Bible Strands
Judges 9:4
So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the Shechemite leaders providing funds to Abimelech immediately after his maternal uncles persuade them to support his claim to kingship.
The words — The text highlights מִ/בֵּ֖יתּ בַ֣עַל (mi./Beit Ba.'al), literally "from the house of Baal," indicating the temple treasury of Baal-berith. It also notes וַ/יִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר (va/i.yis.Kor), meaning "and he hired," describing Abimelech's transactional recruitment of mercenaries.
The thread — This use of temple funds for political violence parallels the Israelites' earlier apostasy with Baal-berith (Judges 8:33) and the recurring biblical pattern of worthless men gathering around ambitious leaders (Judges 11:3; 2 Chronicles 13:7).
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that religious resources are being redirected to fund a usurper's violent consolidation of power, requiring the reader to trace how sacred spaces become instruments of political corruption.
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 they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal–berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
Cross-references
- Judges 8:33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
- Judges 11:3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.
- 2 Chronicles 13:7 Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
- Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
- Acts 17:5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
- Judges 9:46 On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
- 1 Samuel 22:2 And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
- Job 30:8 A senseless and nameless brood, they were driven off the land.