Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:50
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
50 57 . The end of Abimelech
50 . Thebez ] 2Sa 11:21, probably the modern bs, about 10 m. N.E. of Nblus on the road to Bsn; so Eusebius, On. Sacr., 262, 44. Perhaps Thebez had been subject to Abimelech and had joined the revolt of Shechem.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The men of Thebez (modern Tubas) had, doubtless, joined the Shechemites in their rebellion against Abimelech.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thebez; another town near to Shechem; and, as it seems, within its territory.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez,and encamped against Thebeznow Tubasnot far from Shechem.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then went Abimelech to Thebez,…. Which, according to Ben Gersom, had rebelled against him; it was near to Shechem. Adrichomius says p, the ruins, where he thinks stood the city of Thebez, were but one furlong from Neapolis or Shechem, where, to the left of Jacob’s well, were to be seen ruins of a large town, marble stones, whole pillars, and other signs of large palaces, and the soil wonderfully fruitful; and Jerome says q, that in his time there was a village called Thebes, on the borders of Neapolis or Shechem, as you go to Scythopolis, thirteen miles from it. It must be near Shechem, inhabited by Shechemites, to fulfil Jotham’s curse, Jud 9:20
and encamped against Thebez, and took it: it seems not to have held out long, being deserted by its inhabitants, who fled to the tower, as follows.
p Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 70. q De loc. Heb. 95. D.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
At length the fate predicted by Jotham (Jdg 9:20) overtook Abimelech.
Jdg 9:50-54 He went from Shechem to Thebez, besieged the town, and took it. Thebez, according to the Onom. thirteen miles from Neapolis (Shechem) on the road to Scythopolis (Beisan), has been preserved in the large village of Tubs on the north of Shechem (see Rob. Pal. iii. p. 156, and Bibl. Res. p. 305). This town possessed a strong tower, in which men and women and all the inhabitants of the town took refuge and shut themselves in. But when Abimelech advanced to the tower and drew near to the door to set it on fire, a woman threw a millstone down upon him from the roof of the tower and smashed his skull, whereupon he called hastily to the attendant who carried his weapons to give him his death-blow with his sword, that men might not say of him “a woman slew him.” , the upper millstone which was turned round, lapis vector (see Deu 24:6). : from , with a toneless i, possibly to distinguish it from (from ). , an unusual form for , which is found in the edition of Norzi (Mantua, 1742).
Jdg 9:55-57 After the death of Abimelech his army was dissolved. are the Israelites who formed Abimelech’s army. In Jdg 9:56, Jdg 9:57, the historian closes this account with the remark, that in this manner God recompensed Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who had supported him in the murder of his brothers (Jdg 9:2), according to their doings. After the word “ rendered ” in Jdg 9:56 we must supply “upon his head,” as in Jdg 9:57. Thus Jotham’s curse was fulfilled upon Abimelech and upon the Shechemites, who had made him king.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Death of Abimelech. | B. C. 1206. |
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
We have seen the ruin of the Shechemites completed by the hand of Abimelech; and now it comes to his turn to be reckoned with who was their leader in villany. Thebez was a small city, probably not far from Shechem, dependent upon it, and in confederacy with it. Now,
I. Abimelech attempted the destruction of this city (v. 50), drove all the inhabitants of the town into the castle, or citadel, v. 51. When he had them there he did not doubt but he should do the same execution here that he had lately done at the strong-hold of the temple of Baal-berith, not considering that the tower of an idol-temple lay more exposed to divine vengeance than any other tower. He attempted to set fire to this tower, at least to burn down the door, and so force an entrance, v. 52. Those who have escaped and succeeded well in one desperate attempt are apt to think the like attempt another time not desperate. This instance was long after quoted to show how dangerous it is to come near the call of a besieged city, 2Sa 11:20; 2Sa 11:21, c. But God infatuates those whom he will ruin.
