc. This is the earliest example of a fable in Scripture; indeed the only one except that in 2Ki 14:9. It is remarked that in the Indian and Greek fables the animals are the dramatis personae, the fox, the lion, the ass, etc.; whereas in the only two specimens of Hebrew fable remaining to us, the members of the vegetable kingdom, the olive, the fig, the vine, the bramble, the cedar, the thistle, are the actors and speakers. The parable, of which Isa 5:1-7 is a beautiful example, is quite different in its structure. Like the inimitable parables of our Saviour in the New Testament, it sets forth Divine troth under an image, but the image and all its parts are in strict accordance with nature. In the Scripture allegory real persons and their actions prefigure the actions and the persons which they are intended to represent (see Mat 12:39, Mat 12:40; Gal 4:21-31; Heb 11:19). Allegorical personages may, however, be fictitious, as in the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’ The general meaning of this fable is clear. The trees worthy to reign for their intrinsic excellence refused the proffered kingdom one after another. The vilest and most unworthy accepted it. The result would be that a fire would burst out from the despicable bramble, and set fire to the lofty cedar tree. Thus Gideon refused the kingdom, and his sons had virtually refused it likewise. The base-born Abimelech had accepted it, and the result would be a deadly strife, which would destroy both the ungrateful subjects and the unworthy ruler.
Jdg 9:9
They honour God and man: God, by the frequent offerings of oil with the meat offerings (Le Jdg 2:1-16, etc.); and man, e.g; by the solemn anointing with oil of kings, priests, and prophets (1Sa 16:12, 1Sa 16:13; 1Ki 19:16; Psa 89:21). To be promoted, literally, to wave, or move, over, i.e. to rule, in the case of a tree.
Jdg 9:13
Which cheereth God and man. The wine is said to cheer, or make to rejoice, God because the drink offering which accompanied the meat offering consisted of wine (Num 15:7, Num 15:10), and God was well pleased with the offerings of his people (cf. Gen 8:21; Php 4:18; Heb 13:16). The idea in this verse, as in Jdg 9:9 and Jdg 9:11, is, that while the olive, the fig, and the vine were occupied in waving their branches over the other trees, in token of their superiority, they would necessarily be neglecting; their own proper gift and office, which was to produce oil, and figs, and grapes.
Jdg 9:14
The bramble. A prickly shrub; in Greek , Rhamnus, “the southern buckthorn” (Gesenins). The same plant as is mentioned in Psa 58:9 (thorns, A.V.) as used to make fires with (see note to Psa 58:7).
Jdg 9:15
If in truth, i.e. truly, as the same phrase is rendered in Jdg 9:16, Jdg 9:19, with integrity of purpose and sincerity of heart. The English would be less ambiguous if it ran, “If ye anoint me king over you in truth.” The speech of the bramble indicates the grounds for suspicion already existing between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. Let fire come out, etc.keeping up the propriety of the image, as the natural function of the bramble was to kindle a fire, and as it had no other use; showing, too, how a base bramble could destroy a noble cedar, and the base-born Abimelech could bring ruin upon the lords of Shechem.
Jdg 9:16-20
Now therefore, etc. The fable being ended, now comes the forcible and bitter application. The simple reference to Gideon’s great actions, and the juxtaposition of the base and bloody deed in which the Shechemites and the men of the house of Millo had made themselves accomplices by choosing Abimelech for their king, formed an indictment which could not be answered. With lofty scorn and irony he wishes well to them if they had acted honourably; but if not, he predicts the inevitable Nemesis of an alliance founded in bloodshed and treachery and wrong, viz; the mutual hatred and destruction of the contracting parties. Observe how “the house of Millo” is consistently spoken of as a separate community from “the men of Shechem.”
