Judges 9:56-57
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights that Abimelech's ultimate sin was not just killing his brothers, but doing so in a way that brought shame and disgrace upon his father, Gideon, and his father's legacy. This points to a deeper violation of familial honor and God's established order, showing how sin often extends beyond the immediate act to corrupt relationships and reputation.
Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse concludes the brutal story of Abimelech's rise and fall, showing how his actions led to his own violent demise. After he brutally murdered his own brothers to seize power and was subsequently betrayed and overthrown by the people of Shechem, he met his end trying to conquer another town. The writer explicitly states that God repaid Abimelech's evil, particularly the treacherous murder of his siblings, bringing a swift and fitting end to his reign of terror.
Have you ever seen evil seem to triumph, leaving you wondering if justice will ever prevail? This verse offers a profound perspective.
The narrative of Abimelech climaxes with a powerful statement: 'Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech.' This isn't just a statement of cause and effect, but a declaration of divine justice. God, the ultimate judge, ensures that evil deeds have consequences. Abimelech's brutal act of killing his seventy brothers was not overlooked by heaven. His actions, though seemingly successful in the short term, ultimately brought about his own downfall, orchestrated by God's justice. This reminds us that while human systems can fail, God's justice is sure and will eventually balance the scales.
Abimelech's act was horrific, but the verse specifies a particularly cruel dimension to his sin. What makes it so egregious?
The verse specifically calls out Abimelech's wickedness 'which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren.' This phrase points to several layers of evil. First, it was an act against his own father, Gideon (Jerubbaal), by wiping out his lineage. Second, it was fratricide – the murder of his own brothers. This wasn't just a political power play; it was a profound violation of family bonds and human life. The sheer number, seventy brothers, underscores the brutality and completeness of his ambition. Such an act went against the very fabric of human society and the honor due to parents, as emphasized in the Mosaic Law.
Ask a follow-up
How does God use human actions, even wicked ones, to bring about His justice?
This verse, along with the subsequent one (Judges 9:57), illustrates a crucial theological principle: God uses human actions, often flawed and wicked, as instruments to execute His justice. While Abimelech and the men of Shechem were instruments of evil, God ultimately used them to enact His judgment. Abimelech's own violent end, struck by a stone from a woman in Thebez, is a direct and swift retribution for his own violence. The narrative shows that God holds individuals and groups accountable for their sins, and He orchestrates events to ensure that wickedness does not go unpunished. This doesn't excuse human sin, but it reveals God's sovereign hand even in the midst of human depravity.
Understand the original words
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
An act of moral wrongness, wickedness, or injury that stands in opposition to the character and commands of God. It often carries the consequence of divine judgment or retribution.
Elohim · Hebrew Noun
The sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe who is just, holy, and the ultimate judge of all human actions. In this context, He acts as the executor of divine justice.
harag · Hebrew Verb
The act of causing death, specifically used here to describe the violent, unlawful, or intentional taking of a human life. In Scripture, murder is a violation of the sanctity of life established by God.
'ararah · Hebrew Noun
A solemn declaration of divine judgment or condemnation, often invoked against someone who has committed a grave transgression. It represents the reversal of blessing and the imposition of calamity.
ro'sh · Hebrew Noun
A figurative expression denoting the accountability of a person. It implies that the consequences of one's actions, whether good or evil, will eventually land upon the individual responsible.
This verse highlights a core biblical theme: divine justice. The violent end of Abimelech and the destruction of Shechem weren't random tragedies but God's judgment for their profound sin, particularly the brutal murder of Gideon's seventy sons.
c. 1120 BC
Gideon's Death and Abimelech's Usurpation
After Gideon's death, his son Abimelech, through deceit and violence, murders most of his brothers and is declared king over Israel by the men of Shechem.
c. 1117 BC
Jotham's Curse and Shechem's Rebellion
Jotham, Gideon's only surviving son, delivers a scathing parable from Mount Gerizim, cursing Abimelech and foretelling his destruction by God. The people of Shechem rebel against Abimelech.
c. 1117 BC
Abimelech Destroys Shechem
Abimelech ruthlessly attacks and destroys the city of Shechem, sowing it with salt to prevent its rebuilding.
c. 1113 BC— this verse
Siege and Death at Thebez
Abimelech attacks the city of Thebez but is struck by a millstone thrown from the city walls by a woman. He commands his armor-bearer to kill him to avoid the shame of dying by a woman's hand.
c. 1113 BC
Divine Retribution
The writer of Judges explicitly states that God brought this fate upon Abimelech and the men of Shechem as a just recompense for their wickedness, particularly Abimelech's fratricide.
This passage directly informs the concept of God holding individuals accountable for bloodshed, establishing a foundational principle for the judgment seen against Abimelech.
1 Samuel 15:23This verse highlights the severe consequences of rebellion and wickedness against God's commands, paralleling Abimelech's own defiance and the resulting divine retribution.
Proverbs 26:27This proverb offers a timeless warning about the self-destructive nature of evil, much like Abimelech was ultimately consumed by the very violence he initiated.
Matthew 26:52Jesus' teaching here echoes the principle that those who live by the sword will perish by the sword, a fate that strikingly mirrors Abimelech's end after his violent rise to power.
Romans 12:19This New Testament passage, while advocating for personal vengeance to God, still underscores the divine right to repay evil, aligning with the theological explanation given for Abimelech's downfall.
clarkeJudges 9:56: "Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:"
Thus God rendered, etc. - Both the fratricide Abimelech, and the unprincipled men of Shechem, had the iniquity visited upon them of which they had been guilty. Man's judgment may be avoided; but there is no escape from the judgments of God. I Have said that the fable of Jotham is the oldest, and perhaps the best, in the world; and referred for other particulars to the end…
bensonJudges 9:56: "Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:"
Jdg 9:56 . Thus God rendered, &c. — This and the following verse conclude the history of Abimelech with a divine admonition, that no man might think such things come to pass by chance. We see God, the judge of all, punished both Abimelech and the men of Shechem according to their deserts, and made them the instruments of each other’s destruction. And it is remarkable that…
The verse highlights that Abimelech's ultimate sin was not just killing his brothers, but doing so in a way that brought shame and disgrace upon his father, Gideon, and his father's legacy. This points to a deeper violation of familial honor and God's established order, showing how sin often extends beyond the immediate act to corrupt relationships and reputation.
This verse concludes the brutal story of Abimelech's rise and fall, showing how his actions led to his own violent demise. After he brutally murdered his own brothers to seize power and was subsequently betrayed and overthrown by the people of Shechem, he met his end trying to conquer another town. The writer explicitly states that God repaid Abimelech's evil, particularly the treacherous murder of his siblings, bringing a swift and fitting end to his reign of terror.
This verse concludes the brutal story of Abimelech's rise and fall, showing how his actions led to his own violent demise. After he brutally murdered his own brothers to seize power and was subsequently betrayed and overthrown by the people of Shechem, he met his end trying to conquer another town. The writer explicitly states that God repaid Abimelech's evil, particularly the treacherous murder of his siblings, bringing a swift and fitting end to his reign of terror.
"Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of J…" — The verse highlights that Abimelech's ultimate sin was not just killing his brothers, but doing so in a way that brought shame and disgrace upon his father, Gideon, and his father's legacy. This poin…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
