What is the meaning of Judges 9:4? So they gave him – The “they” are the leaders of Shechem who have just pledged loyalty to Abimelech (Judges 9:1-3). – Their gift is an intentional choice: they shift their trust from God-appointed judges to a self-appointed ruler. – Similar misdirected support shows up when Israel later demands a king “like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:4-7). – Judges 8:33 notes that Israel “once again prostituted themselves to the Baals,” setting the stage for this transaction. Seventy shekels of silver – Seventy is the same number as Gideon’s sons—Abimelech’s half-brothers—whom he soon murders (Judges 9:5). The amount anticipates the blood he will shed. – Though not an enormous fortune, it is enough to finance a coup. Compare 2 Kings 15:20, where Menahem secures his throne by taxing Israel; or Matthew 26:15, where thirty pieces of silver purchase betrayal. – Money in Scripture often exposes the heart (Luke 16:13). Here it exposes a rebellious community willing to bankroll sin. From the temple of Baal-berith – Funding comes straight out of an idolatrous shrine, proving how deeply Shechem has turned from the LORD (Exodus 23:13). – “Baal-berith” means “lord of the covenant,” a mockery of the true Covenant God (Judges 9:46). – When spiritual allegiance is corrupted, political allegiance soon follows (1 Kings 18:21). – Idolatry provides both the cash and the justification for Abimelech’s rise. With which Abimelech hired – Abimelech uses sacred funds for profane purposes, repeating the pattern seen when Judas returns blood money to the temple (Matthew 27:6-7). – Scripture warns against praying—or in this case paying—for selfish ambition (James 4:3). – God allows the hiring, yet it will become the means of His judgment on both Abimelech and Shechem (Judges 9:23-24). Some worthless and reckless men – The labels them “worthless and reckless,” echoing the “worthless men” who attach themselves to wicked kings (1 Samuel 2:12; 2 Chronicles 13:7). – Their character matches their leader’s: empty of integrity, full of violence (Proverbs 1:10-19). – Bad company expands evil's reach (1 Corinthians 15:33). Abimelech’s entourage mirrors the ruthlessness of his own heart. To follow him – “Follow” implies allegiance and active participation, not passive agreement (Matthew 15:14). – Those who choose such leadership share in its judgment (2 Timothy 3:13; Revelation 18:4). – Abimelech seeks followers, not accountability—opposite of the servant-leadership modeled by Gideon (Judges 8:22-23) or ultimately by Christ (Mark 10:45). summary Judges 9:4 reveals a chain of compromise: an idolatrous people finance an ambitious man who recruits violent followers. Silver from a false god bankrolls a false king, proving that when worship is corrupted, leadership and community decay quickly. The verse warns that resources, influence, and alliances outside God’s will inevitably fuel destruction, yet it also sets the stage for God’s justice that soon follows in Abimelech’s downfall. |
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