ch A AshoMae?
)| Abimelech, which per he ecwic lacie fiom mélech’s reigning three years, as follows. | yr 2 When Abimelech bad reigned three’ cars over Ifrael.] “Lhe people in general contenti what the men of Shechem had done, at leatt Aer oppofing it, ail being defirous of a king, and therefore put up with a mean perfon, rather than have none; though it is amazing they fhould, and that they had not rofe up as one man againft Abimelech, and avenged the blood of the fons of Gideon, who: had been fo ufeful and ferviceable to them; it is indeed faid, that he reigned over all Trae, and his reign, fuch as it was, was very fhort, as is of- ° cen the cafe with wicked princes.
‘23. Then God fent an evil fpirit between Abimelech, and tke men of Shechem, &c.] Permitted, yea gave a commiffion to fatan, the evil fpirit, to go among them, who ftirred up fufpicions, jealoufiess hatred dnd ill-will to one another, and fowed the feeds of difcord and contention among them; or God gave them up to their own hearts lufts, to think ill of one another, grow jealous, and meditate revenge: and the men ” of Shechem dealt treacheroufly with Abimelech;; did not openly declare their minds, but fecretly confpired againit him, and privately confulted ways and means to get tid of him, and thake off his government.
y¥. 24. That the. cruelty done to the 70 fond of Jerubbaal might come, &c.] ‘That vengeance might come on the authors of it; fo things \ were ordered in providence that this might come pafs: and their together, as he fuppofed they, would, then it would be clear that they had acted a bale and difingenud/ocd be laid upon Abimelech' their brother, which! /lew them be charged to’ his account, and he fuffer ous part by his father’s family. ty. 20 But if not, &c.] If it appeared that they had not acted uprightly and’ fincerely in. this matter: let fire come out of Abilemech, and devour the men of Shechem,and the boufe of Millo, let wrath, rage and fury break out from Adimelech like. fire; ancl. iffue in the deftruétion of thofe.that made him king, both thofe of Shechem and of Milla: and let fire c come out from the men of Shechem, and from the w houfe of Millo, and devour Abimelech, let them be incenfed againft Abimelech, and ferk his ruin, and procure it: the *fenfe is, that he wifhes that ftrife, contention and quarrels might arife among them, and they mutually deftroy each other; the words are imprecative of evil upon them both, and which had its exact fulfilment.
y¥. 21. And Sotham ron away, and fled, &ce.} Having delivered his fable, and the application of it, he made his efcape, having the advantage of being on the top of a mountain, at fome diltance from the people, and perhaps they might not be inclined to do him any hurt: and went to Beer; which fome take to be fame.with’ Baalath- beer in the tribe of Simeon, ‘fofb. xix. 8. Jerom * ays, the village Bera, whither Yotham fled, is eight miles from Eleutheropolis to the north but Mr. Maun drel®, who was in thofe parts in “16975 gives us a better account of it; and, according to him, it is about two hours and a half’s travel from Bethel to it, and three hours and one third from it to ferafalem, Beer, he fays, enjoys a very pleafant fituation, on an eafy declivity, fronting fouthward; at the: bottom’ of the *hill it has'a plentiful fountain of excellent water, from which it had its name: and dwelt there for Nd of Abimelech bis brother; how long he dwelt there is not certain, and we iéar'no"more of hiniafter this. ‘Zo/epbus fays ad hé tor fhedding it: and upon the men of Shechem which aided him in killing of bis brethren, by giving him money to hire men to go with him to do it, and. perhaps by words encouraging. the affaflins, rey. who might be of the city of Shechem.; ¥. 26. And the men of Shechem fet liers in wait
‘for him in the top of the mountains, &c.|* Of Ebal and Gerizzim} which were near Shechem, by the way of which he paffed when he came to that city, and thefe they fet there) either to flay him, ‘or to feize his perfon, and bring him to them: and they robbed all that' came along that way by them, that belonged to Adbimelech and others allo; and this they did ‘to’ fhew their contempt of his goverhment, and that they were no:longer under it, and every man-did what was right in his own eyes, as if they had no governor over them; though fome_ think this) was done to draw him thither to fecure his firbjects from fuch rapine and violence, that they might have an opportunity.to lay hold: upon him, or this non did on: purpofe to begin a civil war: and it was told Abimelech, that they lay iw wait for him; and fo he kept’ himfelf from them. ¥. 26. And:Gaal the fon of Ebed came with bis brethren, and’ went over to Shechem, 8ec.]}, Who this Gaal»was, and who his brethren, and from whence he came, and the place he went over, are all uncertain. ‘archi thinks he was a Genfilé, and: it looks, by fome fpeeches of his afterwards, as if he was'a‘defcendent of Hamor, prince of Shechem, in the times of Jacob, who fince the expulfion of the Canaanites, his family had retired to fome diftant parts; but hearing of a differnce between Abimelech and the Shechemites, Gaal, with fome of the family, came over, perhaps over jordan, to make what advantage he could of it: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in bim i freely freely told him their mind, the ill opinion they had of Adimelech, and what was their defign again him; and he affuring them he would take their) part, and defend them to the uttermoft, they de pended on him, and therefore very fecurely went the world: and ke faid to Abimelech; as if he was. t) prefent, in a heCctoring and bluftering mannef; or he faid what follows to his officer under him, that reprefented him; or he fent a meffenger to him, faying, imcrea/e thine.army, and come out, bidding about their bufinefs in the fields, as follows.