Jdg 9:21
Jotham ran away. Being close to the top of Gerizim, Jotham had the open country before him. It would take the men of Shechem twenty minutes to ascend the hill, by which time Jotham would be out of sight, and two or three miles on his way. Beer, to which he fled, is thought to be either the same as Beeroth, among the heights of the tribe of Benjamin (Jos 9:17), now El-Birch, “the first halting-place for caravans on the northern road from Jerusalem”; or a place called by Eusebius Beta, now El-Birch, eight Roman miles from Eleutheropolis (now Beit Jibrin), and possibly the same as the place of the same name described by Maundrell as four hours from Jerusalem, and two hours west of Bethel; or, as Ewald thinks, Beer beyond Jordan (Num 21:16). It is impossible to decide which, or whether any, of these is the place designated as Jotham s place of refuge.
HOMILETICS
Jdg 9:7-21
The handwriting on the wall.
Among the many dramatic scenes which invest the pages of Holy Scripture with such singular interest, and give them such a hold upon the minds of all who read them with intelligence, perhaps none is more striking than that depicted in the fifth chapter of the prophet Daniel. A gorgeous spectacle is there presented to our view. The monarch of one of those mighty Oriental monarchies, which were a fearful embodiment of irresponsible human power over the lives and destinies of millions, was sitting in high estate in the palace of his kingdom; around him were a thousand of the highest nobles of his empire; the walls of the banqueting hall were adorned with the symbols of his royal power, and the emblematic images of the Babylonian and Assyrian gods. Upon the king’s table were placed the golden and silver vessels which had once been used in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalemtrophies of past victory to feed his own pride with; trophies of the triumph of Bel and Nebo over the God of the Jews, with which to do homage to the gods of gold and silver, of brass and iron, of wood and stone. The wine sparkled in the goblets; the halls rang with hymns of blasphemous praise; insolent mirth, and voluptuous luxury, and security of power, and pride of dominion kept their high revel with audacious pomp. All faces were flushed with wine, all hearts beat high with self-confidence and arrogant success. One would have thought they held a lease of their power and pleasure for the term of eternity. The revel was at his height, when suddenly but noiselessly there came forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and upon the wall just opposite the king’s throne, on which the lamps were throwing the full glare of light, wrote the fatal words, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. The agony that passed over the king’s face, the tumultuous terror of his heart, the smiting of his trembling knees, the frightened cry for the astrologers and magicians, the impotent honours to the servant of the living God, the breaking up of the festival, the consternation of the company, were but the prelude to what the sacred writer records with such pithy brevity. “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdom.” Not very different in its spirit, though dressed in such a different garb, is the moral of the history in the verses which form the subject of our present meditation. By treachery, by wholesale fratricide, and by the help of the vainest and lightest in the land, the worthless Abimelech had risen to that place of kingly power which his great and patriotic father had refused to occupy. He had sought and obtained the co-operation of the idolatrous party among the people, he had appealed to the selfishness of the Shechemites, he had freely scattered bribes, and by such means he had obtained the desire of his heart. All seemed safe and prosperous, when from the heights of Gerizim a voice of ill omenit might seem a prophetic voice, certainly a voice big with unwelcome truthrang in the streets of Shechem. The passers-by, the throng in the market-place, the base adherents and flatterers of the new-made king, were startled by the sound, and looking up to the rock which overhung their town, saw Jotham, the youngest son of their great benefactor and deliverer Jerub-baal, of him who had saved their country from slavery, and their people from Baal-worship, and the one member of his family who had escaped from the murderer’s hand, standing upon the rocky ledge. With ready eloquence he caught their ear and fixed their attention, while he uttered his cutting rebuke, and poured out his prophetic curse. Surely the sweet morsel in the mouths of the successful conspirators must have turned to gall and wormwood as their own base ingratitude and treachery and the vileness