Abimelech slays his seventy brothers upon one stone; Jotham cries his parable of the trees from mount Gerizim; fire comes out of the bramble: Shechem is beaten down and sown with salt, and a millstone from the wall ends the usurper.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s brethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying:
verse value 2961
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "his·mother" (אִמּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·all·family·of" (וְאֶל־כׇּל־מִשְׁפַּ֛חַת, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: his·mother, his·mother. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·to·all·family·of" (וְאֶל־כׇּל־מִשְׁפַּ֛חַת), "house·of·father·of" (בֵּית־אֲבִ֥י). The root אם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·brothers·of" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). First appearance of the root שכמה ("to·Shechem") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + בֶּן־יְרֻבַּ֙עַל֙ [son·of·Jerubbaal] (364) + שְׁכֶ֔מָה [to·Shechem] (365) + אֶל־אֲחֵ֖י [to·brothers·of] (50) + אִמּ֑וֹ [his·mother] (47) + וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר [and·spoke] (222) + אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם [to·them] (86) + וְאֶל־כׇּל־מִשְׁפַּ֛חַת [and·to·all·family·of] (915) + בֵּית־אֲבִ֥י [house·of·father·of] (425) + אִמּ֖וֹ [his·mother] (47) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2961.
’Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.’
verse value 4990
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֑ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·bone" (כִּֽי־עַצְמְכֶ֥ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "speak·please" (דַּבְּרוּ־נָ֞א), "what·is·good" (מַה־טּ֣וֹב), "that·rule" (הַמְשֹׁ֨ל). The root משל appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "speak·please" (root דבר, 52x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
"Shall ... rule?" [Meaning:] if seventy men were to rule over you — since they are all sons of Jerubbaal, who would be excluded?
"And you shall remember." He means to say: "For the sake of the nearness [of my relationship], it is fitting to appoint me as king, and all the others shall be rejected."
Malbim
"How good it is for you." He said that they should speak to the people, as this is for the benefit of the community, for if the sons of Jerubbaal were to rule, inevitably they would all rule, since they are all equal. And they are all sons of Jerubbaal, and their merit is equal regarding rulership, and this is not good in the eyes of the community. This is the second point: from the perspective of their own benefit, in that he is from their own family.
And his mother’s brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words; and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said: ‘He is our brother.’
verse value 2538
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Verse gematria: 2538 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words" (כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "brothers·of·his·mother" (אֲחֵי־אִמּ֜וֹ), "all·the·words" (כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים), "our·brother" (אָחִ֥ינוּ). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "upon·him" (root על, 87x in Judges); "he" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
He is our brother. For he had kinship with all of them.
Metzudat Zion
Upon him. For his sake:
Malbim
"And their heart was soft." Not on account of the general welfare, nor because they remembered what they had vowed to Jerubbaal—that both you and your son shall rule over us—but only because they said, "He is our brother."
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him.
verse value 4151
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "silver" (כֶּ֔סֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·gave·to·him" (וַיִּתְּנוּ־לוֹ֙, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·gave·to·him" (וַיִּתְּנוּ־לוֹ֙), "and·he·hired" (וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר), "and·being·wanton" (וּפֹ֣חֲזִ֔ים). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "from·the·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges). First appearance of the root שכר ("and·he·hired") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְּנוּ־לוֹ֙ [and·they·gave·to·him] (508) + שִׁבְעִ֣ים [seventy] (422) + כֶּ֔סֶף [silver] (160) + מִבֵּ֖ית [from·the·house·of] (452) + בַּ֣עַל [Baal] (102) + בְּרִ֑ית [covenant] (612) + וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר [and·he·hired] (536) + בָּהֶ֜ם [in·them] (47) + אֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + אֲנָשִׁ֤ים [man] (401) + רֵיקִים֙ [empty] (360) + וּפֹ֣חֲזִ֔ים [and·being·wanton] (151) + וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ [and·went] (72) + אַחֲרָֽיו [after·him] (225) = 4151.
Rashi
And the hasty. They are hasty in their deeds, to act without wisdom:
Radak
"Empty and reckless." They are light, roaming about for their prey/sustenance, since they had nothing by which to live, from [the root] pachaz, as in "unstable as water" [Genesis 49:4]. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "Sariqin u-vaqrin." "Sariqin" means "empty," as in the phrase "buqi sariqin" (idle/empty talk) in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. And "vaqrin" is like "paqrin," with a Pe, as in [the phrase] "ha-boqer for the poor" — [there] "ha-boqer" is written with a Bet just as [elsewhere the same word is written] with a Pe [i.e., the letters Bet and Pe interchange]. Its meaning is: men who are abandoned and unrestrained. Or "vaqrin" may be understood in its plain sense, with a Bet, meaning "cattle-herders," for they are the most contemptible of men, as we find in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "even cattle-herders." And in another manuscript I found: "sariqim u-vesirim," meaning "contemptible," as in [the phrase] "he has despised (bazah) the word of the LORD," whose Targum renders "bazah" as "besar."
Metzudat Zion
Empty. Empty of all merit:
And reckless. Hasty in their deeds without knowledge, as in (Genesis 49:4) 'reckless as water,' and it is a transposition of the letters of 'chippazon' [haste]:
Malbim
And they gave him. And by this, the men of Shechem became partners in the act of murder, for they assisted him with money.
And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone; but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
verse value 5221
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Jerubbaal" (בְּנֵי־יְרֻבַּ֛עַל, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "house·of·his·father" (בֵית־אָבִיו֙), "Ophrah" (עׇפְרָ֔תָה), "and·was·left" (וַיִּוָּתֵ֞ר). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "sons·of·Jerubbaal" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "and·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). First appearance of the root אבן ("upon·stone") in Judges. First appearance of the root יותם ("Jotham") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
"And Jotham was left [vayivater Yotam]." [A wordplay on his name:] he remained from among the seventy, for [Abimelech] killed sixty-nine (seventy less one). And even though it says "seventy men," it is the custom of the language in such places not to reduce the total count on account of one, as in "all the persons who came with Jacob to Egypt were seventy," and "forty stripes may he give him."
Ralbag
And it is related that the men of Shechem already helped Avimelech on the killing of his brothers, so that he should reign, for he is their brother. And they killed them all, except Yotam who remained, for he hid himself. And had it not been for this, they would have killed him too.
Metzudat David
"And Jotham remained." [He was] of the sons of Jerubbaal, of the number of seventy, for with him there were seventy [in all].
Metzudat Zion
Was hidden. From the word for hiding place, meaning: was concealed:
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all Beth-millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the terebinth of the pillar that was in Shechem.
verse value 3240
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 3240 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Shechem" (שְׁכֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·made·king" (וַיַּמְלִ֥יכוּ), "with·to" (עִם־אֵל֥וֹן), "entrenchment" (מֻצָּ֖ב). The root שכם appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "and·all·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges). First appearance of the root מלוא ("Millo") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּאָ֨סְפ֜וּ [and·they·were·gathered] (163) + כׇּל־בַּעֲלֵ֤י [all·masters·of] (162) + שְׁכֶם֙ [Shechem] (360) + וְכׇל־בֵּ֣ית [and·all·house·of] (468) + מִלּ֔וֹא [Millo] (77) + וַיֵּ֣לְכ֔וּ [and·went] (72) + וַיַּמְלִ֥יכוּ [and·they·made·king] (122) + אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ [Abimelech] (504) + לְמֶ֑לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + עִם־אֵל֥וֹן [with·to] (197) + מֻצָּ֖ב [entrenchment] (132) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בִּשְׁכֶֽם [Shechem] (362) = 3240.
Rashi
"By the terebinth of the pillar." (Targum:) "Mishar qamtā" [the plain of the standing stone] – a plain in which there were standing stones.
Radak
"With the terebinth of the pillar (Elon Mutzav)." Adjacent to the terebinth, like the phrase "they were with Bethlehem" and similar expressions. And "Elon Mutzav," according to its Targum, is "meishar qamta" [the plain of the pillar]: a stone or something else was set up there [called] a "matzav" (pillar), and the plain was named after it.
Ralbag
With the terebinth of the pillar. Meaning, near a plain on which they had erected a stone or another thing.
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them: ‘Hearken to me, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken to you.
verse value 4329
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 4329 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "hill·Gerizim" (הַר־גְּרִזִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 317: and·lifted, and·called. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Jotham" (לְיוֹתָ֗ם), "in·head·of" (בְּרֹ֣אשׁ), "hill·Gerizim" (הַר־גְּרִזִ֔ים). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "to·me" (root אל, 89x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·called', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
"And He shall listen [to you], etc.": [Meaning: God will heed you] as the reward for your listening to me.
Metzudat Zion
Lords. The sense of mastery, so too (Joshua 24:11) 'the lords of Jericho':
Malbim
"And God will listen to you." He is the Judge, and He will judge between us.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive-tree: Reign you over us.
verse value 2032
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֑לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: go, they·went. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·smear" (לִמְשֹׁ֥חַ), "to·the·olive" (לַזַּ֖יִת), "reign" (מׇלְכָ֥ה). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "go" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "upon·them" (root על, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root זית ("to·the·olive") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
"The trees went forth." This is a parable:
Regarding the olive: Othniel, son of Kenaz (Judges 1:13), who came from the tribe of Judah, which is called an olive, as it is stated (Jeremiah 11:16): "An olive tree, luxuriant, yielding good fruit, and beautiful in appearance."