II. In the attempt he was himself destroyed, having his brains knocked out with a piece of a millstone, <i>v. 57. No doubt this man was a murderer, whom, though he had escaped the dangers of the war with Shechem, yet vengeance suffered not to live, Acts xxviii. 4. Evil pursues sinners, and sometimes overtakes them when they are not only secure, but triumphant. Thebez, we may suppose, was a weak inconsiderable place, compared with Shechem. Abimelech, having conquered the greater, makes no doubt of being master of the less without any difficulty, especially when he had taken the city, and had only the tower to deal with; yet he lays his bones by that, and there is all his honour buried. Thus are the mighty things of the world often confounded by the weakest and those things that are most made light of. See here what rebukes those are justly put under many times by the divine providence that are unreasonable in their demands of satisfaction for injuries received. Abimelech had some reason to chastise the Shechemites, and he had done it with a witness; but when he will carry his revenges further, and nothing will serve but that Thebez also must be sacrificed to his rage, he is not only disappointed there, but destroyed; for verily there is a God that judges in the earth. Three circumstances are worthy of observation in the death of Abimelech:– 1. That he was slain with a stone, as he had slain his brethren all upon one stone. 2. That he had his skull broken. Vengeance aimed at that guilty head which had worn the usurped crown. 3. That the stone was cast upon him by a woman, v. 53. He saw the stone come; it was therefore strange he did not avoid it, but, no doubt, this made it so much the greater mortification to him to see from what hand it came. Sisera died by a woman’s hand and knew it not; but Abimelech not only fell by the hand of a woman but knew it, and, when he found himself ready to breathe his last, nothing troubled him so much as this, that it should be said, A woman slew him. See, (1.) His foolish pride, in laying so much to heart this little circumstance of his disgrace. Here was no care taken about his precious soul, no concern what would become of that, no prayer to God for his mercy; but very solicitous he is to patch up his shattered credit, when there is no patching his shattered skull. “O let it never be said that such a mighty man as Abimelech was killed by a woman!” The man was dying, but his pride was alive and strong, and the same vain-glorious humour that had governed him all along appears now at last. Qualis vita, finis ita–As was his life, such was his death. As God punished his cruelty by the manner of his death, so he punished his pride by the instrument of it. (2.) His foolish project to avoid this disgrace; nothing could be more ridiculous; his own servant must run him through, not to rid him the sooner out of his pain, but that men say not, A woman slew him. Could he think that this would conceal what the woman had done, and not rather proclaim it the more? Nay, it added to the infamy of his death, for hereby he became a self-murderer. Better have it said, A woman slew him, than that it should be said, His servant slew him by his own order; yet now both will be said of him to his everlasting reproach. And it is observable that this very thing which Abimelech was in such care to conceal appears to have been more particularly remembered by posterity than most passages of his history; for Joab speaks of it as that which he expected David would reproach him with, for coming so nigh the wall, 2 Sam. xi. 21. The ignominy we seek to avoid by sin we do but perpetuate the remembrance of.
III. The issue of all is that Abimelech being slain, 1. Israel’s peace was restored, and an end was put to this civil war; for those that followed him departed every man to his place, v. 55. 2. God’s justice was glorified (Jdg 9:56; Jdg 9:57): Thus God punished the wickedness of Abimelech, and of the men of Shechem, and fulfilled Jotham’s curse, for it was not a curse causeless. Thus he preserved the honour of his government, and gave warning to all ages to expect blood for blood. The Lord is known by the judgments which he executes, when the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Though wickedness may prosper awhile, it will not prosper always.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Death of Abimelech Jdg. 9:50-57
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelechs head, and all to break his skull.
54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died,
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
19.
Why did Abimelech go to Thebez? Jdg. 9:50
Thebez was a place thirteen miles north and east of Shechem, now called Tubas. It was situated on a gentle hill, surrounded by large groves of olives and well cultivated fields. The city must have refused to submit to the rule of Abimelech; because after he had reduced Shechem to ruins, he turned his attention towards the people of this city. It was here that he found a strong tower into which all of the inhabitants had gathered for safety, climbing even to the roof of the tower. In the flush of victory, Abimelech threw caution away, and a woman cast a piece of upper millstone upon his head.
20.
What was a millstone? Jdg. 9:53
Generally, the upper millstone was a round stone. It is called lapis vector in Latin. Jesus said that it was better for a man to have a millstone to be tied around his neck and be cast into the sea rather than that he cause one of His followers to stumble (Luk. 17:2). This was Jesus way of saying that having a millstone around ones neck was certain destruction if he were cast into the sea. Millstones were very heavy. Even a piece of one was sufficient to crush the skull of the ignominious Abimelech.
21.
What was the curse of Jotham? Jdg. 9:57
When Jotham gave his fable before the people of Shechem, he said that if the people had been sincere and just in their dealings with Jerubbaal, then the house of Abimelech should stand as a beneficent monarchy. If, on the other hand, they had been unjust in allowing him to hire vain fellows and kill all of Gideons descendants except himself, Jotham prayed that fire would come to devour the men of Shechem and Abimelech. Abimelech set fire to the city of Shechem and the stronghold at Thebez. In the process, however, Abimelech, himself, met his death. Thus, the prayer of Jotham was answered. His prayer was a prediction which he evidently made in the form of a curse, contingent upon the will of God.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(50) Thebez.One of the cities in the league of Baal of the Covenant, perhaps, Tubas, ten miles north-east of Shechem, on a mound among the hills.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
50. To Thebez Where another insurrection had broken out. The site of Thebez is marked by the modern village Tubas, about ten miles northeast of Shechem.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.’