of their worthless king were thus gibbeted before their eyes. Surely their guilty hearts must have sunk within them as the sure consequence of their misdeeds was held before their eyes with such marvellous power of conviction. It is this inevitable Nemesis, this certainty that men will reap what they have sown, this exposition of the naked hideousness of wrong-doing, this vileness of sin, breaking through all the glitter of success and all the glare of present prosperity, wealth, or power, in a word, the just judgment of God written by the finger of God upon the wall, or declared by the voice of God from the pulpits of his truth, that men so obstinately close their ears and shut their eyes to, but which the word of God so resolutely declares. It is the teacher’s office to proclaim it, to enforce it, to urge it, to insist upon it, whether men hear or whether they forbear. But there are certain bye-truths connected with this central one of the ultimate bursting of ungodly prosperity which we shall do well also to consider. One is the absence of cohesion in the various elements of evil. There can be no real lasting friendship between bad men; they are incapable of love. The bonds of interest and of some common evil purpose may bind them together for a time, but the shifting of these interests bursts those bonds asunder, and real hatred succeeds to seeming love. Unscrupulous ambition may coalesce with base ingratitude, but it is only for a moment. The only real and lasting union is that of love in Jesus Christ; and here is the security of the Church of God. The divers instruments of the powers of darkness may combine against her, and harm her for a moment, but they have no principle of cohesion in them. But the love which unites the saints to one another and to Christ is indissoluble and eternal. Thus, for example, infidelity and superstition may combine to destroy the faith, but they will soon turn against each other with deadly hatred as exasperated foes. They that are Christ’s will be one in Christ for ever and ever. The fable has also some striking touches of character which are very instructive. The forwardness and levity of empty self-conceit, the love of power just in proportion to a person’s unfitness to wield it, the utter unscrupulousness of a selfish ambition, the meanness of personal pride, the fickleness of men who have not the ballast of integrity to steady them; and, on the other hand, the humility of true greatness, the true dignity of being useful to others rather than of being exalted ourselves, the propriety of mind which enables a man to discern his right place and to perform his proper dutythese and many other traits of character which it is most profitable to discern come but spontaneously from the sharp imagery of the fable. It is no mean part of personal religion to perfect a man’s character in these and such like respects. The neglect of the lessons of Scripture in such practical details has sadly lessened the influence of religious men in the society in which they live. It has diminished their usefulness and lowered their happiness, while it has deprived the world of the full evidence which it might have had that God was in them of a truth.
HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR
Jdg 9:7-20
Jotham’s fable; or, popular election, its dangers and abuses.
The earliest instance in Scripture of this literary form. Proneness of the Eastern mind to apologue. Advantage of vivid, picturesque personification of principles and of natural objects. Cryptic teaching and political suggestion may be thus embodied. Christ’s parables instances of noblest use of this vehicle of thought. The following principles are taught by Jotham:
I. NATIONS MAY BE ACTUATED BY CAPRICE AND FALSE CRAVINGS, AS WELL AS BY MORAL OBLIGATION.
II. GOOD AND WORTHY MEN WILL REFUSE TO BE THE PLAYTHINGS AND VENAL INSTRUMENTS OF OTHERS.
III. THERE ARE SACRIFICES FOR WHICH POLITICAL ADVANCEMENT DOES NOT COMPENSATE, AND WHICH IT DOES NOT JUSTIFY ONE‘S MAKING.
IV. THE CHARACTER OF A PEOPLE IS REFLECTED IN THEIR POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES.
V. HIGH POSITION MAGNIFIES POWERS OF MISCHIEF AS OF BLESSING.
VI. THE TRUST THAT HAS BEEN WON BY UNWORTHY ACTS WILL BE AS BASELY BETRAYED.M.
Jdg 9:21
Strength in weakness.
How ridiculous does it sound: “Jotham ran away!” The bodily presence and outward achievements of really great men are often contemptible. But Jotham, like many another, is not to be estimated from without.
I. THE CONSCIENCE OF THE NATION WAS APPEALED TO THROUGH ITS IMAGINATION. He had shown himself to the whole people. The literary simplicity and charm of his fable would rivet the attention of men upon the essential wrong committed, and the folly.
