Topical Bible: Murder: Men of Shechem

◄ Murder: Men of Shechem ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The account of the men of Shechem and their involvement in murder is primarily found in the Book of Judges, specifically in Judges 9. This narrative centers around Abimelech, the son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal), and his ruthless rise to power, which is marked by treachery and bloodshed.

Background and Context

After the death of Gideon, Israel fell into a period of spiritual and moral decline, characterized by idolatry and internal strife. Abimelech, one of Gideon's seventy sons, sought to establish himself as a ruler over Israel. His ambition led him to Shechem, a city with significant historical and religious importance, as it was a central location in the land of Canaan and had associations with the patriarchs.

The Conspiracy and Murder

Abimelech approached the leaders of Shechem, appealing to their shared kinship, as his mother was a Shechemite. He proposed that it would be better for them to be ruled by one man rather than the seventy sons of Gideon. The men of Shechem were persuaded by Abimelech's argument and provided him with seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith. With this money, Abimelech hired reckless and worthless men to follow him.

The conspiracy culminated in a brutal act of murder. Abimelech went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers on one stone, sparing only the youngest, Jotham, who managed to hide. This massacre was a calculated move to eliminate any potential rivals to his claim to leadership.

Judges 9:5 : "He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself."

The Role of the Men of Shechem

The men of Shechem played a crucial role in Abimelech's rise to power and the subsequent murder of his brothers. Their support was instrumental in providing Abimelech with the resources and legitimacy he needed to carry out his plans. However, their alliance with Abimelech was not based on righteousness or justice but on political expediency and familial ties.

Divine Retribution and Downfall

The murder of Gideon's sons did not go unpunished. Jotham, the sole survivor, delivered a parable from Mount Gerizim, warning the men of Shechem of the consequences of their actions. He likened Abimelech to a bramble, a worthless plant, and foretold that fire would come from Abimelech to consume the men of Shechem, and vice versa.

Judges 9:20 : "But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech."

In fulfillment of Jotham's curse, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, leading to mutual destruction. The men of Shechem eventually turned against Abimelech, and in a series of conflicts, both parties met their demise. Abimelech's death came at the hands of a woman who dropped a millstone on his head, fulfilling the divine retribution for his murderous actions.

Judges 9:56-57 : "In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal."

The account of the men of Shechem and their involvement in murder serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of aligning with unrighteousness and the inevitable justice of God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 9:24
That the cruelty done to the three score and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and on the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brothers.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Woman of Samaria
... needs have been more or less good men, upright, just ... the king of Assyria down to
murder their own ... had gone in old times, travelling between Shechem and Samaria ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxvi the woman of.htm

And Judas Iscariot
... How many men to-day have wrecked their homes and all ... Doubtless Jacob had such when
he stopped at Shechem. ... breaking experience with the worse than murder of his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/and judas iscariot.htm

Chapter xii
... First, that at Shechem (which lay between Ebal and Gerizim, not quite at ... Egyptian
parallels prove that men had no hesitation about committing murder in an ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xii.htm

In Jud??a and through Samaria - a Sketch of Samaritan History and ...
... told of what He did, and how all men came to ... Mount Ebal in Deuteronomy 27:4. It was
Shechem also, with ... speaking of the rebellion of the city, the murder of the ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii in judaea and.htm

Palestine under Pagan Kings.
... thing for them." He went to Shechem, but they ... the unpleasant consciousness of probable
murder, and make ... king, Alexander, attended by armed men, having ordered ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/palestine under pagan kings.htm

Appendices
... Where is the mountain of Shechem? Who can surmount it? ... I give not orders for murder.
I cause not suffering to men. I reduce not the offering in the temples. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/appendices.htm

The Polity Settled by Moses; and How He Disappeared from among ...
... that their hands are innocent of this murder, and that ... that they were made for the
benefit of men; and that ... sun, not far from the city of Shechem, between the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 the polity settled.htm

The Historical Books.
... and the interment of the bones of Joseph in Shechem. ... for espousing the cause of the
wicked men of Gibeah ... and his kingdom"Amnon's incest, the murder of Amnon ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xx the historical books.htm

Canaan
... with the conquered race; towns like Shechem contained a ... Men, women, and children
were alike put to the sword ... eager when the fight was over to murder the wounded ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

Index i. Of Subjects
... two blind men at Jericho, 355, 356; ... Salome, sister of Herod I., compasses murder
of her husband, of Mariamme, Soemus ... Shechem, real capital of Samaria, i.397, 398 ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/index i of subjects.htm