Radak
"The trees went, they went." Jonathan rendered it as an expression of astonishment: "Did the trees really go?" And likewise he rendered "hechdalti" as "ha'eshbok" (shall I abandon), meaning: "Shall I leave my richness [fatness] in my place?"
Metzudat David
"The trees went, they went." He opens his discourse with a parable. Although not all the details of the subject matter correspond exactly to the parable, some elements do correspond, while the remainder of the parable serves to embellish it and to engage the heart of the listener.
Malbim
Questions (8–15): What did he intend by this parable? Why did he choose the vine, the olive tree, and the fig tree from among all fruit-bearing trees? Why did he say “Go, rule over us” in the case of the fig tree and the vine, whereas in the case of the olive tree he said “Rule over us” without the word “Go”? Why did he say “And the trees said” in all instances, whereas regarding the bramble he said “And all the trees said”?
"The trees went to anoint a king over them." The trees went on many journeys to anoint a king over them. And the underlying analogy is that human beings (for "man is a tree of the field") went to appoint for themselves a ruler and governor. Now, it is the way of those who seek a king to seek the man who is most worthy and most distinguished in the perfection of the collective. Moreover, the masses do not choose him; rather, their leaders and sages hold the right of selection. Therefore, it did not say at the beginning "all the trees," but rather "the trees went," meaning the select trees that bear fruit, which are the select ones among the people.
And behold, the ends are divided into three: good, agreeable, and useful.
The desire for the pleasant is a function of the animalistic sense, and the desire for the useful is a function of the intellect. Now, initially, the choosers will be the elders and the sages, and they will seek after absolute good. And they advise, saying to the olive tree, "Rule over us," for the olive tree depicts good, since it produces oil for light, which is an allegory for the light of wisdom and Torah, and light is called good. And they agreed that such a divine person is worthy of kingship. Therefore, they did not say, "Come and rule," for he does not need to go and move toward this, for kingship is incumbent upon him by virtue of himself.
But the olive-tree said to them: Should I leave my fatness, seeing that by me they honour God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees?
verse value 3966
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·wood" (עַל־הָעֵצִֽים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "the·olive" (הַזַּ֔יִת), "fat ashes" (אֶת־דִּשְׁנִ֔י), "that·by·me" (אֲשֶׁר־בִּ֛י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·men" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "that·by·me" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). First appearance of the root נוע ("to·quiver") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·men', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + הַזַּ֔יִת [the·olive] (422) + הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙ [I·stopped] (457) + אֶת־דִּשְׁנִ֔י [fat ashes] (765) + אֲשֶׁר־בִּ֛י [that·by·me] (513) + יְכַבְּד֥וּ [they·honor] (42) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + וַאֲנָשִׁ֑ים [and·men] (407) + וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔י [and·I·will·walk] (471) + לָנ֖וּעַ [to·quiver] (156) + עַל־הָעֵצִֽים [upon·the·wood] (315) = 3966.
Rashi
“דשני” – a term denoting fatness.
Radak
“החדלתי” – from the hifil conjugation, and it is clear; or from the pa'al conjugation, with a qamats under the heh, meaning “I have ceased from anointing.” And Jonathan rendered it: “Shall I leave off my anointing?”
"God and men." [This refers to] the lamp that is kindled with olive oil before God and before men; or [it refers] to food: the oil is offered in meal-offerings to God, and men also eat it. And the Targum rendered it: "from it they kindle before the LORD, and with it the children of men are pampered/indulge themselves."
"To sway over the trees." Jonathan rendered it: "to exercise kingship/dominion."
Ralbag
'I ceased from my fruit by which gods and men are honored.' He said this because from the oil that came from it, they would kindle the lamp in the Temple.
Metzudat David
"I have ceased." And could I possibly cease from bearing the fruit of goodness?
"Through me." He means to say: through my fruit.
"They shall honor..." For with olive oil one honors the Omnipresent in the lamps of the Menorah (Exodus 27:20), and one honors people through the anointing of the priests and kings (Keritot 5b).
"And I went." He means to say: Shall I perhaps abandon my occupations and go to be swaying and tossing about for the sake of the needs of the trees? Rather, if I were to rule, I would be forced to abandon my occupations against my will to toil for the needs of the monarchy.
Metzudat Zion
Have I ceased. The sense of ceasing:
My richness. From the words 'deshen' [fatness] and 'shemen' [oil]:
To shake. From the word for shaking:
Malbim
And he said to them, "The olive." But this blessed man did not desire dominion, for it would have deprived him of his spiritual perfection, making him a servant to the people, overseeing their affairs. As it is said, "Am I giving you dominion?" etc. Therefore, he replied, "Shall I indeed forsake my richness"—that is, the attainment of wisdom and the abundance of prophecy, through which God and men are honored, for the manifestation of the divine spirit is called "glory" in the Holy Writings—and go to wave over the trees, attending to their needs?!"
And the trees said to the fig-tree: Come you, and reign over us.
verse value 1691
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מׇלְכִ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·the·fig" (לַתְּאֵנָ֑ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "upon·us" (root על, 87x in Judges); "king" (root מלך, 35x in Judges). First appearance of the root תאן ("to·the·fig") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·fig', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ [and·they·said] (263) + הָעֵצִ֖ים [tree] (215) + לַתְּאֵנָ֑ה [to·the·fig] (486) + לְכִי־אַ֖תְּ [go·you] (461) + מׇלְכִ֥י [king] (100) + עָלֵֽינוּ [upon·us] (166) = 1691.
Rashi
To the fig tree. Deborah:
Malbim
And the trees said to the fig tree. After the faction of the sages and the good men did not find a man who was good in their eyes, they ceased from seeking, and then another faction arose, namely the wealthy, who seek that which is pleasant for the life of the body, and they desired to establish a man useful according to the purpose desired by them. This is represented by the parable of the fig tree, whose fruit is sweet and pleasant to the sense of taste. And they said, “Go,” meaning, even though they know that kingship belongs to a man of spirit, nevertheless, go and strive in this matter until you reign. This is represented by the parable of their seeking a wealthy man, mighty in war, who would be able to sustain them with luxuries and pleasant living.
But the fig-tree said to them: Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruitage, and go to hold sway over the trees?
verse value 4835
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·fruit" (וְאֶת־תְּנוּבָתִ֖י, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "fig" (הַתְּאֵנָ֔ה), "sweetness" (אֶת־מׇתְקִ֔י), "and·fruit" (וְאֶת־תְּנוּבָתִ֖י). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·I·will·walk" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "upon·the·wood" (root על, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֤אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + הַתְּאֵנָ֔ה [fig] (461) + הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙ [I·stopped] (457) + אֶת־מׇתְקִ֔י [sweetness] (951) + וְאֶת־תְּנוּבָתִ֖י [and·fruit] (1275) + הַטּוֹבָ֑ה [the·good] (27) + וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔י [and·I·will·walk] (471) + לָנ֖וּעַ [to·quiver] (156) + עַל־הָעֵצִֽים [upon·the·wood] (315) = 4835.
Rashi
"My sweetness." Honey of bees:
Radak
"My sweetness." The mem is read with a chataf qamats.
Metzudat Zion
My sweetness. From the word for sweet:
My fruit. My fruits, as in (Lamentations 4:9) 'from the produce of the field':
Malbim
And the fig tree said to them: "But even such a person, after there is some semblance of imagined perfection pleasant to himself, would not wish to abandon it for the sake of the people, as it is said, 'On that day he will say, "I will not be a healer, for there is no bread in my house, nor any garment."' And this is what is meant by: 'Have I ceased my sweetness?' In this regard, it does not state that there is any benefit to God or to people, for indeed, in the portion of the pleasant there is no true benefit whatsoever."
And the trees said to the vine: Come you, and reign over us.
verse value 1474
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·vine" (לַגָּ֑פֶן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·the·vine" (לַגָּ֑פֶן). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "upon·us" (root על, 87x in Judges); "king" (root מלך, 35x in Judges). First appearance of the root גפן ("to·the·vine") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·vine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Rashi
Regarding the phrase "to the vine." This refers to Gideon, who was from the seed of Joseph (Judges 6:11), about whom it is stated (Genesis 49:22), "a fruitful son," and Onkelos translates there: "like a vine that is planted," etc.
Malbim
And the trees said to the vine. Then a third sect arose, which was a mean between the two, to choose a man who was a mean between the good and the pleasant, and he is the beneficial one alluded to in the vine, for wine gladdens the heart of man, and wine and fragrance open the mind.
And they said, "At the head of all remedies, I am wine," meaning that he chose a wise man in statesmanship and in good character traits, who would guide them in the ways of righteousness and judge their judgments for the good of civic life.
And the vine said to them: Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees?
verse value 4472
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 4472 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "wine" (אֶת־תִּ֣ירוֹשִׁ֔י, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "vine" (הַגֶּ֔פֶן), "wine" (אֶת־תִּ֣ירוֹשִׁ֔י), "which·gladdens" (הַֽמְשַׂמֵּ֥חַ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·men" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·I·will·walk" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). First appearance of the root שמח ("which·gladdens") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·men', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֤אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + הַגֶּ֔פֶן [vine] (138) + הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙ [I·stopped] (457) + אֶת־תִּ֣ירוֹשִׁ֔י [wine] (1327) + הַֽמְשַׂמֵּ֥חַ [which·gladdens] (393) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + וַאֲנָשִׁ֑ים [and·men] (407) + וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔י [and·I·will·walk] (471) + לָנ֖וּעַ [to·quiver] (156) + עַל־הָעֵצִֽים [upon·the·wood] (315) = 4472.
Rashi
"The one who gladdens God." For the Levites do not recite the Song of the Sacrifice except over the libations.