II. THE MORAL FORCES OF THE WORLD ARE ITS STRONGEST, AND WILL IN THE END PREVAIL. The “case” had been portrayed by a stroke of genius, so that no craft or sophistry could ever justify it. The claim of Abimelech, etc. was stripped of all its pretensions. To leave a matter with the conscience of men and with God is often harder than to contest it by force of arms. Christ yielded to the physical force and perverted authority of the Jews, but by his bearing at the judgment and by the matchless clearness of his statements he put his persecutors for ever in the wrong, and became the mightiest Ruler the world has known.M.
HOMILIES BY W.F. ADENEY
Jdg 9:8-15
Jotham’s parable.
By casting his ideas in the form of a parable, Jotham not only makes them graphic and striking, he exalts them into the light of general principles, and thus teaches lessons which are applicable in all ages.
I. MEN ARE TOO READY TO SHELTER THEMSELVES UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERS OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING. The trees combined to elect a king; but this was contrary to their natural functions. They fulfilled their vocation perfectly in their individual life and fruit-bearing. So Israel resolved to have a king, though in opposition to the simple form of government which a realisation of the idea of the theocracy would have shown to be the noblest and happiest. Men trust too much to organisation; but organisation is injurious without wisdom and strength to use it aright. There is a common temptation to throw upon others the responsibility which should be borne in common. Thus in the kingdom of Christ the Church is inclined to leave to ministers and official persons the work which belongs to all her members. Men generally fear to be independent, though they are proud of their boasted liberty. The usual habit is to repose under the leadership of others. Such conduct implies unfaithfulness to our supreme King and the neglect of our own responsibility.
II. POSITIONS OF HONOUR DEMAND SACRIFICE FROM THOSE WHO CAN RIGHTLY OCCUPY THEM. Each of the fruit trees sees that it must sacrifice its own peculiar advantages in undertaking to rule over the forest. Rank and power involve loss of opportunities for private usefulness, anxiety, danger, responsibility. The quieter life is the happier. Nevertheless, it will be wrong to press these personal considerations to the neglect of public duty. For the good of others we should be willing to suffer personal inconvenience. It might have been better if one of the fruit trees had accepted the crown instead of letting it fall on the bramble. The selfishness which allows public offices to come into the hands Of inferior men is a sin on the part of the more capable.
III. USEFULNESS IS BETTER THAN BANK. The olive, the fig, and the vine are fruitful. Unless they were absolutely needed as kings, the world would be the poorer by their forsaking their useful vocations for the glory of royalty. It is better to feel that we are doing good, however obscurely, than that we are reaping barren honours. God is glorified not by our fame or rank, but by our fruitfulness (Joh 15:8). To bear good fruit we must be rooted like the treebe content, patient, willing to fill a small space if God be glorified. There is nothing so fatal to Christian fruitfulness as ambition.
IV. THE LOWEST NATURES ARE THE MOST AMBITIOUS. The bramble alone covets the crown. Ambition aims at greatness, but it arises out of littleness. The ambition of great men is their weakness, the smallest, meanest thing in them. True greatness will perceive the hollowness of the rewards of ambition, and the true glory of honest, faithful work in whatever sphere it is done. We must not therefore be deceived into judging of the fitness of a man for any post by the eagerness with which he seeks it. For ourselves we should learn that self-seeking in all its branches is a low and despicable habit of life.
V. THE EXALTATION OF THE MEAN WILL END IN DISASTER. Weakness is better than ill-lodged power. Better have no king than a bad king. As a good government is the first blessing of a nation, so a bad government is its greatest curse. They who enter blindly into needless obligations will have their eyes opened when these begin to work them harm. It is easier to confer power than to withdraw it. There is one King under whose shadow all can rest secure (Isa 11:1-5).A.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
DISCOURSE: 271
JOTHAMS PARABLE
Jdg 9:7-15. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
THE method of instructing by parables is of great antiquity: it obtained among the Jews from the earliest period of their history: but the first that is recorded, and indeed the first extant in the world, is that which we have just read. The peculiar excellence of that mode of instruction is, that it arrests the attention more forcibly, and conveys knowledge more easily, than a train of reasoning could do; and convinces the judgment, before that prejudice has had time to bar the entrance of truth into the mind. The parable before us is exceeding beautiful, and admirably adapted to the occasion on which it was spoken. That we may open it fully, we shall consider,
I.