y¥. 27. And they went into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, &c.| Before they kept within the city, and durft not ftir out to gather in the vintage, the time being come, for fear of the troops of Abimelech; for their lying in wait for him, and the robberies committed being made known to him, he had prepared to raile fome forces, and attack them, of which they had had information; but now being encouraged with the protection of Gaa/, they ventured out to gather their grapes in their vineyards without fear: and trode him defiance, ghallenging him to come into the open field and fight him, and bring as many forces along with him as he could or would, not doubting but he fhould be a match for him; and: the men of Shechem would fee they had nothing to fear from him, having fuch a man as Gaa/ at the head of them; this he faid to engage the Shechemites to make him their ruler.
¥. 30. Aud when Zebul the ruler of the city, 8c J Whom Abimelech had placed there under him: beard the words of Gaal the fon of Ebed, bis auger was kindled; becaule he fpoke flightly of him, and the grapes, and made merry; fung fongs and danced, as was ufual at the ingathering of the fruits of wifhed to have his place; perhaps before, Zedul was the [inclined to be on the fide of the Shechemites. again{t earth, and treading the wine-prefs, J/. xvi. fo. Yer. xviii. 33. though Abendana thinks, this joy and merriment were made.to their idol, to whom they gave the praife of their vintage, they fhould know how things were carrying on againft have done to the true God, and what follows may
‘feem to confirm it: and they went into the houfe of vily, &c.]
Abimelech, or at leaft diffembled that he was; but now being incenfed at the words of Gaal, determined to take the fide of Adbimelech, and let him
¥.31. And he ent meffengers unto Abimelech pri-. In a fecret manner, unknown to Gaal their god; the temple of Baal-berith, 5. and did eat and drink in their idol-temple, as was the manner of idolaters to do, bringiag their firftfruits to rejoice, and make glad with: amd curfed Abimelech; wifhed they had never feen him andja known him, hoped they fhould be rid of him a little time, and that he would meet with his and the men of shechem; or craftily, as Farcbi and Kimchi interpret it, ftill diflembling, notwithftanding his anger, to be in the intereft of Gaa/,-and the men of Shechem, as appears indeed afterwards by fhew of friendlinefs with Gaa/, ¥. 36. though, thdant ed to Fofeph Kimchi and Ben Gerfom, Thormcd is the name of the place where Adimelech was, deferved. difgrace and punifhment; and this they did in that very temple from whence they had taken money to affift him in making way for his government of them; fo fickle and changeable were they. a
~ x. 28. And Gaal the fon of Ebed faid, &c.] As they were then making merry, drinking and caroufing: who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we fhould ferve him? who is this Abimelech the Shechemite 2? or. who is he more than Shechem the old prince of this place long ago difpoffefled of it? the one is no better than the other, nor has a better title to rule and government than the other, that we fhould ferve him; nay, of the two, the defcendants of the old Shechem have the bett title: is not be the fon of Ferubbaal; that pleaded againit Baal, and threw down his altar, the god you now ferve: and Zebul his officer? has he not fet him over you? not content to rule you himfelf, he has fet up another as an officer over you under him, and thus you are like to be governed in a tyrannical manner, and oppreffed: ferve. the men af Hamor — for why fhould we ferve him? that is, rather ferve them than him; which was fpeaking very contemptuoutly of his government,, preferring the defcendents of Hamor, the old Cancanitifh prince, that ruled in this place, to Abimelech, and if Gaal was a defcendent of his, he fpoke in good earneft, and thought this_a proper opportunity to get the government of the city- reftored. to him and his family, fince their old religion and idolatry the fame with Arumah, y. 41. and the fenfe is, that he fent meffengers to Abimelech at Thormab or Arumah: faying, Gaal the fon of Ebed, and bis brethren, be come to Shechem; a family that Abimelech well knew, and if they were of the race of the old Canaanites, he would eafily perceive their defign: and behold, they fortify the city againft thee; by repairing its fortifications, or adding new works; or befiege ‘it, which, as that is done by placing an’ army around it without, that none can come out of it, fo by fetting a watch within, and upon the walls, and at the gates of it, that none can come in, which is here meant; though fome interpret it of their defign to befiege the city Thormah, where Abimelech was, of which he gives him notice; or rather they fet the city againft thee, make the inhabitants thine enemies.