Radak
"The one who gladdens God and men." From here, our Sages of blessed memory derived that one may not recite songs of praise except over wine, as it is stated, "The one who gladdens God." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "From it, libations are poured before the LORD, and in it, the great ones rejoice." Jonathan, of blessed memory, distanced joy from the Creator, blessed be He, just as he distanced all other attributes from Him, for before Him there is neither joy nor sorrow. And what is said of Him in these terms is by way of metaphor, for the Torah speaks in the language of human beings. And so did Onkelos translate "and He was grieved in His heart" [Genesis 6:6], rendering it: "He said in His word that their strength should be broken according to His will" — distancing the language of sorrow from Him, blessed be He. And the reason he did not do so with the phrase "and the anger of the LORD burned" and similar expressions is due to a known secret among those who understand wisdom. And what he translated "men" as "the great ones" means that wine gladdens the great and the wise, and improves their understanding, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "wine and fragrance make one discerning." But lesser men become intoxicated by it, and their understanding grows confused. And the reason he mentioned these three trees was to abbreviate the matter; moreover, he mentioned the three most distinguished ones, and afterward mentioned the lesser one, which is an allegory for Abimelech. And my father [Rabbi Yosef Kimchi], of blessed memory, wrote that this corresponds to the three things Israel said to Gideon: "Rule over us, you, your son, and your son's son."
Ralbag
And he said of the wine, that it makes glad God and men, on account of the wine libation that was in the Temple.
Metzudat David
"He who gladdens, etc." For they do not recite song in the Temple except at the time of the wine libation (Berakhot 35b), and concerning men it is stated (Psalms 104:15), "and wine gladdens the heart of man."
Metzudat Zion
My new wine. My wine:
Malbim
“And the vine said to them” – but even the vine, which represents the statesman-scholar, would not wish to abandon his perfection, in which is found that which brings joy to both God and men: namely, the excellence of character traits, including righteousness, kindness, and compassion, in which God takes delight; and the excellence of governance, in which men take delight. How then could he be moved to sway over the trees?!
Then said all the trees to the bramble: Come you, and reign over us.
verse value 1290
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 1290 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "reign·over·us" (מְלׇךְ־עָלֵֽינוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: to·the·bramble, go. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "all·the·trees" (כׇל־הָעֵצִ֖ים), "to·the·bramble" (אֶל־הָאָטָ֑ד), "reign·over·us" (מְלׇךְ־עָלֵֽינוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·the·bramble" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "go" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·bramble', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ [and·they·said] (263) + כׇל־הָעֵצִ֖ים [all·the·trees] (265) + אֶל־הָאָטָ֑ד [to·the·bramble] (50) + לֵ֥ךְ [go] (50) + אַתָּ֖ה [you] (406) + מְלׇךְ־עָלֵֽינוּ [reign·over·us] (256) = 1290.
Rashi
"To the thornbush." "Espine" [thorn] in the vernacular:
Ralbag
And indeed the atad is a species of thorns - the Targum renders 've-dardar' as 'itdin.' And indeed Yotam said this to indicate the lowliness of Avimelech, that it was not fitting that any benefit should come from him, just as no fruit comes from the atad.
Metzudat Zion
The thornbush. A kind of thorn, so too (Genesis 50:10) 'the threshing floor of Atad':
Malbim
“And all the trees said to the bramble” — then the heads of the people, who are the sages, the wealthy, and the nobles, ceased from seeking a king, until the fruit-bearing trees would not seek a king, for they found none; only then did all the trees stand, meaning the non-fruit-bearing trees, which are the majority of the trees, and they sought a king. And they, since they have no purpose or fruit, chose the bramble, which is the worst of them all and lacks any utility. Its advantage over the other non-fruit-bearing trees is that one cannot approach it, for it is full of spears, arrows, and painful thorns, as it is said, “And the ungodly are all of them like thorns thrust away.” The allegory is that after the distinguished ones among the people ceased from seeking a king, the masses all gathered together to appoint over themselves a man lacking all perfection and the worst of them all, and his merit is only that he is full of slaughter, javelins, and spears.
And the bramble said to the trees: If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
verse value 4989
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "if" (אִ֡ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·trees" (אֶל־הָעֵצִים֒, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "bramble" (הָאָטָד֮), "to·the·trees" (אֶל־הָעֵצִים֒), "in·truth" (בֶּאֱמֶ֣ת). The root אטד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·the·trees" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "go·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·shadow', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Rashi
If indeed I am worthy of the kingdom:
Metzudat David
"If indeed." Not in a mocking manner, to laugh at me afterward.
"Seek refuge in the shade." This means: "With the little shade that I have, I will be a shelter for you."
"And if not" – meaning that you will not truly anoint me, but rather mock me.
“Fire shall go out.” This means: Know that the end of the matter will be that from Me the fire will go out and burn even the tall cedars, and I too shall be consumed along with them.
Metzudat Zion
And consumed. And burned:
Malbim
"And he said, 'The thornbush.'" This means that he accepts the kingship and seeks it, on the condition that he will not lack any perfection through it; rather, [his concern is] only that his heart might become embittered if their hearts are not sincere with him. Therefore, he makes a covenant with them: "If you are truly and sincerely anointing me, etc., come, take refuge in my shade." And it is known that the thornbush has no shade at all, and it is the most lowly of all [trees]. He means to say: "Abandon your exalted status, you cedars of Lebanon, who are lofty and elevated, and lower yourselves to dwell beneath me in a lowly and low-lying place, and my thorns, which are painful, will be for you shade and shelter. But if not—if you rebel against me—then do not think that I cannot harm you from my lowly position. Not so, for since the thornbush is ready to be burned in fire, this fire will consume the cedars of Lebanon."
Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and uprightly, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands—
verse value 6176
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 820: you·have·done, you·have·done, you·have·done. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·in·truth" (אִם־בֶּאֱמֶ֤ת), "and·if·good" (וְאִם־טוֹבָ֤ה), "and·if·as·recompense·of" (וְאִם־כִּגְמ֥וּל). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·with·his·house" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "you·have·done" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "with·Jerubbaal" (root עם, 79x in Judges). First appearance of the root אמה ("if·in·truth") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֗ה [now] (481) + אִם־בֶּאֱמֶ֤ת [if·in·truth] (484) + וּבְתָמִים֙ [and·in·complete] (498) + עֲשִׂיתֶ֔ם [you·have·done] (820) + וַתַּמְלִ֖יכוּ [and·you·made·king] (512) + אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [Abimelech] (504) + וְאִם־טוֹבָ֤ה [and·if·good] (69) + עֲשִׂיתֶם֙ [you·have·done] (820) + עִם־יְרֻבַּ֣עַל [with·Jerubbaal] (422) + וְעִם־בֵּית֔וֹ [and·with·his·house] (534) + וְאִם־כִּגְמ֥וּל [and·if·as·recompense·of] (146) + יָדָ֖יו [his·hands] (30) + עֲשִׂ֥יתֶם [you·have·done] (820) + לֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 6176.
Ralbag
And now, if you have done this in truth and in sincerity. Behold, Yotam clarified that they did not do this in truth and in sincerity. And therefore no blessing will come from this saying to them, that they should rejoice in Avimelech and he should rejoice in them. Rather, they will destroy one another. And so was their end, for there is a God who judges in the land.
Metzudat David
"And now." This means: "Now, hear the moral [of the parable]:"
"If truly." This means to say: "And did you truly and sincerely do what you did in making Abimelech king? And did you do a good deed, etc.? And was it as a recompense, etc.?"—spoken in a tone of questioning.
Malbim
The Questions (16–19): Why is there a duplication in the phrases “if you have done well” and “if you have done as the reward of His hands,” and why does the verse repeat these words again in verse 19?
"And now" – he begins to elucidate the parable, for when Gideon died, there were found among his sons: The Sages expound, "The good" as those who are like olive shoots; the wealthy as those who are like a fig tree that has budded its fruit; and the Sages in governance as those who are useful, like a vineyard of choice, which answered them. And these refused kingship and did not seek it. But you, the masses of the people, the lowly ones, went after the thornbush, in which there is found neither good, nor pleasantness, nor utility, only that which was like a thorn and a thistle to destroy his brothers. He stipulates with them:
for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian;
verse value 2867
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֖י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "my·father" (אָבִ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·fought" (אֲשֶׁר־נִלְחַ֥ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "for·fought" (אֲשֶׁר־נִלְחַ֥ם), "soul" (אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙), "and·has·taken·away" (וַיַּצֵּ֥ל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·fought" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "upon·you" (root על, 87x in Judges); "from·hand·of" (root יד, 75x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁר־נִלְחַ֥ם [for·fought] (629) + אָבִ֖י [my·father] (13) + עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם [upon·you] (170) + וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ [and·threw] (366) + אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ [soul] (837) + מִנֶּ֔גֶד [from·opposite] (97) + וַיַּצֵּ֥ל [and·has·taken·away] (136) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·hand·of] (54) + מִדְיָֽן [Midian] (104) = 2867.
Metzudat David
"Which fought." This means: Was it not fitting that the reward for his deeds should be good, since my father fought for your sake and risked his life in battle, and it was proper to recompense him according to the reward of his deeds?
