Bible Strands
Judges 9:1
Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Abimelech, identified as Jerubbaal’s son, travels to Shechem to address his maternal uncles and the broader clan of his mother. This visit immediately precedes his proposal to the city’s leadership regarding his rule.
The words — The verb וַיֵּלֶךְ (va.ye.lekh) literally means “and he went,” marking the narrative movement toward the city. The name אֲבִימֶלֶךְ (a.vi.me.lekh) translates to “father is king,” a title that frames his subsequent political claim.
The thread — The narrative of Shechem appears in Genesis 33:18 when Jacob camps there, and Judges 8:31 notes that Abimelech’s mother was a concubine from that same location. The consolidation of human authority described here aligns with the broader biblical pattern of earthly factions rising, as noted in Psalms 83:2.
Why it lands — The text records a calculated political visit that sets up a request for tribal loyalty. It requires the reader to observe how kinship networks are leveraged to establish secular power without invoking divine appointment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
Cross-references
- Judges 8:31 His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
- Psalms 83:2 See how Your enemies rage, how Your foes have reared their heads.
- Genesis 33:18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.
- Genesis 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
- 2 Samuel 15:6 Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
- 1 Kings 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
- 1 Kings 12:3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
- 1 Kings 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
- Jeremiah 18:18 Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”