The occasion of it
Gideon had refused the promotion which all Israel had offered him
[After the expulsion of the Midianites, the men of Israel proposed to make Gideon their king, and to perpetuate that honour in his family: but Gideon, having no reason to think that this invitation was from God, and being desirous that God alone should be the king of his people, declined the honour, saying, The Lord shall rule over you [Note: Jdg 8:22-23.]. At the same time, wishing to preserve the remembrance of those astonishing victories which God had wrought for them by him, he requested his victorious soldiers to give him the golden earrings which they had taken from the Midianites, together with the chains which were about the necks of their camels: and with them he made a very splendid ephod, which was consecrated unto God. Whether he intended to make use of this ephod in the place of that which had been made for Aaron [Note: Exo 28:6-12.], we cannot say; but we have no doubt of his having sincerely intended to honour God by it; though, alas! through the proneness of the heart to superstition and idolatry, it became a snare to him, and to his house [Note: Jdg 8:27.]. In a word, he affected not honour for himself and his family, but desired only that God should be glorified.]
After his death however, Abimelech aspired to, and gained, the throne of Israel
[Gideon had seventy sons by many different wives; and, by a concubine, one, whom he called Abimelech. This bastard son, being of an ambitious mind, made use of his mothers relations to impress the minds of the Shechemites with an idea, that all the seventy sons of Gideon would be so many petty tyrants among them; and that it would be better for them to have one king over them, than so many; and that, if they were of that opinion, they would do better to choose Abimelech, who was related to them, than any of the others, who had no particular interest in their welfare. Having thus insinuated himself into the favour of the Shechemites, he prevailed upon them to supply him with money out of the treasury of Baal-berith, their idol: and with that he hired vain and light persons to go with him and murder all his seventy brethren. What an awful proof is this, of the cruel nature of ambition, which could instigate him to such an inhuman act; and of the ease with which instruments may be procured to perpetrate any evil that the human heart can conceive! The deliberation with which this bloody man executed his project, was truly astonishing: one would have supposed, at least, that he would murder them all hastily in their beds; but, as though he delighted in that accursed work, he brought them all forth, and slew them all on one stone [Note: ver. 5, 18.]. Jotham alone, the youngest of them all, escaped: and, when he was informed that Abimelech had been made king, he availed himself of an opportunity which some public meeting of the Shechemites afforded him, to stand on Mount Gerizim, and address the principal inhabitants. His address was short, as one would naturally expect: but it was much to the purpose; and it was contained in the parable which we have read, together with a brief application of it to their own conduct.]
Such was the occasion of the parable: we proceed to explain,
II.
The import
Two leading truths are contained in it;
1.
That worthless men affect the honours which the wise and good decline
[The character of the wise and good is fitly represented by those valuable trees, the olive, the fig, and the vine. The olive-tree was useful for the honouring of God in the sacrifices, and man in his attainment of royal or priestly honours: the fig-tree was productive of most delicious fruit: and the vine, by its generous juices, cheered the heart of man, at the same time that it afforded acceptable libations unto God. What more beautiful images could have been found, whereby to portray the character of a man who lives only to honour God, and to benefit his fellow-creatures? Such a man was Gideon; who, sensible of the snares and difficulties of royalty, was desirous rather to do good in the station in which God had placed him, than, by an elevation to a higher sphere, to encumber himself with anxious and unproductive cares [Note: The marginal reading is, To go up and down for other trees; which is strongly expressive of this idea.].
