What is the meaning of Judges 9:5? He went to his father’s house in Ophrah • The verse roots Abimelech’s actions in a literal, geographic place—Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Judges 6:11), the same town where God first called Gideon. • Returning “to his father’s house” underscores the betrayal: Abimelech turns sacred family ground into a crime scene. • Gideon had erected an ephod in Ophrah that later became “a snare” (Judges 8:27); Abimelech now deepens that legacy of unfaithfulness. • The setting recalls other moments when homes became stages of conflict—think of David’s flight from his own house (1 Samuel 19:11-12) or Joash’s rescue in the temple quarters (2 Kings 11:1-3)—highlighting the tension between covenant calling and human rebellion. On one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal • “On one stone” suggests a single, deliberate execution site—likely an altar-like surface—turning fratricide into ritualized slaughter. • Seventy Sons: – The number mirrors completeness (Genesis 46:27; Luke 10:1). Abimelech wanted total elimination of rivals. – It also echoes another tragic seventy, the elders slain by Saul’s order against Nob (1 Samuel 22:18-19). • Violations pile up: – Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13). – Ban on shedding innocent blood (Deuteronomy 27:24). – Duty to preserve a judge’s household (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). • The act foreshadows later royal purges—Athaliah’s massacre (2 Kings 11:1) and Herod’s violence (Matthew 2:16)—warning that power obtained by blood breeds judgment (Galatians 6:7). But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived • Amid total darkness, God preserves a witness. “The LORD rescues His servants; no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22). • Youngest sons often carry redemptive roles—David (1 Samuel 16:11-13), Joseph (Genesis 37:2-4), and now Jotham. • His survival sets up the prophetic parable of the bramble (Judges 9:7-20), through which God pronounces judgment on Abimelech. • The remnant principle threads through Scripture: a single spared life can safeguard covenant truth (Isaiah 10:20-22; Romans 11:5). Because he hid himself • Human prudence partners with divine sovereignty. “The prudent see danger and take refuge” (Proverbs 22:3). • Hiding echoes Moses protected in a basket (Exodus 2:2-3) and Jesus sheltered in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). • God often works through ordinary means—quick thinking, a hiding place—while directing history toward His purposes (Acts 23:12-24). • Jotham’s concealment becomes the hinge for later confrontation; wisdom preserves him for a future moment of truth (Ecclesiastes 3:7). summary Judges 9:5 records Abimelech’s calculated slaughter at Ophrah, turning Gideon’s home into an altar of blood. On one stone he kills seventy brothers, symbolizing a complete purge of potential challengers and flouting God’s clear commands against murder. Yet the LORD preserves Jotham, the youngest, through a simple act of hiding, showing that even in national apostasy God keeps a remnant. The verse warns against the idolatry of power, highlights the sanctity of life, and displays God’s quiet providence that raises a lone survivor to speak truth and ensure justice. |
    |