Judges 9:12
New International Version
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’

New Living Translation
“Then they said to the grapevine, ‘You be our king!’

English Standard Version
And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’

Berean Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and reign over us.’

King James Bible
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

New King James Version
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’

New American Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You, come, reign over us!’

NASB 1995
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’

NASB 1977
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’

Amplified Bible
Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’

Christian Standard Bible
Later, the trees said to the grapevine, “Come and reign over us.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Later, the trees said to the grapevine,” Come and reign over us.”

American Standard Version
And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

Contemporary English Version
Next they asked the grape vine, "Will you be our king?"

English Revised Version
And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the trees said to the grapevine, 'You come and be our king!'

Good News Translation
So the trees then said to the grapevine, 'You come and be our king.'

International Standard Version
"So the trees told the grape vine, 'Hey you! Come and reign over us!'

Majority Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the grapevine, ?Come and reign over us.?

NET Bible
"So the trees said to the grapevine, 'You come and be our king!'

New Heart English Bible
"The trees said to the vine, 'Come, and reign over us.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the trees to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

World English Bible
“The trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the trees say to the vine, Come, reign over us.

Young's Literal Translation
'And the trees say to the vine, Come thou, reign over us.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the trees will say to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the trees said to the vine: Come thou and reign over us.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’

New American Bible
Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come you, reign over us.’

New Revised Standard Version
Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the trees said to the vine, Come you, and reign over us.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The trees said to the vine: ‘You come reign over us!’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the trees said unto the vine: Come thou, and reign over us.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the trees said to the vine, Come, reign over us.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jotham's Parable
11But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, to hold sway over the trees?’ 12Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and reign over us.’ 13But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’…

Cross References
Matthew 21:33-41
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. / But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ...

Isaiah 5:1-7
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Luke 20:9-16
Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. / So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed. ...

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. / You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ...

Psalm 80:8-16
You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it. / You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. / The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ...

Ezekiel 15:1-8
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest? / Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? ...

Romans 11:17-24
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ...

Hosea 10:1
Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.

Mark 12:1-9
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. / But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ...

Jeremiah 2:21
I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

Deuteronomy 32:32-33
But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter. / Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.

Isaiah 27:2-6
In that day: “Sing about a fruitful vineyard. / I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it; / I am not angry. If only thorns and briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn them to the ground. ...

1 Kings 4:25
Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

Micah 4:4
And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.

Zechariah 3:10
On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig tree.’”


Treasury of Scripture

Then said the trees to the vine, Come you, and reign over us.

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Judges 9
1. Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7. Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22. Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30. Zebul reveals it
34. Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46. He burns the hold of the god Berith
50. At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56. Jotham's curse is fulfilled.














Then the trees said
This phrase introduces the continuation of Jotham's parable, a account told to convey a deeper truth. The "trees" symbolize the people of Shechem and the leaders of Israel, who are seeking a king to rule over them. In the Hebrew context, trees often represent leaders or nations, as seen in other biblical passages. This anthropomorphic imagery sets the stage for a lesson on leadership and the consequences of poor choices.

to the vine
The vine is a symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity in the Bible, often associated with Israel itself (Psalm 80:8, Isaiah 5:1-7). In this parable, the vine represents a potential leader who is productive and beneficial. The choice of a vine highlights the desire for a ruler who can bring prosperity and blessing, contrasting with the thornbush, which ultimately becomes their king.

'Come and reign over us.'
This invitation reflects the people's desire for governance and order, a recurring theme in Israel's history. The Hebrew root for "reign" (מָלַךְ, malak) implies not just ruling but doing so with authority and responsibility. The plea for the vine to "reign" underscores the longing for a leader who embodies the qualities of the vine—fruitfulness and peace. However, the parable warns of the dangers of choosing leaders based on superficial qualities or immediate benefits, rather than godly wisdom and character.

(12) Unto the vine.--We might have felt surprise that the vine was not the first choice, but the low-growing, trellised vine, which needs support for its own tendrils, might seem less suitable. Indeed, ancient nations talked of the female vine--

"Or they led the vine

To wed her elm; she round about him flings

Her marriageable arms," &c.--Milton.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the trees
הָעֵצִ֖ים (hā·‘ê·ṣîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

said
וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to the grapevine,
לַגָּ֑פֶן (lag·gā·p̄en)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 1612: A vine, the grape

‘Come
לְכִי־ (lə·ḵî-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and reign
מָלְכִ֥י (mā·lə·ḵî)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 4427: To reign, inceptively, to ascend the throne, to induct into royalty, to take counsel

over us.’
עָלֵֽינוּ׃ (‘ā·lê·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT History: Judges 9:12 The trees said to the vine Come (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 9:11
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