On the other hand, the bramble fitly represented a worthless person, who, grasping at power, is ready to obtain it by any means; and, whilst he is extravagant in his demands of confidence, is cruel and oppressive to all who are not subservient to his will. Such exactly was Abimelech: he promised great things to Shechem, whilst he gave them, in the first moment of his advancement, an evidence of his atrocity, and a sure pledge of his future tyranny.
What was primarily intended to mark the characters of Gideon and Abimelech, is applicable to man in every age. The wise and good are unambitious. If clearly called of God to any office, they undertake it, as Gideon did, for the Lords sake: but they do not seek advancement for themselves: they do not affect situations of dignity and power: they cultivate an humble and contented mind; and study rather to be good than great. Not so the noisy demagogue, who depreciates and defames others, only the more effectually to exalt himself.]
2.
That they who unduly affect honour, and they who unjustly confer it, will prove sources of misery to each other
[This was intimated in the parable, but more fully explained in the subsequent application of it. Jotham appealed to the consciences of the men of Shechem, whether they had acted as they ought to have done towards Gideon and his family: if they could say they had, he wished them every benefit from Abimelechs administration, which they themselves could desire: but, if not, then he warned them that they would prove a curse to each other [Note: ver. 1620.].
And this also is a general truth, that usurpers seldom fail of being a curse to the people whom they govern, and that those who aided them in their usurpation rarely continue faithful to them in a day of adversity. Were an instance wanted to confirm this truth, we need only look at all the powers of Europe who have been successively cajoled and injured by the great oppressor of the continent; who, having waded to his throne through seas of blood, stops not at any measures that may consolidate or extend his ill-gotten authority. And what returns he will receive from those who have contributed to his exaltation, time will shew: but, as he is even now regarded by them as a plague to the earth, it will be a miracle if they do not, when a fit opportunity occurs, prove also a plague to him [Note: How abundantly has this been verified, since the Tyrants Retreat from Moscow! Many of his Allies in the invasion of Russia contributed afterwards to his downfall, and to his present humiliation at St. Helena. (Written in 1825.)].]
This parable was in the nature of a prophecy; of which we now proceed to consider,
III.
The accomplishment
[Never was a prophecy more exactly fulfilled. The triumph of the wicked is short. For three years Abimelech enjoyed the fruit of his wickedness: but then God sent an evil spirit between him and the Shechemites, and stirred them up to deal treacherously with him [Note: ver. 23.]. What the cause of their disaffection was, we know not: but they so hated him, as to set assassins to lie in wait for him, and destroy him [Note: ver. 25.]. Their disloyalty appearing, one soon rose up to foment the division, and to head the conspiracy. Turbulent persons are never wanting to fan the flames of discord, and to seek their own elevation on the ruin of others. Such an one was Gaal, who, though probably a Canaanite, proposed himself as the fitter person to govern the state, and encouraged them at a drunken revel to curse and execrate Abimelech. Zebul however, a chief officer in the city, retained, though covertly, his allegiance to Abimelech; and sent him word of all that passed, together with directions for crushing the conspiracy. At the same time he endeavoured to lull asleep the fears of Gaal, so that he might be taken by surprise; and, when Gaal could no longer be deceived, he urged him, in the same derisive strain, to go forth and meet his adversary in the field of battle: but no sooner had Gaal gone forth, than Zebul interposed to cut off his retreat to the city [Note: ver. 2638, 41.]. The plan of Zebul succeeded: Abimelech speedily overthrew Gaal and his adherents; then he proceeded to fight against the other conspirators in the city; and, having taken the city, he slew all its inhabitants. Some indeed took refuge in a tower; which however, by cutting down branches of trees from an adjacent wood, and setting them on fire, he instantly destroyed, together with a thousand people that were in it. Having desolated thus the whole place, he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt, in token that its destruction should be perpetual [Note: ver. 3949.].
