Judges 9

The Hebrew language here calls Gideon “Jerubbaal.” People gave him that name after he destroyed his father’s altar to Baal (6:25-32).In Hebrew, that name is yerub-baal. Scholars debate how the name was intended. Was it pro-Baal, as in “Baal will fight” Gideon? Some argue that in the end, Baal won because Gideon reverted to Baal worship years later (8:27) and helped push the people back into Baal worship (8:33). Another way of reading Gideon’s new name is that it serves as a reminder that Gideon defeated Baal. Gideon tore down the altar, which remained destroyed while, Gideon, on the other hand, remained alive and well and walking through life like nobody’s business.

See 8:31. A concubine was a woman, often a slave, who lived with a man in a legally binding relationship as a secondary wife. She had less social status than a primary wife, along with fewer privileges and probably more chores.

Baal-berith surfaces only here in Judges, so far—nowhere else in known history (see also 8:33). There’s also a reference to a temple in Shechem devoted to El-berith (9:46). Some scholars say “El” and “Baal” were interchangeable names referring to the same god. Baal means lord or master. Berith is a Hebrew word for contract, agreement, or covenant. Some scholars theorize that this “Lord of the covenant” was intended to replace the LORD of the covenant agreement made with Abraham, Moses, and the nation of Israel. If so, the Israelites traded God in on a local god worshiped by Canaanites in Shechem. They made a new covenant with a new god.

It’s unclear what or where Beth-millo was. Some suggest it was an adjacent community built on an elevated, defensive acropolis, perhaps a bit like a gated community for Shechem’s elite.

The Oak of the Pillar may have been a sacred tree for people who worshiped Baal. The pillar hints that it was a column of stone devoted to a god. But this is uncertain.

Thornbushes, like weeds, do not shade trees. The suck the life out of them by hogging the moisture and nutrients in the ground.

Location of Beer is unknown. The word means “well.” Many places with wells in this dry land were known as Beer or some variation of it, such as Beersheba.

The city leaders apparently wanted to destabilize Abimelech’s rule by making the people mad at him for not protecting them.

Gaal shows up from out of nowhere in Israel’s known history. The name means “hate,” or “loath.” But in Hebrew, ga’al sounds very much like go’el, which refers to what scholar’s call a “kinsman redeemer. That’s the relative or friend of a murdered person who avenges the dead person by killing the murderer. “Gaal” may have been a nickname given to him after he started the fight that ended with Abimelech, the murderer, getting killed.

The locations of Tabbur-erez and Elon-meonenim are unknown. Some scholars suggest that Tabbur-erez refers to high ground, such as Mount Gerizim or Mount Ebal. Shechem rested in the valley between them. “Elon-eonenim” means the tree of a sorcerer, fortuneteller, soothsayer, or diviner. It was likely a sacred landmark.

Salt scattered on fertile land will kill many plants quickly. But that might not be why Abimelech salted Shechem. Many conquerors throughout the centuries have conquered land and salted it because it was a tradition—it was something conquerors did. Other times it was a ritual, a way of wishing a curse on the land and its people.

Location of Mount Zalmon is unknown. It may have been another name for either Mount Ebal or Mount Gerizim, both of which towered over Shechem in the valley between.

Location of Thebez is unknown. It may have been a suburb community near Shechem.

Women used millstones nearly every day to grind grain such as wheat and barley into to flour or olives into oil. The lady of the house often did this daily chore on the flat roof of her home. The woman who killed Abimelech threw an “upper millstone” at him. This is the stone that rotates on top of another stone, crushing the grain or olives between the two. Large millstones powered by donkeys weighted hundreds of pounds. But smaller household millstones that women used each day weighed roughly five to ten pounds (2-5 kg). Archaeologists have found them in the area.

Judges 9:20.