Discovery BoxJudges 9:18-25 
Context9:18 But you have attacked 1 my father’s family 2 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 3 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 4 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 5 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 6 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 7 to Beer and lived there to escape from 8 Abimelech his half-brother. 9
9:22 Abimelech commanded 10 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 11 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 12 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 13 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 14 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 15 bandits in 16 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 17
1 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
2 tn Heb “house.”
3 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
4 tn Heb “your brother.”
5 tn Heb “house.”
6 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
7 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
8 tn Heb “from before.”
9 tn Heb “his brother.”
10 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175).
11 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
12 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
13 tn Heb “their brother.”
14 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
15 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
sn Putting bandits in the hills. This piracy certainly interrupted or discouraged trade, and probably deprived Abimelech of tariffs or tribute. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 277; G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 253.
16 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
17 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