The insurrection in Shechem had spread. Abimelech had not been reigning as a prince of Israel long and already there was general dissatisfaction. It was not only his kingship at Shechem, with their syncretistic beliefs, that was in question, but his princeship over his part of Israel. Thebez was a fortified city in the hill country of Ephraim. It is modern Tubas about ten miles (sixteen kilometres) north of Nablus and twelve miles (nineteen kilometres) north east of Shechem on the road to Beth-shan. But Abimelech was an able general, and besieged it and took it.
It is possible that the city had sheltered refugees from Shechem and had refused to give them up. Or that they had refused Abimelech entrance when he had demanded it in order to search for refugees. Or even that they had withheld taxes levied by him. This was the problem with having a prince. He expected some financial gain from it. But in some way they had indicated their unwillingness now to accept him as prince.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 9:50. Unto Thebez This was a city supposed to have revolted from Abimelech, in the neighbourhood of Shechem, in the tribe of Ephraim, situated, according to Eusebius and St. Jerome, at thirteen miles distance from Shechem.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jdg 9:50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
Ver. 50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez. ] Elijah the Tishbite’s country, and more famous for him than Thebes, in Greece, was afterwards for Pindarus the poet.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thebez: According to Eusebius, thirteen miles from Shechem, towards Scythopolis. Jdg 9:50
Reciprocal: 1Ki 16:17 – besieged Tirzah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 9:50-57. The Death of Abimelech.He went on burning and destroying till from the tower of Thebez (p. 30) a woman threw a mill-stone which crashed through his skull. That he might not be said to have died by a womans hand he begged his armour-bearer to give him the coup de grace. His death scene is strikingly like that of Saul, in whose person the kingship was revived (2Sa 1:9).
Jdg 9:56. The closing verses point the moral of a tale which Greek poets would have woven into a tragic drama of fate. In the field of destiny men reap as they have sown.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Abimelech’s death 9:50-57
Abimelech suffered an ignominious death suitable to a man of his character. Thebez (Jdg 9:50) was probably another name for Tirzah northeast of Shechem. [Note: Monson, p. 110.] The modern town is Tubas. The upper millstone the woman threw down on Abimelech was probably about 18 inches in diameter. [Note: See The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Mill, Millstone," by A. R. Millard.] Again, a woman proved to be the deliverer of her people, this time from an Israelite tyrant out of control. When Abimelech died, his army dissolved (Jdg 9:55). The writer of the Book of Judges ascribed his death and the fate of the Shechemites to God, who punished them for their wickedness (Jdg 9:56-57; cf. Jdg 9:32). Jotham’s fable proved prophetic (Jdg 9:57). This first attempt to set up a monarchy in Israel failed miserably.
"Abimelech’s request to be finished off by his armor-bearer is similar to Saul’s later request, so as to avoid dishonor (see 1Sa 31:4). Thus, the careers of Israel’s first self-made king, Abimelech, and first divinely designated king, Saul, end in disgrace. Abimelech is an idolater from the beginning, and Saul is rejected by God for disobeying God’s explicit command (1 Samuel 15)." [Note: McCann, p. 75.]
That the "men of Israel" (Jdg 9:55) would follow such a man as Abimelech provides a sad commentary on the moral and spiritual level of God’s people at this time. This is what incomplete obedience to God’s Law and compromise with His enemies produced. From another perspective, God used Abimelech to punish the Canaanites in Shechem and its vicinity. In this sense he was God’s instrument. Perhaps this is part of the reason the Spirit of God chose to record as much of Abimelech’s life as we have here. [Note: See T. Crichton Mitchell, "Abimelech-the Bramble King," Preacher’s Magazine 58:3 (March-May 1983):16-19, 61.]
"In this book [of Judges] we observe the mercy of God at work in as sharp relief as anywhere else in Scripture. The greatest threats to Israel’s existence do not come from outside enemies who may occasionally oppress them. Israel’s most serious enemy is within. She is a nation that appears determined to destroy herself. Only the gracious intervention of God prevents this from happening." [Note: Daniel I. Block, "Will the Real Gideon Please Stand Up? Narrative Style and Intention in Judges 6-9," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40:3 (September 1997):365-66.]
". . . there seems to be a pattern that begins with the story of Gideon, which is a pivotal turning point in the book of Judges . . . Each major judge’s administration concludes with or is followed by Israelite-on-Israelite violence. The first two cycles are quite similar. Gideon (chaps. 6-8) is followed by Abimelech’s violent rule (chap. 9), and then there is a respite (Jdg 10:1-5). Jephthah’s administration (Jdg 10:6 to Jdg 12:7) ends in civil war (Jdg 12:1-6), and then there is another respite (Jdg 12:8-15). Samson’s career (chaps. 13-16) is followed by more violence, including a bloody civil war (chaps. 17-21); but this time there is no relief. The book of Judges ends in chaos." [Note: McCann, p. 76.]