¥. 32. Now therefore up by night, &c.] The night following, that no time might be loft: and the people that is with thee; the troops he had with him; not only fuch he had for his own guards, but what he had been raifing, having intelligence before this of the revolt of: the Shechemites from him: and le in wait in the fields; he thought it moft advifeable for him to march with the forces he had, from the place where he was in the night, and lefs liable to be difcovered, and remain in the fields of Shechem till morning, and then come upon the Shechemites before they were aware, and furprize them, a
¥. 33. And it fhall be, that iu the morning as were eftablifhed among them and if they had re- ¢eived one, why not the other? ~~ upon the city, &c. - ¥.29. dud would lo God this people were under my hand, &c.| Or government, that I were but the ruler of their city, and general of their then would I remove Abimelech; from his. kingly office, and rid Shechem of him, and all the country round about, and indeed remove him out of oon as the fun is up, thou Jfhalt rife early, and fet For being with his forces advanced near to it by a march in the night, he would be able by fun-rifing to attack the city beforces:)fore the inhabitants were up to defend it, and fo furprife them: and behold, when be and the people that is with him come out againft thee; that is, Gaal, and the men with him, as many as h¢ upon a furprize can get together: thou mayeft do to them as thou foalt find occafion, as the fituation of things would direct him, and he in his wifdom, and ac cording to his ability, and as opportunity offered, ould fee plainly what was fit and right to be| done; Zebul did not pretend to advife him farther, but left the reft to his difcretion, as things fhould y. 38. Then faid Zebul unto him, &c.] Not being able to put him off any longer, and willing to take the opportunity to upbraid him with what he had faid: «where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou aidft, who is Abimelech that we fhould Jerve him? dareft thou fay the fame thou haft done, and utter the contemptuous language concerning adi- appear to him. melech, aking who he was that he fhould be
¥. 34. And Abimelech rofe up, and all the people _ that were with him, by night, &c.] According to the advice of Zebul: and they laid wait againft Shechem in four companies, he divided his army f{erved? Here he is, fpeak to his face; what are become of thofe boafts and brags, and great fwelling words, what thou wouldit do it thou hadit the command of this city? is not this the people into four parts, which he placed o@ the four fides of the city, at fome diftance from it, to act as they fhould have opportunity, to find ways and means of getting into it on either quarter.
¥. 35. And Gaal the fon of Ebed went out, &c.] He rofe up early that morning, being a man of vigilance and activity, and perhaps had fome intelligence of the preparations of Abimelech, his defign againft the city, though he did not expect he thou haft defpifed? as {mall and infignificant, bidding Abimelech increafe his army, and come out and fight: go out, I pray thee now, and fight with them; and fhew thyfelf to be a man of courage, and not ‘a mere blufterer, a man that can ule his {word as well as his tongue.
¥. 39. And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, 8c.) At the head of them to meet 4imelech, having gathered together as many, and was fo near at hand: and ftood in the entering of put them in as good order, as he could, and the time the gate of the city, to fee whether the guards were on their duty within, and whether he could obfetve any thing without, any approaching danger: and Abimelech rofe up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait; came out of their ambufh, and appeared juft as Gaal was at the gate.
¥. 36. And when Gaal faw the people, he faid to Zebul, &c.] Who was up ag early, and came to _ the gate of the city, to fee how things went, and whether there was any appearance of Adbimelech and his forces, and whether any opportunity offered to let him into the city; and it feems as if he came and ftood by Gaa/, and appeared friendly with him: debold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains; the mountains of Zda/ and Ge- would admit of: and fought with Abimelech 5 without the city.
