Judges 9:54
in Judges 9He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armorbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
KJV
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
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This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
3 notes on this verseDraw thy sword, and slay me - It was a disgrace to be killed by a woman; on this account, Seneca the tragedian deplores the death of Hercules: - O turpe fatum! femina Herculeae necis Autor feritur. Herc. Oetaeus, ver. 1177. “O dishonorable fate! a woman is reported to have been author of the death of Hercules.” Abimelech was also afraid that if he fell thus mortally wounded into the hands of his enemies they might treat him with cruelty and insult.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Then he called hastily to the young man his armourbearer,....
Of this meteor, this ignis fatuus of a prince, that was not a protector but a plague to his country, we may say, as once was said of a great tyrant, that he came in like a fox, ruled like a lion, and died like a dog. "For the transgression of a land, such are the princes thereof." The Usurpation of Abimelech.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקְרָ֨א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| מְהֵרָ֜ה | meherah | quickly | H4120 → | |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַנַּ֣עַר׀ | hanaar | the young man | H5288 → | 239 times |
| נֹשֵׂ֣א | nose' | [who] carried | H5375 → | 656 times |
| כֵלָ֗יו | khelav | <of> armor<s> his | H3627 → | 325 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| שְׁלֹ֤ף | shelof | draw | H8025 → | 25 times |
| חַרְבְּךָ֙ | charbekha | sword your | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וּמ֣וֹתְתֵ֔נִי | umoteni | and kill me | H4191 → | 839 times |
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | 133 times |
| יֹ֥אמְרוּ | yomeru | people should say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לִ֖י | li | of <the> me | ||
| אִשָּׁ֣ה | ʾishah | a woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| הֲרָגָ֑תְהוּ | haragatehu | she killed him | H2026 → | 167 times |
| וַיִּדְקְרֵ֥הוּ | vaiyidkerehu | and he pierced through him | H1856 → | |
| נַעֲר֖וֹ | naaro | young man his | H5288 → | 239 times |
| וַיָּמֹֽת׃ | vaiyamot | and he died | H4191 → | 839 times |
וַיִּקְרָ֨אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
מְהֵרָ֜הquickly
meherahH4120 →
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַנַּ֣עַר׀the young man
hanaarH5288 →239 times
נֹשֵׂ֣א[who] carried
nose'H5375 →656 times
כֵלָ֗יו<of> armor<s> his
khelavH3627 →325 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לוֹ֙to <the> him
lo
שְׁלֹ֤ףdraw
shelofH8025 →25 times
חַרְבְּךָ֙sword your
charbekhaH2719 →413 times
וּמ֣וֹתְתֵ֔נִיand kill me
umoteniH4191 →839 times
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →133 times
יֹ֥אמְרוּpeople should say
yomeruH559 →5305 times
לִ֖יof <the> me
li
אִשָּׁ֣הa woman
ʾishahH802 →781 times
הֲרָגָ֑תְהוּshe killed him
haragatehuH2026 →167 times
וַיִּדְקְרֵ֥הוּand he pierced through him
vaiyidkerehuH1856 →
נַעֲר֖וֹyoung man his
naaroH5288 →239 times
וַיָּמֹֽת׃and he died
vaiyamotH4191 →839 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.