59 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem,.... At the head of them, to meet Abimelech, having gathered together as many, and put them in as good order, as he could, and the time would admit of: and fought with Abimelech; without the city.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him,.... Abimelech got the better of him in the battle, and obliged him to give way, and he pursued him closely as he was fleeing: and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate; or, "they fell many wounded" (k), or slain, as the Targum; that is, many were killed and wounded,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah,.... Called also Aarima as Jerom (l) says, and in his time called Remphtis; it seems to be not far off from Shechem, he returned to the place where he was before, see Judges 9:31 contenting himself with the advantage he had got, and waiting when another opportunity would offer, which quickly did, to be revenged on the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The day after the battle: that the people went out into the field; some think to fight, and try the event of another battle, in order to be freed from Abimelech, but that seems not so likely: rather to finish their vintage, as Josephus (l), or to till their ground, to plough and sow, which quickly came on...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he took the people,.... That is, the forces he had with him at Arumah: and divided them into three companies: each having a separate leader, and the command of one of them he had himself: and laid wait in the field; in the field of Shechem, one company in one part, and one in another part of the field: and looked, and, behold, the people were...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech, and the company that was with him,.... Which he had the particular command of; or "the heads" (m), for in the company with him, as Kimchi observes, were great men; and so the Septuagint renders it, the princes that were with him: rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city; to prevent the people that were in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day,.... By throwing stones or arrows into it: and he took the city; it was surrendered to him, not being able to stand out against his forces: and slew the people that was therein; all but those that were of his own family and his friends; all that had taken up arms against him, or had shown their...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that,.... That the city of Shechem was taken, the inhabitants of it slain, the city beaten down, and sowed with salt; by which it appears that this tower was not within the city, for then the men of it would have seen what was done, and not be said only to hear it; though it was not far from it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it was told Abimelech,.... Who had his spies about, and particularly to observe the motions of the men in this tower: that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together; in the hold of the temple of Baalberith.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech got him up to Mount Zalmon,.... A mountain near Shechem, and thought to be the same with Salmon in Psalms 68:14 which seems to have had its name from the shade of the trees which grew upon it: he and all the people that were with him; his whole army: and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees; which...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech,.... With their boughs on their shoulders, so that they were men that seemed to be as trees walking: and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; upon the men in it, or with them, the boughs of trees; it is probable the hold was made of wood, and so...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But there was a strong tower within the city,.... The tower of Shechem was without the city, but this within, as towers generally are: and hither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city; men, women, and children, man and maid servants, all the inhabitants of the city; the tower being a large place, having not only many rooms in it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Abimelech came unto the tower,.... With his army to besiege it: and fought against it; using all the methods he could to oblige those in it to surrender: and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire; in order to get entrance into it; and perhaps the tower was built of stone, so that no other part could be set fire to; and to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone,.... Of the upper millstone, as the word signifies, which is observed by Jarchi and other Jewish commentators; this with other stones being carried up to the top of the tower, to do what execution they could with them: and a woman observing Abimelech making up to the door of the tower, took up this...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then he called hastily to the young man his armourbearer,.... Perceiving it was a mortal blow that was given him, and he should soon expire; and that the cast of the stone was by the hand of a woman, and therefore he was in haste to have the young man come to him: and said unto him, draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, a woman slew...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead,.... That is, those that were with him, the men of his army, who were all Israelites: they departed every man to his place; disbanded themselves, and went everyone to their own home, and so the inhabitants of Thebez escaped the vengeance of Abimelech.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech which he did unto his father,.... To the disgrace of his father's character, and to the hurt of his father's family: in slaying his seventy brethren; excepting one, which was a piece of unheard of wickedness, attended with most sad aggravations; the shedding such blood required blood to be shed again,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the evil of the men of Shechem,.... In aiding Abimelech to slay his brethren, and in making him king after so foul a fact committed: did God render upon their heads; by suffering Abimelech to beat down their city, and destroy the inhabitants of it, and by burning the hold in which the men of the tower of Shechem were, and them in it: and...