¥. 40. And Abimelech chafed him, and he fled before him, &c.] Abimelech got the better of him in the battle, and obliged him to give way, and he purfued him clofely as he was fleeing: amd many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate, or they fell many wounded * or flain, as the Targum; that is, many were killed and wounded, as in the battle fo in the purfuir, and lay all the way to the entrance into the gate of the city, to which Gaal, and the men of Shechem, made for their fafety, and got in.
¥. 41. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumab, &c.] Called alfo darima, as Ferom' fays, and in his time called Remphtis; it feems to be not far off from.
rizzim, which were near to Shechem: and Zebul Shechem, he returned to the place where he was faid unto him, thou feeft the fhadow of the mountains, as if they were men; either deriding him, as being juft out of his bed, and his eyes fcarce open, that he could not difcern fhadows from men; or rather as being of fuch a timorous fpirit, that he was afraid of fhadows; or elfe he faid this, putting on an air of ferioufnefs, as if he really believed this to be cafe, on purpofe to deceive him, and keep him from talking about them, whilft Abimelech and his men made further advances, before Gaal could make any preparation to meet them.
y. 37. And Gaal fpake again, and Jaid, &c. } Looking towards the mountains, and taking ‘another view of what he before faw for farther fatiffaction: fee, there come people down by the middle of the land either in the valley between the two mountains; or rather thofe he firft faw on the top of the mountains, were now come down about the middle of them, called in the Hebrew text the navel, from the prominence of the mountains thereabout, or becaufe the navel is in the middle of the body, as this part of them was the middle on which he faw them. R. J/aiah interprets it, between the two cities: and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim, of which we read no where elfe. Montanus renders it, the oak of Meoxenim, or of the foothfayers; oaks being had in great efteem with idolaters for their oracles and divinations; and perhaps this was a place, whether an oak or a plain, where fuch perfons uféd to meet to make their divinations.
before, fee ¥. 31. contenting himfelf with the advantage he had got, and waiting when another opportunity would offer, which quickly did, to be revenged on the Shechemites: and Zebul thrujt out Gaal and his brethren, that they foould not dwell in Shechem; there feems to have been two parties in Shechem before, one that hated Adimelech, and another more friendly to his intereft; by which means Zebul his officer kept his poft, and Gaal could not get the government into his hand; and now by the lofs in. the late battle, who were 4dimelech’s {worn enemies, and the difgrace Gaal fell into by being beaten, Zebu] was able, fo far able to carry his point; as to drive Gaa/ and his brethren out of the city; though he had not ftrength to put him to death, or to feize him and deliver him into the hands of Abimelech.; ¥. 42. And it came to pafs on the morrow, &c.] The day after the battle: that the pople went out into the field; fome think to fight, and try the event of another battle, in order to be freed from Adimelech; but that feems not fo likely; rather to finifh their vintage, as Fofephus™, or to till their ground, to plow and fow, which quickly came on after the vintage was ended; and this they might do the more fecurely, fince Abimelech had withdrawn himfelf and his forces to his place of habitation, and fo concluded he would not foon at leaft return to them; and the rather they might think he would be more eafy with them, fince Gaa/ was thruft out from among them: and they told Abimelech; or it was told @dimelech, that the people came * De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.
came out into the field, and fo an opportunity: offered to him to come and cut them off, as they were at their bufinefs unarmed,
¥. 43. And he took the people, &c.| That is, the forces he had with him at Arumab: and divided them into three companies, each having a feparate leader, and the command of one of them he had himfelf: and laid wait in the field; in the field of Shechem, one company in one part, and one in another part of the field: and looked, and bebold, the people were come forth cut of the city, he watched them when they did: and be rofe up againji them, and fmote them the companies rofe up out of their ambufh, in different parts, and killed them, ’ ¥.44. And Abimelech, and the company that was with bim, &c.| Which he-had the particular command of; or ¢be beads™, for in the company with him, as Kimchi obferves, were great men; and fo the Sep/uagint renders it, the princes that were with him: rujbed forward, and ftood in the entering of the gate of the city; to prevent the people that were in the field getting into it, and any from coming out of it to their relief: and the two other companies van upon all the people that were in the Jields, and flew them; {fo that by this means nonejalong with him: and faid unto the people that were efcaped. with him, what ye have feen me do, make hajte, and
¥. 45. And Abimelech fought againft the city ali that day, &c.| By throwing ftones or arrows into it: and be took the city; it was furrendered to him, not being able to ftand out againtft his forces: and flew the people that was therein, all but thofe that were of his own family and his friends; all that had taken up arms againft him, or had fhown their diflike of his government, and were his enemies: and beat down the city; the houfes in it, and walls of it, though it was his native place: and fowed it with falt; not to make it barren, for he rather then have fowed the field, though this would not have had any effect of that kind, for any time at leaft; but to fhow his deteftation of it, becaufe of the ill ufage he had met with, and as a of its perpetual deftrudction, to which he devoted it, determining that if it was in his power it fhould never be rebuilt; but it was hereafter, and became again avery flourifhing city in Feroboam’s time. Thus the emperor Frederick Barbaroffa, in the year 1162, when he took Milain, not only ploughed it up, but fowed it with fale; and in memory of it, there is a ftreet in it, now called la contrada della Sala”: befides, Abimelech did this to deter other cities from rebelling againft him; for if he fo ufed his own city, more feverely, if poffible, would he ufe others.
