And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Abimelech was the son of Gideon's maid, who sought to make himself ruler of Israel. To gain that place he caused Gideon's sons, his own brothers, to be slain. In the course of his usurpation he utterly destroyed Shechem.
This history belongs to the record of Israel's backsliding from God and the suffering, oppression, and deliverance associated with it. It is told in connection with Jotham's parable, in which Abimelech's violent rise and death are set forth.
The verse marks the end of his tyrannical rule. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they dispersed and departed every man to his home and place. His death ended the violence that had marked his reign.
His violent rise and death illustrate the folly of Shechem's choice of such a murderous ruler. Ambition to rule over others shows a lack of fitness for leadership.
Abimelech was the son of Gideon's maid, who sought to make himself ruler of Israel. To gain that place he caused Gideon's sons, his own brothers, to be slain. In the course of his usurpation he utterly destroyed Shechem.
This history belongs to the record of Israel's backsliding from God and the suffering, oppression, and deliverance associated with it. It is told in connection with Jotham's parable, in which Abimelech's violent rise and death are set forth.
The verse marks the end of his tyrannical rule. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they dispersed and departed every man to his home and place. His death ended the violence that had marked his reign.
His violent rise and death illustrate the folly of Shechem's choice of such a murderous ruler. Ambition to rule over others shows a lack of fitness for leadership.