The revenge of Abimelech, one might have supposed, would by this time have been satisfied: but it was not so: for, as there were many dissatisfied persons at Thebez also, a neighbouring city, he went and slew them also: and, when some of them also took refuge in a tower, he proceeded to use the same stratagem against them: but being grown incautious from success, he went too near the tower, so that a woman threw a piece of a millstone upon his head, and brake his skull: and he, indignant at the thought of being killed by a woman, ordered his armour-bearer to slay him, that it might not be said, A woman slew him [Note: ver. 5054.].
Behold now how exactly the parable was verified! God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and his subjects, on purpose that their ingratitude to Gideon and his family might be punished [Note: ver. 23, 24.]; and the issue of the contest, as the historian remarks, was a literal accomplishment of Jothams prediction; Abimelech and the Shechemites mutually proving a scourge and a curse to each other [Note: ver. 56, 57.].]
From this history then we may learn,
1.
To be unambitious in prosperity
[Never had man a better opportunity to gratify ambition than Gideon: yet he forbore to do it, and preferred the station which God in his providence had assigned him. In this he was truly wise. The acquisition of power is, in fact, the dereliction of ease. The increase of comforts by means of it bears no proportion to the increase of cares. Solomon in all his grandeur found nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit. Jeremiahs advice to Baruch is worthy the attention of all: Seekest thou great things unto thyself? seek them not.]
2.
To be patient in adversity
[Great indeed was the cause of complaint which Jotham had both against Abimelech and the Shechemites: yet behold, here were no invectives against them: he contented himself with simply declaring in Gods name his testimony against them. Had he been an uninterested person, he could not have borne his testimony in milder terms. This is a pattern which we shall do well to follow. Let us therefore not render evil for evil, or railing for railing, but commit ourselves to Him who judgeth righteously.]
3.
To look forward to a future time of retribution
[We may appear for a season to succeed, and to reap a pleasant fruit from the iniquities we have sown. But what did Abimelechs success avail him at the end of three years? and what thinks he of all his murders at this hour? So we may appear to succeed in the acquisition of unlawful pleasures or dishonest gains: but what shall we reap from such practices in a little time? and what comfort will our confederates in iniquity afford us at the last day? Now the vile seducer or the base adulterer may rejoice in, and with, his guilty companions: but what execrations will they mutually vent against each other, when Gods time is come! Know ye, Beloved, that evil pursueth sinners; and though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord, by his providence, had saved Jotham, from the general massacre of his brethren, and no doubt, the same gracious God, which had saved him from destruction, led him to make the declaration to the Shechemites, for there was much of a prophetic spirit in what he spake.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 9:7 And when they told [it] to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
Ver. 7. And when they told it to Jotham. ] He only escaped of all the seventy sons, to tell Abimelech and his Shechemites their own, and that on the coronation day too; thundering out God’s curses from the very mountain of blessings. This could not but be terrible, and much dissweeten that day’s solemnity. Sed surdis fabulam. Where ambition hath possessed itself thoroughly of the soul, it turneth the heart into steel, and maketh it incapable of a conscience.
