Judges 9:13
in Judges 9But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?
KJV
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
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This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseWhich cheereth God and man - I believe אלהים elohim here is to be taken in the same sense proposed on Jdg 9:9. Vast libations of wine, as well as much oil, were used in heathenish sacrifices and offerings; and it was their opinion that the gods actually partook of, and were delighted with, both the wine and oil. The pagan mythology furnishes the most exquisite wines to its gods in heaven, and hence the nectar and ambrosia so much talked of and praised by the ancients.
This site's exposition
Then the trees said to the fig tree
on Judges 9:10-13
Olive, fig and vine are the crops of a settled land, listed at Deuteronomy 8:8 and pictured again at 1 Kings 4:25. Each refuses in the same terms, that ruling would cost it its fruit, and each names something it gives away freely. The vine's "wine that cheers both God and man" points at the drink offering of Numbers 15:5 as well as the table.
This site's exposition
my wine that cheers both God and man
Adam Clarke reads gods here as he does at verse 9, and notes that heathen worship poured out large libations of wine in the belief that the gods drank them. Read that way, the vine speaks the language of Shechem's own shrine. Clarke names nectar as the wine of the pagan heaven.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
But lest I should appear to some to be sophistical, and to conjecture these things from mere probabilities, and to babble, I will bring forward to you, O virgins, from the Old Testament, written prophecy from the book of Judges, to show that I speak the truth, where the future reign of chastity was already clearly foretold.…Now it is clear that these things are not said of trees growing out of the earth. Inanimate trees cannot be assembled in council to choose a king since they are firmly fixed to the earth by deep roots.
And no one has been so illiterate as to think that similar fables of Aesop, related for the same purpose, ought to be called lies. But also in the sacred writings such passages are found, as in the book of Judges the trees look for a king to rule over them and speak to the olive and the fig and the vine and the bramble. Surely, all this is invented in order that we may reach the matter intended by means of a narrative [that is] fictitious, to be sure, but bearing a true and not a false signification.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the vine said unto them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
wine, which cheereth God and man--not certainly in the same manner. God might be said to be "cheered" by it, when the sacrifices were accepted, as He is said also to be honored by oil (Jud 9:9).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Which brings joy to God. As the Levi'im chant the hymns of glory only during the wine libation ceremony. 8 Berachos,:b.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
To the grapevine. This refers to Gidon, 6 Yalkut, ibid. a descendant of Yoseif, of whom it is said, "A flourishing son"—"like a grapevine positioned, etc." 7 “A flourishing son over a wellspring”. (Bereishis,:22). Targum Onkelos there interprets, “like a grapevine positioned over a wellspring.”
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֤אמֶר | vatomer | and it said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶם֙ | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| הַגֶּ֔פֶן | hagefen | the vine | H1612 → | 55 times |
| הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙ | hechodalti | ¿ will I cease | H2308 → | 58 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תִּ֣ירוֹשִׁ֔י | tiroshi | new wine my | H8492 → | |
| הַֽמְשַׂמֵּ֥חַ | hamsameach | which makes glad | H8055 → | 155 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וַאֲנָשִׁ֑ים | vaanashim | and men | H582 → | 566 times |
| וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔י | vehalakhti | and will I go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| לָנ֖וּעַ | lanua' | to sway | H5128 → | 40 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָעֵצִֽים׃ | haetzim | the trees | H6086 → | 328 times |
וַתֹּ֤אמֶרand it said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶם֙to <the> them
lahem
הַגֶּ֔פֶןthe vine
hagefenH1612 →55 times
הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙¿ will I cease
hechodaltiH2308 →58 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
תִּ֣ירוֹשִׁ֔יnew wine my
tiroshiH8492 →
הַֽמְשַׂמֵּ֥חַwhich makes glad
hamsameachH8055 →155 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםgods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
וַאֲנָשִׁ֑יםand men
vaanashimH582 →566 times
וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔יand will I go
vehalakhtiH1980 →1546 times
לָנ֖וּעַto sway
lanua'H5128 →40 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָעֵצִֽים׃the trees
haetzimH6086 →328 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ecclesiastes 10:19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
it leads to
- Psalms 104:15
wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 104:15
Through
Psalms 104:15wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
it leads to
- Psalms 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
- Ecclesiastes 10:19
A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
- Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
- Psalms 92:10
But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; with fine oil I have been anointed.
- Psalms 23:5
Through
Proverbs 31:6Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
- 1 Timothy 5:23
Through
Numbers 15:5With the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb, you are to prepare a quarter hin of wine as a drink offering.
it leads to
- Numbers 28:14
Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering…
- Numbers 28:7
The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area.
- Numbers 28:14
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, Against Lying 13.28; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Methodius of Olympus, BANQUET OF THE TEN VIRGINS 10.2.