Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:5
And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, [being] threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
5. upon one stone ] as if they were sacrificial victims (cf. 1Sa 14:33 f.); perhaps also to avoid promiscuous blood-shed. For this Oriental manner of inaugurating a new reign cf. 2Ki 10:1 ff; 2Ki 11:1. Jotham escaped, like Joash 2Ki 11:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Such wholesale slaughters have always been common in Eastern monarchies, and are among the fruits of polygamy.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Slew his brethren] His brothers by the father’s side, Jdg 8:30. This was a usual way of securing an ill-gotten throne; the person who had no right destroying all those that had right, that he might have no competitors.
Yet Jotham – was left] That is, all the seventy were killed except Jotham, if there were not seventy besides Jotham. All the histories of all the nations of the earth are full of cruelties similar to those of Abimelech: cousins, uncles, brothers, husbands, and fathers have been murdered by their cousins, nephews, brothers, wives, and children, in order that they might have the undisturbed possession of an ill-gotten throne. Europe, Asia, and Africa, can witness all this. Even now, some of these horribly obtained governments exist.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The sons of Jerubbaal; the only persons who were likely to hinder him in establishing his tyranny.
Threescore and ten persons; wanting one, who is here expressed; and these synecdochical expressions are frequent in Scripture: see Gen 35:26; 42:13; Num 14:32,33; Joh 20:24; 1Co 15:5.
Upon one stone; whereby he would signify that this was either,
1. An act of justice, in cutting them all off in an orderly manner, for some supposed crime probably as designing sedition and rebellion; or,
2. An act of religion, in avenging the dishonour and injury done to Baal by Gideon, Jdg 6:27,28, upon his children, whom he offered up as so many sacrifices to Baal upon this stone, which served for an altar; and for this reason it seems the money was taken out of Baals house, because it was to be laid out in his service.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. went unto . . . Ophrah, and slewhis brethren i. e., upon one stoneThis isthe first mention of a barbarous atrocity which has, with appallingfrequency, been perpetrated in the despotic countries of theEastthat of one son of the deceased monarch usurping the throneand hastening to confirm himself in the possession by the massacre ofall the natural or legitimate competitors. Abimelech slew hisbrethren on one stone, either by dashing them from one rock,or sacrificing them on one stone altar, in revenge for the demolitionof Baal’s altar by their father. This latter view is the moreprobable, from the Shechemites (Jud9:24) aiding in it.
threescore and ten personsAround number is used, but it is evident that two are wanting tocomplete that number.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah,…. Which, according to Bunting a, was ten miles from Shechem:
and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, upon one stone: in which he was assisted by the ruffians he had hired with seventy pieces of silver; these were laid one after another upon one and the same stone, as being convenient for the execution of them; or as serving as an altar on which they were sacrificed to Baal, out of whose temple the money was taken to hire the executioners with. They are said to be seventy that were slain, though one escaped, the round number being given, as in many other instances, as in
Ge 46:27,
notwithstanding, yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; or remained alive, not out of compassion to his youth, but because he could not be found:
for he hid himself; for no doubt Abimelech, and his crew, were most forward to lay hold of the eldest, and sacrifice them first, as being most in his way; this gave Jotham the youngest not only notice of their design, but an opportunity of providing for his safety, or however his friends; for it may be rendered, as in some versions, “he was hidden” b, that is, by others.
a Travels of the Patriarchs, c. p. 111. b Sept. “absconditus est”, V. L. “qui absconditus fuit”, Tigurine version so the Targum.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) And he went unto his fathers house at Ophrah.Probably, like Absalom, he seized the opportunity of some local or family feast at which all his brethren would be assembled (2Sa. 13:23); it may even have been the anniversary of Gideons vision.
Slew his brethren . . .This is the first mention in Scripture of the hideous custom, which is so common among all Oriental despots, of anticipating conspiracies by destroying all their brothers and near kinsmen. (Comp. Pope, Epistle to Arbuthnot: Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne.) There is little affection and much jealousy in polygamous households. Abimelech by this vile wickedness set a fatal precedent, which was followed again and again in the kingdom of Israel by Baasha (1Ki. 15:29), Zimri (1Ki. 16:11), Jehu (2Ki. 10:7), and probably by other kings (2 Kings 15); and by Athaliah (2Ki. 11:1) in the kingdom of Judah. Herod also put to death most of his kinsmen, and some of his sons (see Life of Christ, i. 43). Seneca says, Nec regna socium ferre, nec taedae sciuntnor realms nor weddings admit a sharer (Agam. 259).
Threescore and ten persons.Jotham is counted in this number.