Hearken unto me, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4. Not Jehovah in covenant.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Bramble King
Jdg 9:7-21
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 Cromwells 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, Heb 6:8. It stands, therefore, for the useless and perilous life, which is doomed to the scrap-heap. See 1Co 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 Jdg 9:17; Jdg 19:1-30.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
mount Gerizim: Deu 11:29, Deu 27:12, Jos 8:33, Joh 4:20
Hearken: Psa 18:40, Psa 18:41, Psa 50:15-21, Pro 1:28, Pro 1:29, Pro 21:13, Pro 28:9, Isa 1:15, Isa 58:6-10, Mat 18:26-34, Jam 2:13
Reciprocal: Gen 4:23 – hear Gen 37:6 – Hear 1Sa 26:13 – the top 2Sa 12:1 – There were 1Ki 20:39 – Thy servant 2Ch 13:4 – Hear me 2Ch 15:2 – Hear ye me Job 13:6 – General Job 21:2 – Hear Pro 26:1 – so Isa 32:9 – give ear Isa 40:9 – get Jam 2:5 – Hearken
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 9:7. Jotham stood in the top of mount Gerizim Which overlooked the city of Shechem. This was not on the same day when Abimelech was inaugurated, but some time after. The valley between Gerizim and Ebal was a famous place, employed for the solemn reading of the law, and its blessings and curses; and it is probable it was still used, even by the superstitious and idolatrous Israelites, for such occasions, who delighted to use the same places which their ancestors had used. And lifted up his voice and cried So that they who stood in the valley might hear, though not suddenly come at him to take him. Ye men of Shechem Who were here met together upon a solemn occasion, as Josephus notes, Abimelech being absent; that God may hearken unto you When you cry unto him for mercy; so he conjures and persuades them to give him a patient audience.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jdg 9:7-21. Jothams Fable.Only in an apologue could Jotham, the sole survivor of Abimelechs massacre, express what was in his bitter, broken heart. The point of his fable is easily caught. His father and his brothers were the fruitful treesolive, fig-tree and vinewho declined to rule over the other trees; his half-brother is the bramble who has accepted the kingship, but who will presently set on fire the cedars of Lebanon. If the Shechemites have acted in good faith to Jerubbaal in choosing Abimelech as king, may they have joy of the choice; but if not, may their king be a devouring fire among them!
Jdg 9:7. How Jotham got an audience at the top of Gerizim is not said. The language is not to be pressed, and a wellknown crag overlooking the town has been pointed out as a natural pulpit.
Jdg 9:9. Read Shall I leave my fatness, with which gods and men are honoured? This plain sense was avoided, from motives of reverence, in some versions, but see Jdg 9:13, where read gods for God. Oil was used in Semitic religious observances, being poured upon the sacred stones which were associated with the Divine presence (Gen 28:18; Gen 35:14). Wine was used in libations and sacred feasts.
Jdg 9:15. The bramble is the rhamnus; thorns in Psa 58:9. The exquisite absurdity of the political situation at Shechem, as conceived by Jotham, is suggested by the brambles self-complacent Come and put your trust in my shadow. Fine words, but the bramble will soon show its true character; the crackling of thorns under the cedars will reveal the incendiary.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Jotham’s fable 9:7-21
Before Abimelech’s sole surviving brother went into hiding, he uttered a protest against Abimelech that predicted the effect of his rule. Jotham (lit. Yahweh is perfect, honest) stood on the same mountain where six of Israel’s tribes had declared the blessings of abiding by the Law of Yahweh and denounced the Shechemites for their foolish and wicked actions. The contrast between the Israelites’ commitments in Joshua 8, 24 and this passage must be one reason the writer included Abimelech’s story in Judges.
Jotham’s fable was a parable with a moral (cf. 2Sa 12:1-4; 2Ki 14:9-10). It is generally recognized as the first parable in the Bible. The olive and fig trees and the grape vine represented productive human beings-oil, figs, and wine being among the most important products of Canaan. Brambles bore no fruit and offered no shelter or protection. They only injured those who got too close to them. Moreover they spontaneously burst into flames in hot weather and sometimes caused much damage consequently (Jdg 9:15). Obviously the bramble represented Abimelech, the trees and vine more noble individuals, and the cedars of Lebanon the upright leaders of Shechem. [Note: For parallels to this fable in ancient Near Eastern literature, see W. C. van Wyk, "The Fable of Jotham in its Ancient Near Eastern Setting," in Studies in Wisdom Literature, pp. 89-95.]
Having finished his message Jotham fled to Beer (lit. Well, site uncertain) where he hid from his brother’s wrath. However, Beer may not have been the name of a town. Jotham may have hidden in some empty well for a long time (cf. 2Sa 17:18-21).