Malbim
"That my father fought for you": Even if he had not succeeded in the war, you would still have owed him a debt of gratitude for having risked his life on your behalf. And regarding what is written, "And if you have rewarded him according to his deeds," it explains, "and he delivered you from the hand of Midian." From this aspect, you became obligated to repay him with good for good, i.e., to reward him according to his deeds. And where is the reward? Is it not...
and you are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—
verse value 6205
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 88 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִי֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 512: against·house·of, and·you·made·king. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "you·have·arisen" (קַמְתֶּ֨ם), "against·house·of" (עַל־בֵּ֤ית), "and·you·killed" (וַתַּהַרְג֧וּ). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "against·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "day" (root יום, 76x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Radak
"Regarding the men of Shechem." Regarding the lords of the city and its great ones, for they are the principal men of the city. And Targum Yonatan translated: "The inhabitants of Shechem."
Metzudat David
"And you stood up." It is not enough that you did not repay the kindness; rather, you went further and committed the evil.
"Son of his maidservant." This refers to the son of his female slave, and not from the sons of his principal wife.
"For he is your brother." You did not make him king because of the honor of my father, but rather because he is related to you through his mother, the maidservant.
Malbim
"And you rose up against my father's house and killed his sons." This is neither an act of kindness nor a proper recompense; "and you made king…" the son of his maidservant, and even this was not out of kindness or recompense, but rather because he is your brother.
if you then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice you in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.
verse value 3782
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·if·in·truth" (וְאִם־בֶּאֱמֶ֨ת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·if·in·truth" (וְאִם־בֶּאֱמֶ֨ת), "rejoice" (שִׂמְחוּ֙). The root שמח appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·with·his·house" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "you·have·done" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "with·Jerubbaal" (root עם, 79x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־בֶּאֱמֶ֨ת [and·if·in·truth] (490) + וּבְתָמִ֧ים [and·in·complete] (498) + עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם [you·have·done] (820) + עִם־יְרֻבַּ֥עַל [with·Jerubbaal] (422) + וְעִם־בֵּית֖וֹ [and·with·his·house] (534) + הַיּ֣וֹם [day] (61) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + שִׂמְחוּ֙ [rejoice] (354) + בַּאֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ [with·Abimelech] (105) + וְיִשְׂמַ֥ח [and·will·rejoice] (364) + גַּם־ה֖וּא [also·he] (55) + בָּכֶֽם [in·you] (62) = 3782.
Metzudat David
“And if indeed, etc., ‘this day’”: He means to say, “And if, despite all this, you were to argue that from the outset we did evil by killing Gideon’s sons, nevertheless, ‘this day,’ in that we have made his son Abimelech king, we have done so for the honor of Gideon and his household.” And he said: “If, as you claim, it is truly the case that ‘in truth and in righteousness… this day’ [we have acted], then your reward shall be that you rejoice in one another.”
Malbim
"And if." After he explained the opposite of what is stated, "And if you have done well," and "As the reward of his hands," he now explains the opposite of what is stated, "And if you have done it in truth and integrity." And he added: "If this was done in truth and integrity, then today, after his sons were killed, you have no merit whatsoever."
But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech.’
verse value 6075
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵשׁ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֶת־אֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 457: and·will·eat, and·will·eat. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·Abimelech" (מֵאֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ), "masters·of" (אֶת־בַּעֲלֵ֥י), "from·owner·of" (מִבַּעֲלֵ֤י). The root יצא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "it·shall·go·out" (root יצא, 53x in Judges); "masters·of" (root בעל, 33x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Millo', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Radak
Mal'ua. It is a noun, not an adjective. And similarly: "serve Him with integrity and truth."
Metzudat David
"And if not" — this means: "And if the matter is not for the sake of the honor of my father and his household, but rather because he is your brother through [his] mother, then your reward will be that there will be hatred and strife between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and Beth-millo, which is adjacent to Shechem, and you will all be destroyed," just as the bramble said to the trees.
Metzudat Zion
Fire. Meaning: the flame of strife:
Malbim
"And if not." Just as it is true that it was not fitting for the murderer of his father's house to inherit his honor, your end shall be like the end of the trees: from the thornbush shall fire go forth, etc.
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "three" (שָׁלֹ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·he·ruled" (וַיָּ֧שַׂר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·Israel" (root על, 87x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges); "years" (root שנה, 30x in Judges). First appearance of the root ישר ("and·he·ruled") in Judges. Full calculation: וַיָּ֧שַׂר [and·he·ruled] (516) + אֲבִימֶ֛לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [upon·Israel] (641) + שָׁלֹ֥שׁ [three] (630) + שָׁנִֽים [years] (400) = 2290.
Rashi
"And he held sway." Against their will, he conducted lordship, and with arrogance.
Radak
"And Abimelech reigned [vayasar]." From the simple (kal) binyan, of the hollow verbs (with a quiescent ayin), on the pattern of "vayasar eleha" [and he turned aside to her]; and it denotes the matter of dominion/rule. And since he made himself king of his own accord, and did not reign over all Israel, therefore it says "vayasar" (held sway) and not "vayishpot" (judged), for he did not walk in a good way, and did not restore Israel to what is good.
Ralbag
And indeed Avimelech did not reign over Israel except three years. And within this short time the curse of Yotam was fulfilled. And this is that God already sent an evil spirit between Avimelech and between them, in such a way that they destroyed one another.
Metzudat Zion
And he ruled. From the word for dominion:
Malbim
"And he held sway." It is not written "and he judged," for he did not judge [through legal proceedings], but rather he ruled by force. (And the word "וישר" is from the Kal [Qal] binyan of the נע"ו [weak, middle-vav] roots, like "ויסר אליה" [and he turned aside to her].)
that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren.
verse value 5127
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "violence·of" (חֲמַ֖ס, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Jerubbaal" (בְּנֵֽי־יְרֻבָּ֑עַל, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "violence·of" (חֲמַ֖ס), "and·their·blood" (וְדָמָ֗ם), "to·put" (לָשׂ֞וּם). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "sons·of·Jerubbaal" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "to·come" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sons·of·Jerubbaal', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 14 words.
Radak
"To bring violence." That is to say, it was a cause from God, blessed be He, that the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, as it is stated, "And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem" [Judges 9:23] — and this was so that the violence [done to] the seventy sons of Jerubbaal would come, to place their blood upon Abimelech and upon the men of Shechem. And they did not allow him to enter the city, but set ambushers for him on the mountaintops; and those ambushers would rob everyone who passed by them, as if to say that they had gone out from under his authority and had no ruler, and they did what was right in their own eyes.
Metzudat David
"To bring violence." The meaning is that it was from the Lord, so that the retribution for the wrong of seizing the kingship from the sons of Gideon might come, and the retribution for their blood, to place the punishment upon Abimelech, who killed them, etc.
And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them; and it was told Abimelech.
verse value 3877
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (לוֹ֩) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (לוֹ֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·who·passed" (כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲבֹ֥ר, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "liers-in-wait" (מְאָֽרְבִ֗ים), "and·they·tore·away" (וַֽיִּגְזְל֔וּ), "all·who·passed" (כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲבֹ֥ר). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·who·passed" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "upon" (root על, 87x in Judges); "owner" (root בעל, 33x in Judges). First appearance of the root ארב ("liers-in-wait") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·way', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Ralbag
And the men of Shechem set ambushers for him on the tops of the mountains. Meaning, that they set ambushers for him there, so that they would kill him if they found him. And those ambushers robbed all who passed over them on the way, for the awe of the kingdom was not upon them. And indeed this matter was reported to Avimelech, and he guarded himself from coming there. And Ga'al son of Ebed and his brothers passed through Shechem, and the men of Shechem trusted him to reveal their minds before him, that they were against Avimelech. And for this reason they cursed Avimelech before him, according to their thinking, for also he was his enemy.
Metzudat David
"To him" – to Abimelech, to seize him and kill him.
"And they plundered." While they were continually dwelling alone on the mountain tops, and because they had rebelled against Abimelech, they did what was right in their own eyes.
"And it was told to Abimelech." [This refers to the fact that] they had set an ambush against him, and he was careful not to enter Shechem.
Malbim
The Questions (25): Why did they set ambushers [merely] to rob travelers?
"And they set." First, they appointed ambushers to kill him on the road by which he would pass. However, the ambushers did not turn toward their intended target to lie in wait for Abimelech himself; rather, they robbed wayfarers. Consequently, the conspiracy was exposed and became known to Abimelech, who took care not to pass by there and instead proceeded with cunning (and this was from the Lord, that before the thornbush itself would be burned, it would first consume the cedars of Lebanon).
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went on to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.
verse value 1458
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 1458 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Gaal" (גַּ֤עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·trusted·in·him" (וַיִּבְטְחוּ־ב֖וֹ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·trusted·in·him" (וַיִּבְטְחוּ־ב֖וֹ). The root שכם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "son·of·Ebed" (root בין, 50x in Judges); "owner" (root בעל, 33x in Judges). First appearance of the root געל ("Gaal") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shechem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֞א [and·came] (19) + גַּ֤עַל [Gaal] (103) + בֶּן־עֶ֙בֶד֙ [son·of·Ebed] (128) + וְאֶחָ֔יו [and·his·brothers] (31) + וַיַּעַבְר֖וּ [and·they·passed·through] (294) + בִּשְׁכֶ֑ם [Shechem] (362) + וַיִּבְטְחוּ־ב֖וֹ [and·they·trusted·in·him] (49) + בַּעֲלֵ֥י [owner] (112) + שְׁכֶֽם [Shechem] (360) = 1458.
Rashi
"Gaal son of Ebed." He was from another nation.
Metzudat David
"And they trusted in him." They thought that he would help them against Abimelech.
