Judges 9:6
And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This wasn't just a political coronation; it was a deliberate act of defiance. By making Abimelech king under the ancient oak where Joshua had previously renewed Israel's covenant with God, the leaders of Shechem were twisting sacred history, attempting to legitimize their pagan-leaning choice by associating it with a place of divine encounter. This choice of location reveals their syncretistic agenda, seeking to blend the worship of Baal with their supposed loyalty to Yahweh.
Fresh from murdering his seventy brothers, Abimelech rallies the influential people and prominent families of Shechem, even gathering at the ancient oak where Joshua had once set up a stone as a witness to Israel's covenant with God. Without consulting God or any other Israelite tribe, these Shechemites boldly crown Abimelech king, a title Gideon himself had refused, marking a significant step in their descent into chaos and violence.
Imagine a town square, usually bustling with life, suddenly becoming the stage for a dark, ambitious plot. This is what happened in Shechem.
The people of Shechem, or at least their leaders and a powerful faction known as 'the house of Millo,' didn't just gather; they convened. This wasn't a casual meeting but a deliberate assembly to crown Abimelech. What's shocking is their motive: instead of seeking justice for Gideon's murdered sons, they chose to elevate the murderer himself. This act highlights a profound moral decay, where ambition and political expediency override righteousness and loyalty. It shows how quickly a community can turn its back on justice when it suits their agenda.
The location of Abimelech's coronation wasn't accidental. It was chosen for its significance, twisting a sacred spot for a profane purpose.
The coronation took place 'by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.' This spot was deeply symbolic. It was likely the very place where Joshua had established a stone as a witness to the covenant between God and Israel (Joshua 24:26). By holding this illegitimate ceremony there, Abimelech and the Shechemites were making a bold, defiant statement. They were perverting a place that represented faithfulness to God and covenant into a stage for treachery, ambition, and the elevation of a man who had just committed fratricide. It was a deliberate act of desecration, aligning themselves with a human-centered, violent agenda rather than God's chosen path.
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In Israel, kingship wasn't a self-appointed title. It required divine approval. Abimelech's rise ignored this crucial element.
The text notes that Abimelech was made king, but significantly, there's no mention of God's involvement or approval. This stands in stark contrast to how leadership was meant to be established in Israel. Gideon himself had refused the title of king when offered, recognizing that true kingship belonged to God alone. Abimelech's coronation by a single city, without consulting God or the wider nation, represents a significant deviation from God's established order. It underscores the danger of human ambition taking precedence over divine will, leading to a corrupted form of rule that lacked divine legitimacy from its very inception.
Understand the original words
ba'al · Hebrew Noun
A designated leader, elder, or prominent person within a community who exercises authority, influence, or decision-making power. In Israelite society, these were often the heads of clans or cities.
malak · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the process of formally installing someone as monarch, usually through an act of public recognition and the symbolic action of anointing. Biblically, it signifies the establishing of human government under God's sovereign rule.
elon · Hebrew Noun
A prominent tree or grove often associated with religious or cultic gatherings in the ancient Near East, frequently serving as a landmark or a site for covenant-making or divine encounter.
matstsebah · Hebrew Noun
A holy place or monumental stone pillar used as a witness to a covenant or a memorial to a significant event, often marking a site of worship or divine encounter.
This event marks a significant departure from God's established leadership for Israel. The people of Shechem, driven by political ambition and perhaps a syncretic faith, appoint a king without divine counsel, using a place historically significant for covenant renewal as a backdrop for their illegitimate coronation.
c. 1120 BC
Gideon Refuses Kingship
After delivering Israel from the Midianites, Gideon is offered kingship by the people. He refuses, stating that the Lord will rule over them, but the people's desire for a king remains.
c. 1120 BC
Gideon's Ephod Causes Division
Gideon makes a golden ephod from the spoils of war, which becomes a snare for Israel and leads to idolatry. This further highlights the nation's spiritual and political instability.
c. 1120 BC— this verse
Abimelech's Violent Rise
Gideon's son Abimelech, with the support of his mother's influential family in Shechem, murders seventy of his brothers to seize power.
c. 1120 BC
Abimelech Anointed King
The men of Shechem, along with the 'house of Millo' (likely a faction or fortification), gather and proclaim Abimelech as king by the sacred oak in Shechem, defying God's established order.
c. 1119 BC
Jotham's Curse
The sole surviving son of Gideon, Jotham, pronounces a curse upon Abimelech and the people of Shechem from Mount Gerizim for their wicked deeds.
c. 1115 BC
Shechem Rebels Against Abimelech
Three years into Abimelech's reign, the people of Shechem rebel against him, setting ambushes in the hills. Abimelech brutally crushes the rebellion.
c. 1115 BC
Abimelech Destroys Shechem
After the rebellion, Abimelech sacks the city of Shechem, slaughters its inhabitants, and sows the ground with salt as a sign of utter destruction.
This passage describes Joshua setting up a stone under an oak tree as a memorial of the covenant renewal, mirroring the significant location where Abimelech was made king, highlighting a deliberate choice of a sacred site for a secular and ungodly act.
Judges 8:22-23This shows Gideon's refusal to be king, directly contrasting with Abimelech's eager usurpation of the title, emphasizing how Abimelech acted against his father's humility and God's established order.
Judges 9:56-57These verses reveal God's judgment upon Abimelech and the men of Shechem for their wicked deeds, illustrating the tragic and bloody consequences that followed their illegitimate coronation.
1 Samuel 8:5This highlights Israel's desire for a king like the other nations, which ultimately led them away from God's rule, paralleling the spirit of the Shechemites' decision to install Abimelech without divine consultation.
gillJudges 9:6: "And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem."
And all the men of Shechem gathered together,.... Upon the return of Abimelech, after he with his banditti had committed the execrable murder of his brethren: and all the house of Millo; which was either the men of a place near to Shechem, or of his brother's family, or of some grand leading family in Shechem; or it may mean t…
clarkeJudges 9:6: "And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem."
And all the house of Millo - If Millo be the name of a place, it is nowhere else mentioned in the sacred writings. But it is probably the name of a person of note and influence in the city of Shechem - the men of Shechem and the family of Millo.
This wasn't just a political coronation; it was a deliberate act of defiance. By making Abimelech king under the ancient oak where Joshua had previously renewed Israel's covenant with God, the leaders of Shechem were twisting sacred history, attempting to legitimize their pagan-leaning choice by associating it with a place of divine encounter. This choice of location reveals their syncretistic agenda, seeking to blend the worship of Baal with their supposed loyalty to Yahweh.
Fresh from murdering his seventy brothers, Abimelech rallies the influential people and prominent families of Shechem, even gathering at the ancient oak where Joshua had once set up a stone as a witness to Israel's covenant with God. Without consulting God or any other Israelite tribe, these Shechemites boldly crown Abimelech king, a title Gideon himself had refused, marking a significant step in their descent into chaos and violence.
Fresh from murdering his seventy brothers, Abimelech rallies the influential people and prominent families of Shechem, even gathering at the ancient oak where Joshua had once set up a stone as a witness to Israel's covenant with God. Without consulting God or any other Israelite tribe, these Shechemites boldly crown Abimelech king, a title Gideon himself had refused, marking a significant step in their descent into chaos and violence.
"And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem." — This wasn't just a political coronation; it was a deliberate act of defiance. By making Abimelech king under the ancient oak where Joshua had previously renewed Israel's covenant with God, the leader…
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