Upon one stone.Perhaps on the rock on which was built Gideons altar; at any rate, by some formal execution. How ruthlessly these murders were carried out we see from 2Ki. 10:7, and from many events in Eastern history. On one occasion, at a banquet in Damascus. Abdallah-Ebn-Ali murdered no less than ninety of the rival dynasty of the Ommiades.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Upon one stone That is, he made his brethren prisoners, and then led them out, and subjected them to a formal execution all at one place and time. Perhaps the place of execution was the rock where the angel had revealed himself to Gideon. Jdg 6:20. This massacre, says Keil, was “a bloody omen of the kingdom of the ten tribes, which was afterwards founded at Shechem by Jeroboam, in which one dynasty overthrew another, and generally sought to establish its power by exterminating the whole family of the dynasty that had been overthrown. Even in Judah, Athaliah, the worshipper of Baal, sought to usurp the government by exterminating the whole of the descendants of her son.2 Kings 11. Such fratricides have also occurred in quite recent times in the Mohammedan countries of the East.” Abimelech has the unenviable distinction of giving the first example of that barbarous system of state policy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left. For he hid himself ’
Abimelech and his band presumably came on the brothers by surprise and took them captive, then they took them to a large stone and used it as an execution block. It may have been an official execution site. This may have been done officially on some pretext of treason, while the men of the town were in the fields, arriving back too late to protest.
Or it may even have been done as a human sacrifice to Melech, supposedly on behalf of his dead father (compare for such a stone for killing, 1Sa 14:33). After all his name was Abi-melech (Melech is my father). But normally such sacrifices would ‘pass through the fire’, and there is no mention of fire here.
Similar activities to ensure accession by sons of dead kings were elsewhere an expected part of life, which would partly explain why there was so little furore. It was seen as an internal royal matter, and who was to argue with a son of the king with a strong band of mercenaries? All this is the more easily explicable if Gideon had officially been seen as their prince.
“But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left. For he hid himself.” One, however, of the sons survived, seeing what was happening and managing to hide.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 9:5. Upon one stone It has been conjectured from this by some, that Abimelech intended to make his brethren a great victim to Baal; for a stone was sometimes used for an altar, 1Sa 6:14-15.; and so they take this to be done in revenge of the sacrifice of the bullock prepared for Baal, chap. Jdg 6:25-26. Which crime of Gideon, as these idolaters account it, they designed to expiate by the sacrifice of all his sons.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
See how the dreadful pursuit is marked. It is all written in blood. And to such a wretched state is Israel at this time, as a nation, reduced that instead of punishing, according to God’s righteous law, the murderer, he is advanced with one voice to the throne. Oh, gracious God! how infinitely to be prized, in this view of the picture of the human heart, is thy preventing and restraining grace.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 9:5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, [being] threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
Ver. 5. And slew his brethren. ] So did afterwards Joram, the degenerate son of good Jehoshaphat; Romulus, first king of Rome; Jugurtha, king of tbe Numidians; and so doth the great Turk to this day, so soon as he cometh to the kingdom, that he may have no competitors.
Upon one stone.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
at Ophrah: Jdg 6:24
slew: 2Ki 10:17, 2Ki 11:1, 2Ki 11:2, 2Ch 21:4, Mat 2:16, Mat 2:20
Reciprocal: Jdg 8:30 – threescore Jdg 8:35 – showed Jdg 9:18 – are risen 1Ki 1:12 – the life 1Ki 11:3 – seven hundred 2Ki 10:7 – slew seventy 1Ch 5:17 – Jotham 2Ch 13:21 – begat Ecc 10:8 – that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 9:5. He went and slew his brethren The persons who were most likely to hinder him in establishing his tyranny. Threescore and ten Wanting one, as is here expressed. Here we see the power of ambition; what savage beasts it will render men to each other; how it will break through all the ties of natural affection, and natural conscience, and sacrifice that which is most sacred, dear, and valuable to its designs. We see also the peril attending high birth and honour. It was their being the sons of so great a man as Gideon that made Abimelech jealous of them, and exposed them thus to danger and to death. We find just the same number of Ahabs sons slain together at Samaria, 2Ki 10:1. Let none then, says Henry, envy those of high extraction, or complain of their own meanness and obscurity: the lower the safer. Upon one stone As a stone was sometimes used for an altar, (1Sa 6:14,) some have conjectured from hence, that Abimelech intended to make his brethren a great victim to Baal, in revenge of the sacrifice of the bullock prepared for Baal, chap. Jdg 6:25; and to expiate the crime of Gideon, as these idolaters accounted it, by the sacrifice of all his sons.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and {c} slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, [being] threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
(c) Thus tyrants to establish their usurped power, spare not the innocent blood, 2Ki 10:7, 2Ch 21:4.