Malbim
"And Gaal the son of Ebed came." The Lord brought about a second circumstance: Gaal came to Shechem, and the men of Shechem relied on his strength, thinking that he would fight against Abimelech. And through this, they went out to gather their vintage, for initially they had been afraid to go out. It was their custom to hold celebrations and feasts at the time of the vintage, and there they cursed Abimelech publicly.
And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
verse value 4225
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 79 letters. Verse gematria: 4225 = 65². The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·vineyards" (אֶת־כַּרְמֵיהֶם֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 314: field, and·they·gathered. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·gathered" (וַֽיִּבְצְר֤וּ), "their·vineyards" (אֶת־כַּרְמֵיהֶם֙), "and·they·trod" (וַֽיִּדְרְכ֔וּ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "and·they·made" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root כרם ("their·vineyards") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'festivities', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצְא֨וּ [and·went·out] (113) + הַשָּׂדֶ֜ה [field] (314) + וַֽיִּבְצְר֤וּ [and·they·gathered] (314) + אֶת־כַּרְמֵיהֶם֙ [their·vineyards] (716) + וַֽיִּדְרְכ֔וּ [and·they·trod] (246) + וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֖וּ [and·they·made] (392) + הִלּוּלִ֑ים [festivities] (121) + וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ [and·they·came] (25) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + אֱֽלֹהֵיהֶ֔ם [their·God] (91) + וַיֹּֽאכְלוּ֙ [and·ate] (73) + וַיִּשְׁתּ֔וּ [and·they·drank] (722) + וַֽיְקַלְל֖וּ [and·cursed] (182) + אֶת־אֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ [Abimelech] (504) = 4225.
Rashi
And they made merry. (Targum:) And they performed dances.
Radak
"And they gathered in the grapes of their vineyards." This is because they were afraid of Abimelech to go out and gather in the grapes of their vineyards, and with the help of Gaal and his brothers they went out.
"Hillulim": rejoicings. And so in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, the house of rejoicing is called "hillula," and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "chagigin" [festivities].
Metzudat David
"And they went out into the field." For prior to Gaal's coming to them, they feared Abimelech and did not go out into the field; rather, they would remain shut up within the city.
Metzudat Zion
And they gathered. It is the plucking of fruit, as in (Deuteronomy 24:21) 'when you gather your vineyard':
And they trod. To extract the wine from the grapes, they tread and walk upon them:
Revelries. Celebrations, and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory (Ketubot, ch. 1) 'on account of the wedding celebration [halula]':
And Gaal the son of Ebed said: ‘Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve you the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?
verse value 3808
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֥א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·is·Abimelech" (מִֽי־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 182: we·will·work·us, we·will·work·us. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "who·is·Abimelech" (מִֽי־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ), "and·who·Shechem" (וּמִֽי־שְׁכֶם֙), "and·Zebul" (וּזְבֻ֣ל). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "men·of" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges). First appearance of the root זבל ("and·Zebul") in Judges. First appearance of the root פקד ("his·commissioner") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·commissioner', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem? Who is Abimelech to be a prince over Shechem, and who is Shechem to be servants to Abimelech? Is not Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal, from Ophrah of the Abiezrite (above 6:11)?
"And Zebul was governor of the city." This is Zebul, the governor of the city, who is Abimelech's governor; yet his master has no royal authority in the city, and consequently his governor is also of no account.
"Serve the men of Hamor." If you have come to acquire masters for yourselves, come and serve the men of Hamor, who was the prince of the land in former times (Genesis 34:2).
"And why should we serve him?" [Referring] to Abimelech.
Radak
"Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem?" This means that Abimelech and Shechem, who was the chief of the city from of old, are one and the same; this one is like that one. And who is he that we should serve him? Even though Abimelech is now king over them, was not Shechem also king of this city? If so, the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem, served him.
Ralbag
And Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him?" The meaning is: Just as it is not fitting for us to serve Shechem because he is the son of Hamor, who was the prince of the land, so too it is not fitting for us to serve Abimelech because he is the son of Jerubbaal, who ruled over Israel.
"Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his officer?" This means that Abimelech has no merit other than being the son of Jerubbaal, and all the more so Zebul, who was an officer of Gideon and Abimelech. If Zebul had been worthy to serve, he would have been worthy to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem, which is an unfitting matter. And would that the people of Shechem in their entirety were in my hand! Then I would utterly remove Abimelech from ruling over the city. Consequently, the people said to Abimelech, "Increase your army and come out, as you are able to fight against us, and let us see whose word will prevail." It is clear that not all the people of Shechem agreed with this statement; for if that had been the case, they would have expelled Zebul from the city or killed him. It is clear that some of them were rebels and some followed Abimelech.
Metzudat David
“Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem?” This means: Should it not be fitting that the honored rule over the lowly and despised? Yet the opposite is the case. For “Who is Abimelech?”—is he not the lowly and despised one? And “who is Shechem?”—this means: Are not the men of Shechem the honored ones of the land?
"That we should serve him." That is, "that we shall serve Abimelech," and he included himself with them, for since he dwelt in Shechem, he was counted as one of them.
"Is he not the son of Jerubbaal?" This implies: Are you perhaps thinking that he is Jerubbaal himself, who performed a deliverance for you? No, he is merely his son, and one should not serve him on account of his father.
"And Zebul his officer." Is Zebul not merely his officer — one who was not even installed in that position by Jerubbaal himself? So if it is not fitting to serve Abimelech, all the more so is it not fitting to serve his officer.
"Serve the men of Hamor." This implies: If it is fitting to serve him because his father ruled over you, then go and serve the men of Hamor, for Hamor was "the father of Shechem," meaning the prince of Shechem. If so, serve his sons because their father ruled over you.
"And why?" This means: If it is on account of Gideon's deliverance, then it would be fitting to serve his son as well. This would have been appropriate for those who performed the deliverance for your fathers, who are already dead. But "why should we serve him?" Surely the deliverance was not for us.
Malbim
The Questions (28): The commentators were perplexed regarding the intent of this verse:
And Gaal the son of Ebed said. He stood at the head of the speakers and said, "Who is Abimelech, and who are the men of Shechem, that we should serve him?" He meant to say: What connection is there between Abimelech and Shechem such that they are obligated to serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal on his father's side, and the primary lineage is determined by the father, and his father was not from Shechem? And Zebul, his steward, added [to this]. And if you serve Abimelech, will you not also serve his steward? And the sense is: "that we should serve him and Zebul his steward." He added to say, "Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem." He said: You fools, like donkeys, serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Thus he called Abimelech by the name of Hamor, who was the father of Shechem in ancient times, and he is now the ruler under him. And there is also embedded in it a mockery, for he is the foolish donkey of all living creatures. He meant to say: If it is your desire, serve the men of Hamor, who are Zebul and the men of Abimelech. But why should we serve him? I and my brothers—we were not born in Shechem, and we are not subjugated to Hamor, the ruler of Shechem.
There is also an interpretation that he called Abimelech by the name Shechem as a reproach, meaning that he desired to merit a position of authority because he was the son of the prince of the land, just as Shechem was the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the prince of the land in ancient times. And he said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, the prince of the land, that we should serve him?” Surely, he is the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul, his officer. This means that he is not clearly the son of Jerubbaal, since he is the son of his concubine, and it is the way of a concubine to commit harlotry; thus, his mother committed harlotry with Zebul, his officer, such that he is the son of Jerubbaal and the son of Zebul. This means that there is doubt as to which of the two is his true father, and he is related to both Jerubbaal and Zebul equally. Furthermore, if you wish, he added that even if you want to serve him on the account that his father was the prince of the land, you should serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem, who precede in the matter of leadership. And why should we serve him? Surely, on this very account, the sons of Hamor precede in inheritance.
And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech.’ And he said to Abimelech: ‘Increase your army, and come out.’
verse value 2673
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "in·my·hand" (בְּיָדִ֔י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·who" (וּמִ֨י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·who" (וּמִ֨י), "will·give" (יִתֵּ֜ן), "and·I·will·remove" (וְאָסִ֖ירָה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "in·my·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "will·give" (root נתן, 69x in Judges). First appearance of the root רבה ("great") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמִ֨י [and·who] (56) + יִתֵּ֜ן [will·give] (460) + אֶת־הָעָ֤ם [the·people] (516) + הַזֶּה֙ [this] (17) + בְּיָדִ֔י [in·my·hand] (26) + וְאָסִ֖ירָה [and·I·will·remove] (282) + אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [Abimelech] (504) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + לַאֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ [to·Abimelech] (133) + רַבֶּ֥ה [great] (207) + צְבָאֲךָ֖ [your·army] (113) + וָצֵֽאָה [and·go·out] (102) = 2673.
Rashi
And he said to Abimelech. Gaal said this in the presence of Zebul, [and Zebul] informed Abimelech:
"Increase your army and come out." From the place where you are, and let us see your greatness:
Radak
“And I will cut off Abimelech.” But did they not already cut him off? Rather, [the verse means] that I will cut him off forever, so that the men of Shechem will not be able to make peace with him, even if they wish to do so.
"And he said to Abimelech." This is directed at Abimelech, even though he was not there [present], as if to say: "Go out, you, Abimelech, with as great an army as you can muster, while I remain here, and let us see what will happen between me and you."
Rabba. With a segol, which is not according to the standard practice.
Metzudat David
"And who would give": May it be that this people were under my authority; then I would utterly remove him [Abimelech] from the kingship, completely and entirely.
"And he said to Abimelech": He said this in order to tell Abimelech: "Gather as large an army as you can muster, and come out with me to battle."