¥. 46. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem beard that, &c.] That the city of Shechem was taken, the inhabitants of it flain, the city beaten: down, and ‘fowed with falt; by which it appears that this tower was not within the city, for then the men of it would have feen what was done, and not be faid only to hear it; though it was not far from it, and poffefled by Shechemites, and whither fome of the principal inhabitants had now fled for fafety; perhaps itis the fame with the houfe of MilJo, and fo that part of Fotbam’s curfe, which refpected that, had now its accomplifhment, otherwife no account is given of it: they entered into an bold of the houfe of the god Berith; not do as Ihave done; take an ax, and every man cut down a bough with all poffible hafte, and lay it on his fhoulder.
¥.49. And all the people likewife cut down every. man his bough, and followed Abimelech, &c.] With their boughs on their fhoulders, fo that they were men that feemed to be as trees walking: and.put them Zo the hold, and fet the hold on fire upon them; upon the men in it, or with them, the boughs of trees; it is probable the hold was made of wood, wouldjand fo could the more eafily be fet on fire. archi fays, it was a wood or foreft, where they bent the trees, and divided them round about, and made a fence of them; but they would fcarcely have tokenjleft the tower for fuch a fhelter: /o that all the men of the tower of Shechem died alfo; fire being put to the hold, and they burnt in it; the Vulgate Latin verfion adds, with fire and fmoke; for they being boughs of trees juft cut down, with which they fet fire to the hold, they would not burn’ eafily and clearly, but make a prodigious {moke, with which many might be fuffocated, as others burnt with fire; and it is unaccountable that Jo-> /fephus ° fhould fay, that faggots of dry wood were taken, and with them fire fet to the hold, when the text is fo exprefs for it, that they were boughs of green trees juft cut off: about 1000 men and women; but the above hiftorian makes them to be many more; he fays the men were about 1500, and the reft a great multitude; this literally fulfilled Yotham’s curfe.
y. 50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez, &c. | Which, according to Ben.Gerfom, had rebelled againft him; it was near to Shechem. Adrichomius {ays’, the ruins, where he thinks ftood the city of 74edez, were but one furlong from Neapolis or Shechem, where, to the left of facod’s well, were to be feen ruins of a large town, marble ftones, whole pillars, and other. figns of large palaces, and the foil wonderfully fruittul,; and Ferom fays %, that in his time there was a village called Thebes, hinking themfelves fafe enough in the tower, they ‘betook themfelves to the temple of Baal-derith their god, fee y. 4. and ch. viii. 33. which was a (trong fortified place, as temples often were; or however had a ftrong hold belonging to it, and hither they fled, either becaufe of the greater {trength of the place, or becaufe of the fanétity of it, and imagining dbimelech would not deftroy it on that account; and the rather, becaufe of the fupply he had from it, which enabled him to raile himfelf to the government of J/rael.
¥. 47. And it was told Abimelech, &c.] Who had his {pies about, and particularly to obferve the motions of the men im this tower: that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together; in the hold of the temple of Baal-berith.
