Judges 9:7

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 1  he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 2  “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

Judges 9:15

9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 3  me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 4  Otherwise 5  may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

Judges 11:8

11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 6  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 7  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 8  of all who live in Gilead.” 9 

1 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

2 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

3 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”

4 tn Heb “in my shade.”

5 tn Heb “If not.”

6 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).

7 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.

8 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.

9 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”