Metzudat Zion
Your host. Armies of a people:
Malbim
"And who would give" – that I might be ruling; then I would remove him from kingship. And he would say to Abimelech: "Command that whoever hears [this news] should inform Abimelech, so that he will increase his army and go out to war, for the people have conspired against him."
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
verse value 2409
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "Zebul" (זְבֻל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "prince·of·the·city" (שַׂר־הָעִ֔יר, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "prince·of·the·city" (שַׂר־הָעִ֔יר), "words·of" (אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "prince·of·the·city" (root עיר, 52x in Judges); "words·of" (root דבר, 52x in Judges); "son·of·Ebed" (root בין, 50x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Ebed', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֗ע [and·he·heard] (426) + זְבֻל֙ [Zebul] (39) + שַׂר־הָעִ֔יר [prince·of·the·city] (785) + אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י [words·of] (617) + גַּ֣עַל [Gaal] (103) + בֶּן־עָ֑בֶד [son·of·Ebed] (128) + וַיִּ֖חַר [and·was·angry] (224) + אַפּֽוֹ [his·anger] (87) = 2409.
And he sent messengers to Abimelech in Tormah, saying: ‘Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they will incite the city against you.
verse value 3544
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּה֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Abimelech" (אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Abimelech" (אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ), "in·Tormah" (בְּתׇרְמָ֣ה), "going·in" (בָּאִ֣ים). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·Abimelech" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "going·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
"Betarmah" [with deceit]. Like "bemirmah" (deception), "betarmit" (deceit) — meaning: stealthily and secretly:
Radak
"Betormah." Like "bemirmah" (i.e., through deceit). And so did Targum Yonatan translate it: "beraz," meaning in secret, so that the men of Shechem did not perceive it. Or perhaps "betormah" is a place name, namely Arumah, as it is stated: "And Abimelech dwelt in Arumah." This is how my father, of blessed memory, explained it, since this pattern is not found among roots weak in the final radical (lamed-heh verbs).
"Enemies besiege the city against you." Just as a city is called a "besieged city" when it is besieged from the outside and no person can exit from it, so too is it called a "besieged city" when it is guarded so that no person can enter it from the outside. And in this manner, "Enemies besiege the city against you" means: for your sake, they guard the city so that you will not enter it.
Ralbag
At Tormah. It is the name of a place where Avimelech was dwelling, and Tormah and Arumah are one place.
Metzudat David
In the Tirmah. When he was sitting in the Tirmah, which is the "Aromah" mentioned below (verse 31), and it was called by both names:
And they. Ge'al and his brothers entice the men of the city to place the city under siege against you, so that you will not enter it (and just as it is called a "siege" when they besiege it from the outside, preventing anyone from leaving it, so too it is called a "siege" when they besiege it from the inside, preventing anyone from entering it):
Metzudat Zion
Besieging. From the term for siege:
Against you. On your behalf:
Malbim
The Questions (31): Regarding what is written, “The besiegers are surrounding the city against you,” the commentators struggled with this.
"At Tormah." It is the city of Arumah, where Abimelech was.
"Behold, Gaal, etc., and his brothers, are coming to Shechem." This means that they desire to settle there.
"And behold, they are besieging the city against you." He informed him that they had agreed among themselves to go out the next morning to besiege the city of Arumah, for this is what he meant by the words, "increase your army and go out" — meaning, from the city in which you are, for there you will come under siege.
Now therefore, up by night, you and the people that are with you, and lie in wait in the field.
verse value 2671
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "rise" (ק֣וּם, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·with·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אִתָּ֑ךְ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "that·with·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אִתָּ֑ךְ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·with·you" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·the·people" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "rise" (root קום, 43x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that·with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּה֙ [now] (481) + ק֣וּם [rise] (146) + לַ֔יְלָה [night] (75) + אַתָּ֖ה [you] (406) + וְהָעָ֣ם [and·the·people] (121) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתָּ֑ךְ [that·with·you] (922) + וֶאֱרֹ֖ב [and·lie·in·wait] (209) + בַּשָּׂדֶֽה [in·the·field] (311) = 2671.
Malbim
Questions (32–40): The counsel of Zebul, to lie in wait in the field during the night, lacks sense and understanding. Why should he lie in wait? Would not Abimelech come by day, and they would go out to meet him? And what does he mean by “and you shall rush upon the city”? Abimelech did not act in this manner on this occasion. From where did he know that Gaal and the people would go out to meet him? Perhaps they would shut themselves within the city.
"And now" - he counseled with wisdom: that he should rise at night and lie in wait for them in the field.
And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early, and set upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people that are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall be able.’
verse value 6387
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (לּ֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·behold·he" (וְהִנֵּה־ה֞וּא, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "as·rising" (כִּזְרֹ֣חַ), "you·shall·rise·early" (תַּשְׁכִּ֖ים), "and·you·shall·attack" (וּפָשַׁטְתָּ֣). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·with·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "against·you" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root פשט ("and·you·shall·attack") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Metzudat David
They go out. As he boasted in the words of his mouth:
"As your hand finds" – this means: according to your ability, whether to kill him or to capture him.
Metzudat Zion
And you shall spread out. The sense of scattering, as is the way of those who fight:
Malbim
"And in the morning." He shall rise early and attack the city of Shechem, for Gaal and the men of the army will go out toward you, to Tormah, and they will not be within the city, and with ease you shall conquer the city. And by this [means] you shall do to him as your hand finds [it possible to do], which refers to the fact that he divided the people into four companies: some of them would stand at the city gate so as not to allow them to return to the city, and some of them would fight in the field. Only his counsel was thwarted, as will be explained.
And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
verse value 2636
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "and·arose" (וַיָּ֧קׇם, 4 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֛לֶךְ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·lay·in·wait" (וַיֶּאֶרְב֣וּ), "upon·Shechem" (עַל־שְׁכֶ֔ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·with·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·all·the·people" (root כל, 44x in Judges); "and·arose" (root קום, 43x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'night', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֧קׇם [and·arose] (156) + אֲבִימֶ֛לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + וְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם [and·all·the·people] (171) + אֲשֶׁר־עִמּ֖וֹ [that·with·him] (617) + לָ֑יְלָה [night] (75) + וַיֶּאֶרְב֣וּ [and·they·lay·in·wait] (225) + עַל־שְׁכֶ֔ם [upon·Shechem] (460) + אַרְבָּעָ֖ה [four] (278) + רָאשִֽׁים [heads] (551) = 2636.
Rashi
Four heads. Four companies [of troops]:
Metzudat Zion
Companies. Parts:
Malbim
"And Abimelech rose up." He listened to his counsel, and they lay in wait, etc., in four companies, for he calculated that two companies would stand at the entrance of the city gate, and two companies would strike all who were in the field.
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambushment.
verse value 3437
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "Gaal" (גַּ֣עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·ambush" (מִן־הַמַּאְרָֽב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 103: Gaal, Abimelech. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·the·ambush" (מִן־הַמַּאְרָֽב). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·with·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·the·people" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵא֙ [and·he·went·out] (107) + גַּ֣עַל [Gaal] (103) + בֶּן־עֶ֔בֶד [son·of·Ebed] (128) + וַיַּעֲמֹ֕ד [and·stood] (130) + פֶּ֖תַח [opening] (488) + שַׁ֣עַר [gate] (570) + הָעִ֑יר [the·city] (285) + וַיָּ֧קׇם [and·arose] (156) + אֲבִימֶ֛לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + וְהָעָ֥ם [and·the·people] (121) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ [that·with·him] (908) + מִן־הַמַּאְרָֽב [from·the·ambush] (338) = 3437.
Metzudat David
“From the ambush”: To go out against the city for war.
Malbim
And Gaal went out. And indeed, Gaal went out with the men of Shechem at dawn to go to Tirma, but he did not go immediately; rather, he stood with his men at the gate of the city to arrange his camp. Meanwhile, Abimelech rose from the ambush, for he thought that Gaal had already set out on his way, and he was in the field.
And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul: ‘Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains.’ And Zebul said to him: ‘You see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.’
verse value 4521
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "shadow" (צֵ֧ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·saw·Gaal" (וַיַּרְא־גַּ֘עַל֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 260: the·mountains, the·mountains. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·saw·Gaal" (וַיַּרְא־גַּ֘עַל֮), "to·Zebul" (אֶל־זְבֻ֔ל), "going·down" (יוֹרֵ֔ד). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "as·the·men" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·mountains', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
"The shadows of the mountains, you see them as people." He laughed at him and said to him in a mocking manner: "They are not people, but the shadows of the mountains; they seem to you like people."
Metzudat David
"Like men." "The shadow of the mountains" refers to those who appear to you as men; his intention was that they should not be recognized until they would come suddenly.
Malbim
"And Gaal saw and said, 'Behold, a people is descending.' And on this basis, he did not move far from the gate, and Zevul sought to deceive him, saying that it was the shadow of the mountains."
And Gaal spoke again and said: ‘See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of Elon-meonenim.’
verse value 3075
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "going·in" (בָּ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·one·company" (וְרֹאשׁ־אֶחָ֣ד, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·he·continued" (וַיֹּ֨סֶף), "going·down" (יֽוֹרְדִ֔ים), "with" (מֵעִ֖ם). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "going·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
From the navel of the earth. (Targum:) From the strength of the earth, from the highest of all mountains:
"Elon-meonenim." (Targum:) "Mishar-meonenim" [the plain of Meonenim]:
Radak
“From the navel of the land.” Just as the navel in a person is the midpoint of the body, so the midpoint of the land is called the navel, and the highest place in it is the navel. And Jonathan rendered it: “From the strength of the land.”
"Elon-meonenim." [I.e.,] the plain of Meonenim.