¥.48. And Abimelech got him to up mount Zatmon, &c.| A mountain near Shechem, and thought to be the fame with Salmon in Pf. Ixviii: 14. which feems to have had its name from the fhade of the trees which grew upon it: 4e and all the people that were with him; his whole army: aud dbimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees; which grew upon mount Zalmon: and took it, and laid it on bis fhoulders; and carried it
On the borders of Neapolis or Shechem, as you go to Scythopolis, 13° miles from it. It muft be near Shechem, inhabited by Shechemites, to fulfil Fotham’s curfe, ¥. 20. and encamped againft Thebez, and took it; it feems not to have held out long,
¥. £4. Then he called haftily to the young man bis armour-bearer, &c.| Perceiving it was a mortal blow that was given him, and he fhould foon expire; and that the caft of the ftone was by the hand of a woman, and therefore he was in hafte being deferted by its inhabitants, who fled to the to have the young man come to him: and faid tower, as follows. unto him, draw thy fword, and flay me, that men
¥. 51. But there was a ftrong tower within the city, &c.] The tower of Shechem was without the eity, but this within, 4s towers generally are: hither fied all the men and women, and all they of the city; men, women and children, man andjthis, maid-fervants, all the inhabitants of the city; the tower being a large place, having not only many/ rooms in it, but perhaps a large.area in the midft of it, as well as ic had battlements on the top of it: and fhut it to them; the gates of it, and which no doubt they ftrongly barred and bolted, to keep fay not of me, a woman flew him, it being reckoned very ignominious and reproachful to"die by the amdjhand of a woman, and efpecially any great perfonage, as a king or general of an army *; to avoid he chofe rather to be guilty of fuicide, or of what cannot well be excufed from it, and fo died a felf-murderer; which added to all his other fins, he feemed to have no fenfe of, or repentance for; and the method he took to conceal- the fhame of his death, ferved the more to fpread it; for this circumftance of his death could not be given without the enemy: and gat them up to the top of the tower; to obferve the motions of Abimelech, and annoy him as much as they could with what they carried with them, as ftones, and the like.
¥. 52. And Abimelech came unto the tower, &c.] With his army to befiege it: and fougkt againjt it; ufing all the methods he could to oblige thofe out the reafon of it, and which was remembered and related punctually near 200 years afterwards, 2 Sam. Xi. 21..
¥. 55. And when the men of Ifrael faw that Abimelech was dead, &c.] That is, thofe that were with him, the men of his army, who were all J/- raelites: they departed every man to his place, dif- in it to jurrender: and went hard unto the door of banded themifelves, and went every one to their the tower to burn it with fire, in order to get entrance into it; and perhaps the tower was built of ftone, fo that no other part could be fet fire to; and to do this he drew near to the door himfelf, for nothing more is meant by the phrafe, went hard, then drawing near in his own perfon to the door; hazarding his life in the enterprize, being fo bent upon it, thinking to do by this tower what own home, and fo the inhabitants of Thebez efcaped the vengeance of Abimelech.
¥. 56. Thus God rendered the wickednefs of Abimelech which be did unto bis father, &c.| To the difgrace of his father’s character, and to the hurt of his father’s family: im flaying bis feventy brethren; excepting one, which was a piece of unheard-of wickednefs, attended with moft fad ag- he had done to the hold of the temple of Baa/- gravations; the fhedding fuch blood required blood to be fhed again, and it was righteous judgement y. 53. And a certain woman caft a piece of a milftone, &c.] Of the upper milftone, as the word God rendered to him: this and the following verfe contain the remarks made upon this hiftory by the fignifies, which is obferved by archi and other Fewifh commentators; this with other ftones being carried up to the top of the tower, to do what execution they could with them: and a woman obferving Abimelech making up to the door of the tower, took up this piece of milftone, and threw it down upon Abimelech’s head, and all to break bis Skull; fhe did it with that view, though it may as well be rendered, or fhe, or it broke his fkull*; it writer of it, who, as we have feen, in all proba. bility, was the prophet Samuel.
¥. 57. And all the evil of the men of Shechem, &c.} In aiding Abimelech to flay his brethren, and in making him king after fo foul a faét committed: did“God render upon their heads, by fuffering Abimelech to beat down their city, and deftroy the inhabitants of it, and by burning the hold in which the men of the tower of Shechem were, and made a fracture in it, which was mortal. dana obferves, and fo others, that that was meafure for meafure, a righteous retaliation, that as he had flain 70 of his brethren on one ftone, he ben-j;them in it: and upon them came the curfe of Fotham the fon of Ferubbaal; both upon Abimelech, and the men of Shechem, they being deftroyed by one another, as Yotham imprecated they might, fhould die by means of a ftone. and foretold they would, fee ¥. 20.