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Judges 9:20

in Judges 9

But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

KJV

But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

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This verse in Judges 9

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Let fire come out from Abimelech - As the thorn or bramble may be the means of kindling other wood, because it may be easily ignited; so shall Abimelech be the cause of kindling a fire of civil discord among you, that shall consume the rulers and great men of your country. A prophetic declaration of what would take place.

This site's exposition

If ye then have dealt truly

on Judges 9:19-21

The curse is framed as a condition and it runs both ways, fire from Abimelech devouring Shechem and fire from Shechem devouring Abimelech. Both halves are reported as done by verse 49 and verse 53, and the narrator says so outright at verse 57. Jotham then runs to Beer and leaves the book, so the one survivor of the seventy never comes back to claim anything.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Devour Abimelech - This is not so much a prediction as an imprecation, which, being grounded upon just cause, had its effect, as others in like case had.
But if not,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

We have seen the ruin of the Shechemites completed by the hand of Abimelech; and now it comes to his turn to be reckoned with who was their leader in villany. Thebez was a small city, probably not far from Shechem, dependent upon it, and in confederacy with it.

The words behind it

21 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְאִם־and if

    veim-H518 →1069 times

  • אַ֕יִןnot

    ʾayinH369 →789 times

  • תֵּ֤צֵאlet it go out

    tetze'H3318 →1067 times

  • אֵשׁ֙a fire

    ʾeshH784 →378 times

  • מֵאֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְfrom Abimelech

    meavimelekhH40 →66 times

  • וְתֹאכַ֛לand let it consume

    vetokhalH398 →810 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בַּעֲלֵ֥י[the] citizens of

    baaleiH1167 →84 times

  • שְׁכֶ֖םShechem

    shekhemH7927 →63 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • בֵּ֣יתBeth

    beitH1037 →8 times

  • מִלּ֑וֹאMillo

    milo'H1037 →8 times

  • וְתֵצֵ֨אand let it go out

    vetetze'H3318 →1067 times

  • אֵ֜שׁa fire

    ʾeshH784 →378 times

  • מִבַּעֲלֵ֤יfrom [the] citizens of

    mibaaleiH1167 →84 times

  • שְׁכֶם֙Shechem

    shekhemH7927 →63 times

  • וּמִבֵּ֣יתand from Beth

    umibeitH1037 →8 times

  • מִלּ֔וֹאMillo

    milo'H1037 →8 times

  • וְתֹאכַ֖לand let it consume

    vetokhalH398 →810 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ׃Abimelech

    ʾavimelekhH40 →66 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Judges 9:15But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’5 worksJudges 9:57And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.4 worksPsalms 28:4Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.3 worksPsalms 140:10May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.3 works2 Chronicles 20:22–23The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.3 worksJudges 9:56–57In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Kings 2:24Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.3 worksJudges 9:53But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.3 worksJudges 9:23God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,2 worksJudges 7:22And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.2 worksPsalms 52:1–5Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.2 worksPsalms 120:3–4What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?2 worksPsalms 21:9–10You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them.2 worksJudges 9:44Then Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all who were in the fields and struck them down.2 worksJudges 9:49So each man also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.2 worksJeremiah 51:35May the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” says the dweller of Zion. “May my blood be on the dwellers of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.2 worksNumbers 21:28For a fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon’s heights.2 worksProverbs 26:1Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Psalms 140:10

    May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 11:6

      On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.

    • Psalms 21:9

      You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them.

    • Revelation 21:8

      But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This…

  • Through

    Psalms 28:4

    Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.

    it leads to

    • 2 Timothy 4:14

      Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

    • Revelation 22:12

      “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.

    • Psalms 109:17–21

      The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.

    • Revelation 18:6

      Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.

  • Through

    Judges 9:15

    But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 30:2

      They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.

About Judges

The Death of Gideon's Sons — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
The Death of Gideon's Sons — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Judges: the study guide →Read Judges 9 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Judges 9 →