Metzudat David
"Behold, a people." It is not "the shadow of the mountains," for it says, "Behold, a people coming down," etc.
Metzudat Zion
Navel. The center of the land and its height is called 'navel,' since the navel — that is, the umbilicus of a person — is at the height of the body and in its middle; so too (Ezekiel 38:12) 'on the navel of the earth':
Malbim
But Gaal added that he saw that it was a troop, and that they were divided into companies, and he indicated their location, and his intention was to return to the city.
Then said Zebul to him: ‘Where is now your mouth, that you said: Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that you have despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them.’
verse value 3956
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֨א) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 3956 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "where?" (אַיֵּ֨ה), "then" (אֵפ֥וֹא), "your·mouth" (פִ֙יךָ֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root פה ("your·mouth") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·work·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Radak
“Where then is your mouth?” That is to say, “Where are your words that you were saying:”
Metzudat David
Is not this the people? They are the people of Whom you have rejected.
Metzudat Zion
Where then. This is the repetition of one idea in different words:
Your mouth. Your statement:
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
verse value 2365
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "and·fled" (וַיָּ֖נׇס, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·chased·him" (וַיִּרְדְּפֵ֣הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·chased·him" (וַיִּרְדְּפֵ֣הוּ), "from·his·face" (מִפָּנָ֑יו). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·his·face" (root פנים, 46x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges); "and·they·fell" (root נפל, 20x in Judges). First appearance of the root חלל ("slain") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּרְדְּפֵ֣הוּ [and·chased·him] (311) + אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + וַיָּ֖נׇס [and·fled] (126) + מִפָּנָ֑יו [from·his·face] (186) + וַֽיִּפְּל֛וּ [and·they·fell] (132) + חֲלָלִ֥ים [slain] (118) + רַבִּ֖ים [many] (252) + עַד־פֶּ֥תַח [until·opening] (562) + הַשָּֽׁעַר [gate] (575) = 2365.
Metzudat David
“Until the gate.” From the place of the battle until they arrived at the entrance of the gate, the slain fell.
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah; and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
verse value 3273
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Zebul" (זְבֻ֛ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·brothers" (וְאֶת־אֶחָ֖יו, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "at·Arumah" (בָּֽארוּמָ֑ה), "and·drove·out" (וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁ), "Gaal" (אֶת־גַּ֥עַל). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·dwelt" (root ישב, 69x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges); "Shechem" (root שכם, 31x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·Arumah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + בָּֽארוּמָ֑ה [at·Arumah] (254) + וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁ [and·drove·out] (519) + זְבֻ֛ל [Zebul] (39) + אֶת־גַּ֥עַל [Gaal] (504) + וְאֶת־אֶחָ֖יו [and·his·brothers] (432) + מִשֶּׁ֥בֶת [from·dwelling] (742) + בִּשְׁכֶֽם [Shechem] (362) = 3273.
Radak
And Zebul drove him out. How did they drive him out? The men of the city were fighting with Abimelech, and how could Zebul, who was Abimelech's officer, drive out Gaal, who was assisting the men of Shechem and fighting on their behalf against Abimelech? It appears that some of the men of the city supported Zebul, because Abimelech was their brother. And when they saw that Abimelech's hand had prevailed, the hands of those supporting Zebul were strengthened, and the hands of the people opposing him were weakened, and they drove Gaal out, so that he could no longer dwell in Shechem.
Ralbag
And Zebul drove out Ga'al, etc. One ought to wonder how he was able to do this, and behold the men of Shechem were fighting against Avimelech. And it seems that he did this with wisdom, even with the enemies of Avimelech, in saying to them that he was the cause of all this evil to Shechem. And for this reason they agreed with him to drive him from the city. Or he did this with the hand of those drawn to Avimelech from the city of Shechem.
Metzudat David
And he sat. This means that he returned to dwell in Arumah as before.
And he cast him out. After a time, when his hand was strengthened:
Malbim
"And he drove him out." During this time, the power of the prince of the city grew strong, for he too had helpers; and especially since, after the men of Shechem had fallen slain, they agreed to drive Gaal out of the city.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and it was told Abimelech.
verse value 1417
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 1417 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Abimelech" (לַאֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ, 7 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "the·people" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'field', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + מִֽמׇּחֳרָ֔ת [from·next·day] (688) + וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·he·went·out] (107) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה [field] (314) + וַיַּגִּ֖דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + לַאֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ [to·Abimelech] (133) = 1417.
Rashi
And the people went out to the field. The men of Shechem:
And they told. Those who reported to Abimelech that the inhabitants of the city had gone out into the field to attend to their needs:
Metzudat David
And they told. From the men of Abimelech:
Malbim
"And the people went out to the field." [They went] to their occupations, for it was then the time of the vintage, and they had already lost hope in the battle.
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people were coming forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
verse value 3801
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·city" (מִן־הָעִ֔יר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·divided·them" (וַיֶּֽחֱצֵם֙), "into·three" (לִשְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה), "and·lay·in·wait" (וַיֶּאֱרֹ֖ב). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 87x in Judges); "the·people" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "going·out" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·field', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
"The people." [I.e.,] those who were with him:
And he saw. And when he saw:
Metzudat Zion
And he divided them. And he separated them:
Malbim
Questions (43–44): Why is 'vayakum' [and they struck them] stated twice — once in v. 43 and again in v. 44?
"And he divided them." Now he succeeded according to Zebul's counsel in the first action, that he divided his people into three groups, and when he saw that the people were leaving the city and had separated from the city, he began to strike them, and while he was striking them—
And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and smote them.
verse value 5523
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Abimelech" (וַאֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 395: raided, raided. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·the·heads" (וְהָֽרָאשִׁים֙), "and·two·of" (וּשְׁנֵ֣י), "upon·all·that" (עַֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר). The root ראש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges); "the·city" (root עיר, 52x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"The entrance of the city gate." So that they [the people of the city] would not be able to enter:
Radak
"And the companies that were with him." There was only one company with him, for he had divided them into three companies, and two of the companies raided all that was in the field, while Abimelech and the third company, which was with him, raided directly toward the city until they stood at the gate of the city. And the company that was with Abimelech had great men among them; therefore it says, "And the companies that were with him."
Ralbag
And Avimelech and the heads who were with him. Meaning, the honorable ones who were with him. For the two heads raided all that was in the field. And therefore only one head remained to raid and to stand at the gate of the city.
Metzudat David
And the heads. He means to say, one of the heads:
"Entrance of the gate." Lest [the people of the city] go out of the city to help the people who were in the field.
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein; and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
verse value 4209
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Abimelech" (וַאֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 686: the·city, the·city. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·the·city" (בָּעִ֗יר), "and·the·people" (וְאֶת־הָעָ֥ם), "that·in·her" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֖הּ). The root עיר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·in·her" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "day" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "that" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'killed', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Ralbag
And he tore down the city and sowed it with salt. He did this so that it should not be fitting for fields and vineyards.
Metzudat David
“And he sowed salt.” He scattered salt to ruin the fields:
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of El-berith.
verse value 2450
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 2450 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֥ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·tower·of·Shechem" (מִֽגְדַּל־שְׁכֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·excavation" (אֶל־צְרִ֔יחַ), "God" (אֵ֥ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "God" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges). First appearance of the root צריח ("to·excavation") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·tower·of·Shechem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ [and·they·heard] (432) + כׇּֽל־בַּעֲלֵ֖י [all·owners·of] (162) + מִֽגְדַּל־שְׁכֶ֑ם [the·tower·of·Shechem] (437) + וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ [and·they·came] (25) + אֶל־צְרִ֔יחַ [to·excavation] (339) + בֵּ֖ית [house·of] (412) + אֵ֥ל [God] (31) + בְּרִֽית [covenant] (612) = 2450.
Rashi
Tsurich. A forest in which the trees and their tops are bent around in a circle, and they call it "Pleisher" in the vernacular.
“Beit El Berit.” That tzariach belonged to Baal-berith, the name of their idol; and Tzalmon (verse 48) — there was a forest there. And some explain: “tzariach” — a “vodevi” in the vernacular, which they make in the ground:
Radak
"Lords of the Tower of Shechem." The lords of the Tower of Shechem were not in the city when Abimelech captured it, and when they heard [of it], they went to the tower [tzariach] of Beth-El to take refuge in that tower. A "tzariach" is like a "migdal" (tower), as in "and in the rocks and in the towers." And the name of the place where this tower was located was Beth-El Berit. And the opinion of [Targum] Jonathan is that "tzariach Beth-El" is the name of the place, and the meaning of "berit" [covenant] is that they came to them to make a covenant with them. And so did Jonathan translate: "And they came to the tower of Beth-El to make a covenant."
Ralbag
The men of the tower of Shechem, they are the great ones of the city. And they were not there at that time. And therefore they came to the tower of Beit El through a covenant, meaning, that they should save them from the hand of Avimelech. And the name of that place is Beit El, and a tzariach is a strong tower, and it is near Beit El. And therefore only the men of the tower of Shechem died there, for they alone were in the tower.
Metzudat David
"And they heard, etc." For the tower of Shechem did not stand within the city.
Metzudat Zion
A tower. A high tower is called a 'tower,' so too (I Samuel 13:6) 'among the crags and among the towers,' and it is from the word for raising the voice, as in (Isaiah 42:13) 'He shall cry out, yea, He shall shout,' for the lookout who stands on a high tower needs to make his voice heard by raising it:
Malbim
"And they heard." After the counsel of the Lord was carried out in Shechem, it came about that the fire of the thornbush [Jotham's parable] would consume also Beth-Millo, the neighbors of Shechem — for near Shechem stood a fortress tower that could not be conquered. So the Lord arranged that they did not go to take refuge in the tower, but rather assembled at the stronghold of Beth-El, which was made of wood, to consult there and to cut a covenant there [sealing] the bond of the rebellion.
