Judges 9:29
And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
The verse belongs to Jotham's parable about the men of Shechem choosing a ruler, presented as an imaginary council in which trees hold conversation and speak. In that account Abimelech, the son of Gideon's maid, had Gideon's sons slain in order to become ruler of Israel and surrounded himself with worthless followers, and he later utterly destroyed Shechem. It reflects the degeneration of Gideon's family after the victory God gave through Gideon with few against many, when they trusted in things that are seen instead of unseen power, during the fearfully checkered time of Israel under the judges.
The account is one in which Jotham's words were fulfilled by discord and revolt, as Abimelech's subjects turned against him so that the treachery by which he gained power was answered with treachery, bringing retribution on both Abimelech and the Shechemites who had supported him. The parable thus shows the folly of choosing Abimelech and teaches that those doing the most valuable work in the Lord's cause do not seek to rule over their brethren, while ambition to be exalted over others proves a person unfit to rule.