Judges 9:5

And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
went	וַיָּבֹ֤א vai.ya.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
father’s	אָבִיו֙ 'a.Viv	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
house	בֵית veit-	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Ophrah	עָפְרָ֔תָה 'a.fe.Ra.tah	H6084	Ophrah · proper noun, a place name + directional suffix
slew	וַֽיַּהֲרֹ֞ג vai.ya.ha.Rog	H2026	to smite with deadly intent · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
brethren	אֶחָ֧יו 'e.Chav	H251	a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relation… · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
sons	בְּנֵֽי be.nei-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Jerubbaal	יְרֻבַּ֛עַל ye.ru.Ba.'al	H3378	Jerubbaal · proper noun, a man's name
ten	שִׁבְּעִ֥ים shiv.'Im	H7657	seventy · noun, common masculine plural absolute
persons	אִ֖ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
one	אֶחָ֑ת 'e.Chat	H259	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
stone	אֶ֣בֶן 'E.ven	H68	a stone · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Jotham	יוֹתָ֧ם yo.Tam	H3147	Jotham · proper noun, a man's name
youngest	הַקָּטֹ֖ן ha.ka.Ton	H6996	abbreviated · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
son	בֶּן ben-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Jerubbaal	יְרֻבַּ֛עַל ye.ru.Ba.'al	H3378	Jerubbaal · proper noun, a man's name
left	וַיִּוָּתֵ֞ר vai.yi.va.Ter	H3498	to jut over or exceed · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hid	נֶחְבָּֽא nech.Ba'	H2244	to secrete · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Kings 11:1-2 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
2 Chronicles 21:4 Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers al…
Judges 8:30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
Judges 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threes…
2 Kings 10:17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD,…
Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth…
Matthew 2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s lif…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 9:1-6

We are here told by what arts Abimelech got into authority, and made himself great. His mother perhaps had instilled into his mind some towering ambitious thoughts, and the name his father gave him, carrying royalty in it, might help to blow up these sparks; and now that he has buried his father nothing will serve his proud spirit but he will succeed him in the government of Israel, directly contrary to his father's will, for he had declared no son of his should rule over them. He had no call from God to this honour as his father had, nor was there any present occasion for a judge to deliver Israel as there was when his father was advanced; but his own ambition must be gratified, and its gra…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 9:5

went unto . . . Ophrah, and slew his brethren i. e., upon one stone--This is the first mention of a barbarous atrocity which has, with appalling frequency, been perpetrated in the despotic countries of the East--that of one son of the deceased monarch usurping the throne and hastening to confirm himself in the possession by the massacre of all the natural or legitimate competitors. Abimelech slew his brethren on one stone, either by dashing them from one rock, or sacrificing them on one stone altar, in revenge for the demolition of Baal's altar by their father. This latter view is the more probable, from the Shechemites (Jdg 9:24) aiding in it. threescore and ten persons--A round number is…

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John Gill on Judges 9:5

And he went to his father's house at Ophrah,.... Which, according to Bunting (a), was ten miles from Shechem: and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, upon one stone: in which he was assisted by the ruffians he had hired with seventy pieces of silver; these were laid one after another upon one and the same stone, as being convenient for the execution of them; or as serving as an altar on which they were sacrificed to Baal, out of whose temple the money was taken to hire the executioners with. They are said to be seventy that were slain, though one escaped, the round number being given, as in many other instances, as in Genesis 46:27, notwithstanding, yet Jotham t…

Dictionary and topics

Jotham — Jehovah is perfect. (1.) The youngest of Gideon’s seventy sons. He escaped when the rest were put to death by the order of Abimelech (Judg. 9:5). When “the citizens of Shechem and the whole house of…
Ophrah — A fawn. 1 Chr. 4:14. (1.) A city of Benjamin (Josh. 18:23); probably identical with Ephron (2 Chr. 13:19) and Ephraim (John 11:54). (2.) “Of the Abi-ezrites.” A city of Manasseh, 6 miles south-west…
Ambition · .Abimelech — .Abimelech
Conspiracy · .Abimelech against Gi — .Abimelech against Gi
Fratricide · .Abimelech — .Abimelech
Homicide · .Abimelech — .Abimelech
Jotham · 1. — 1.
Manasseh, The Tribe Of · Remarkable persons of: Jotham — Remarkable persons of: Jotham
Murder · Exemplified: Abimelech — Exemplified: Abimelech
Ophrah · Gi — Gi

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Judges 9:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 9:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 9:5

John Gill on Judges 9:5

Dictionary and topics

Judges 9:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 9:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 9:5

John Gill on Judges 9:5

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Judges 9:1-6

Rashi on Judges 9:4