And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
Judges 9:41 stands in the long record of Israel's turning away from God and the suffering and oppression that followed such backsliding. It belongs to the history of Abimelech, the son of Gideon's maid, who had his brothers, the sons of Gideon, slain so that he himself might become ruler. To gain power he hired worthless followers, and the men of Shechem chose him as their ruler.
The immediate setting of the verse is conflict and rebellion against that rule. Shechem had turned against Abimelech, while Abimelech dwelt at Arumah and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren so that they should not dwell in Shechem. Shechem itself was a very ancient place where Jacob stopped when he returned from Padan-aram to Canaan, and it was later rebuilt as the capital city fortified by Jeroboam.
What follows is retribution, in which Abimelech attacked the city, utterly destroyed Shechem, killed its inhabitants, and reduced it to ashes. In that destruction about a thousand people in the tower of Shechem were destroyed. In this the words of Jotham were fulfilled, with the violence of Abimelech and the Shechemites ending in punishment.
The tree parable of the chapter shows the men of Shechem acted foolishly in choosing such a ruler. Those doing valuable work for God do not seek to rule over fellow believers, so ambition to dominate others shows unfitness for leadership.
Judges 9:41 stands in the long record of Israel's turning away from God and the suffering and oppression that followed such backsliding. It belongs to the history of Abimelech, the son of Gideon's maid, who had his brothers, the sons of Gideon, slain so that he himself might become ruler. To gain power he hired worthless followers, and the men of Shechem chose him as their ruler.
The immediate setting of the verse is conflict and rebellion against that rule. Shechem had turned against Abimelech, while Abimelech dwelt at Arumah and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren so that they should not dwell in Shechem. Shechem itself was a very ancient place where Jacob stopped when he returned from Padan-aram to Canaan, and it was later rebuilt as the capital city fortified by Jeroboam.
What follows is retribution, in which Abimelech attacked the city, utterly destroyed Shechem, killed its inhabitants, and reduced it to ashes. In that destruction about a thousand people in the tower of Shechem were destroyed. In this the words of Jotham were fulfilled, with the violence of Abimelech and the Shechemites ending in punishment.
The tree parable of the chapter shows the men of Shechem acted foolishly in choosing such a ruler. Those doing valuable work for God do not seek to rule over fellow believers, so ambition to dominate others shows unfitness for leadership.