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
verse value 1388
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Abimelech" (לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "gathered·themselves" (הִֽתְקַבְּצ֔וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges); "all·owners·of" (root בעל, 33x in Judges); "to·Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֻּגַּ֖ד [and·it·was·told] (23) + לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [to·Abimelech] (133) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + הִֽתְקַבְּצ֔וּ [gathered·themselves] (603) + כׇּֽל־בַּעֲלֵ֖י [all·owners·of] (162) + מִֽגְדַּל־שְׁכֶֽם [the·tower·of·Shechem] (437) = 1388.
Malbim
"And God sent an evil spirit" — this was a providential punishment, for the violence [done to] the seventy [brothers] to come [upon him], etc.
"And he told Abimelech." [This teaches] that they came out from the tower, and then he cut down trees and set fire to the stronghold, which was made of wood. It was from God that they came out from the tower of stone to take shelter under a cedar plank, and thus was fulfilled what is written: "A fire went out from Abimelech and consumed the citizens of Shechem, [and] Beth-Millo."
And Abimelech got him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder; and he said to the people that were with him: ‘What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.’
verse value 9111
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 123 letters. The shortest word is "what?" (מָ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·axes" (אֶת־הַקַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 103: Abimelech, Abimelech. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "hill·Zalmon" (הַר־צַלְמ֗וֹן), "the·axes" (אֶת־הַקַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת), "and·he·cut" (וַיִּכְרֹת֙). The root אבימלך appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·the·people" (root איל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·shoulder', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 9 words.
Rashi
A bough of trees. A branch of trees:
Radak
"Shokhet of wood." Shokhet is like a branch, and so in the Mishnah: "But one may not cut off the branch in order to pay its value [in money]."
Ralbag
Soochet atzayim. It is a branch, and it is called so because it covers, for the branches cover around the tree; soochet is like soochato [its branch].
Metzudat David
"What you saw, I did." This is akin to saying, "You saw what I did," etc.
Metzudat Zion
The axes. An axe with which wood is split, as in (I Samuel 13:20) 'his axe':
A bough. A large branch, and in the Mishnah (Bava Kamma 10:2) 'one does not prune the bough,' and it is from the word for covering [sakhakh]:
And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
verse value 6472
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 100 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "also·all·the·people" (גַם־כׇּל־הָעָ֜ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·cut" (וַיִּכְרְת֨וּ), "also·all·the·people" (גַם־כׇּל־הָעָ֜ם), "his·bough" (שׂוֹכֹ֗ה). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "upon·them" (root על, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Radak
Shokha. Like shokhto [his branch], just as "ve-tzoram levalot she'ol" (and their form is for Sheol to wear away) is like "ve-tzuratam" (their form), or it is another pattern: shokh, on the pattern of "bor" [pit].
Metzudat David
"Upon the tunnel." This means: adjacent to it.
Metzudat Zion
And they set fire. From the word for ignition and kindling:
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
verse value 1335
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "and·went" (וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Thebez" (אֶל־תֵּבֵ֑ץ), "and·encamped" (וַיִּ֥חַן), "against·Thebez" (בְּתֵבֵ֖ץ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Thebez" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Thebez', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + אֶל־תֵּבֵ֑ץ [to·Thebez] (523) + וַיִּ֥חַן [and·encamped] (74) + בְּתֵבֵ֖ץ [against·Thebez] (494) + וַֽיִּלְכְּדָֽהּ [and·captured·it] (75) = 1335.
Ralbag
And Avimelech went. And it seems that the men of Tevetz too rebelled against him.
But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, even all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and got them up to the roof of the tower.
verse value 3401
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·midst·of·the·city" (בְתוֹךְ־הָעִיר֒, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 285: the·city, and·they·shut. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·tower·of·strength" (וּמִגְדַּל־עֹז֮), "in·midst·of·the·city" (בְתוֹךְ־הָעִיר֒), "all·the·men" (כׇּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים). The root מגדל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·the·men" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "upon·roof" (root על, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'behind', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Metzudat Zion
And the tower of strength. And the tower of might:
And Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, and went close to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
verse value 2262
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Verse gematria: 2262 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "until·the·tower" (עַד־הַמִּגְדָּ֔ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "until·the·tower" (עַד־הַמִּגְדָּ֔ל), "to·burn·it" (לְשׇׂרְפ֥וֹ). The root מגדל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "and·he·fought" (root לחם, 45x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges). First appearance of the root שרף ("to·burn·it") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ [Abimelech] (103) + עַד־הַמִּגְדָּ֔ל [until·the·tower] (156) + וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם [and·he·fought] (94) + בּ֑וֹ [in·him] (8) + וַיִּגַּ֛שׁ [and·approached] (319) + עַד־פֶּ֥תַח [until·opening] (562) + הַמִּגְדָּ֖ל [tower] (82) + לְשׇׂרְפ֥וֹ [to·burn·it] (616) + בָאֵֽשׁ [in·the·fire] (303) = 2262.
Metzudat David
Until the entrance. For the gate was made of wood:
And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and broke his skull.
verse value 4084
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "wife" (אִשָּׁ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "head" (אֶת־גֻּלְגׇּלְתּֽוֹ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·cast" (וַתַּשְׁלֵ֞ךְ), "slice·of" (פֶּ֥לַח), "upon·head" (עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wife" (root אשה, 59x in Judges); "Abimelech" (root אבימלך, 31x in Judges); "upon·head" (root ראש, 26x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַתַּשְׁלֵ֞ךְ [and·cast] (756) + אִשָּׁ֥ה [wife] (306) + אַחַ֛ת [one] (409) + פֶּ֥לַח [slice·of] (118) + רֶ֖כֶב [chariots] (222) + עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ [upon·head] (601) + אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + וַתָּ֖רִץ [and·crushed] (696) + אֶת־גֻּלְגׇּלְתּֽוֹ [head] (873) = 4084.
Rashi
“Pelech Rekev.” A piece of stone from the upper millstone, which is called a rekev:
"Vatarotz" [and she crushed]. [Meaning] vaterotzetz — she crushed/shattered:
Radak
"Pelach rekhev." A piece of the millstone assembly, which is one of the two millstones (reichayim), and it is the upper one; therefore it is called rekhev ["rider"], while the lower one is called reichayim or shakhav ["lying one"].
"Vatarotz" [and it crushed (his skull)]. With a hireq under the resh, though the custom is to write it with a segol. It is from the hifil binyan, among the doubled [geminate] verbs, from [the phrase] "a bruised reed" (קנה רצוץ); or it is from the hollow verbs (נחי העין), as in "vayyir'atzu" (וירעצו) and "vayrotzetzu" (וירצצו), which are terms for breaking/crushing; and it is possible that this too is among the doubled verbs.
Ralbag
Half of a millstone. It is a piece of the millstone, and it is one of the millstones, and it is the upper one, because it rides upon the lower one.
Metzudat Zion
The nether millstone. So is called the stone of the mill, as in (Job 41:16) 'like the nether millstone':
The upper millstone. It is the upper stone of the mill, which rides on the nether stone:
And crush. From the word for crushing and shattering:
His skull. His head, as in (I Chronicles 10:10) 'and his skull':
Malbim
Now he will relate how there was also fulfilled what was said, "Fire shall come out from the citizens of Shechem and consume Abimelech" — in that a woman killed him. "Pelach rekhev" is a piece of stone from the upper of the millstones, and it was measure for measure, just as he had killed his brothers upon one stone.
Then he called hastily to the young man his armour-bearer, and said to him: ‘Draw your sword, and kill me, that men say not of me: A woman slew him.’ And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
verse value 5650
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5650 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·him" (לוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·kill·me" (וּמ֣וֹתְתֵ֔נִי, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "haste" (מְהֵרָ֜ה), "lifting" (נֹשֵׂ֣א), "his·armor" (כֵלָ֗יו). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·the·young·man" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "wife" (root אשה, 59x in Judges). First appearance of the root כלי ("his·armor") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'killed·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Rashi
Lest they say of me. Lest they say about me:
Radak
"Lest they say of me"—[meaning] on my account, as in "say of me: he is my brother" [Genesis 20:13].
Metzudat David
He carries his weapons. Weapons of war:
"A woman killed him." And it shall be counted to him as disgrace:
Metzudat Zion
To me. Upon me:
And pierced him. The sense of thrusting into the body, so too (Isaiah 13:15) 'everyone who is found shall be pierced':
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.
verse value 2247
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·Israel" (אִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man·Israel" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּרְא֥וּ [and·they·saw] (223) + אִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [man·Israel] (852) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + מֵ֣ת [died] (440) + אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ [and·went] (72) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + לִמְקֹמֽוֹ [to·his·place] (216) = 2247.
Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in slaying his seventy brethren;
verse value 3589
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "the·evil·of" (רָעַ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "seventy" (אֶת־שִׁבְעִ֥ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "the·evil·of" (רָעַ֣ת), "seventy" (אֶת־שִׁבְעִ֥ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "God" (root אלהים, 57x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
"His evil." This refers to the recompense for his evil:
Malbim
"And He repaid." This is the conclusion of the narrative, [explaining] how the curse of Jotham was fulfilled in all its details.
Metzudat David
Malbim