f Or, thifile,
* Excd. 9323s
f Heb: caft
bis ſoul,
change my {weet Tranquillity, for unceſant Cares and Travels for th: good of others, as a King ought te do.
12 Ani the trees ſaid unto the fhg-tree þ,Come thou, and reign Over Us. 2 E
b This, as alſo the Vine, wv. 12» ſignifies the fame thing with the Olive-rree, but hor2 are various Expreſſions uſed, either for the de- c<encv of the Parable ; or, bzcauſe Gid:zen refuſed this Honour, both for hin{c'f, and for his Sons; or, to ſignifie that the Sons of Grdeen, whom Ab/melcc rad fo cruely laing upon pretence of their affefting the Kingdom, were as far from ſuch 'Thoughts as their Father; and tac:cfore were nnjultly and wickedly murdered.
17 But the fhg-rrce ſaid unto them, Should I forſake my ſweetneſs c, and my good fruit,and go to be pro- moted over the trees ? |
© For which that Fruit is particularly commended.
12 Then faid the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and TCigit OVET Us.
13 And the vine ſaid unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheareth God 4 and man e, and go to be promoted over the trees ? :
a Wherewith God is well pleaſed, becauſe it was offered to God, Iumb. 15: 5,7, 10. e Sec Pſals log: 15. Prov: 31: 6.
14 Then ſaid all the trees unto the }j| bramble f, Come thou, and reign over Us.
Or, Thorn, a mean, and barren, and hurtful Tree, fitly repreſent- ing Ab:melech, the Son of a Concubine, and a Perſcn of ſmall Uſe,and creat Cruelty. ; :
E 15 And the bramble ſaid unto the trees, If in truth ye ancint me king over you g, then come, and put your truſt in my ſhadow þ: and if not, * let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Leba- NON Z. . A « P
g If you deal truly and juſtly in making me King. + Then you may expeC& ProteCttion under my Government. # Inſtead of Pro- te&ion, y ou ſhal receive DeſtruCtion by me ; eſpecially you Cedars, 7. e. Nobles, ſuch as the Houſe of Milo, who have been moſtforward in this work. :
16 Now therefore,if ye have done truely and ſincere- ly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his houſe, and have done unto him according ro ihe deſerving of his hands:
17 ( For my father fought for you, and Þ andven- tured his life far &, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian : : :
k Heb: Caſt away his Soul or Life far off, out of his reach or power to
recover it, 7. e. Expoſed himſelf to utmoſt hazard for your ſakes:
IS day, and have lain / his ſons, threeſcore and ten per- {ons, upon one ſtone, and have made Abimelech the ſon of his maid-ſervant #» king over the men of She- chem n, becauſe he is your brothers ) |
I Abimelech's Fatt is juſtly charged upon them, as done by their content, approbarion and afliſtance. »» His Concubine, whom he ſo cails by way of reproach, becauſe Maid-Jervants were ofc made Co;:curines, Exod: 2... 7, 8, 9, 10. 1» By which limitation of their Powe:, and his Kingdom, he refle&s Contempt upon himy and charg- eth them with Pretumpriong That having oniy power over their own City, they durſt impoſe a King upon all Jrael. :
19 If yethen have dealr truely and ſincerely with Je- rubbaal, and with his houſe this day, then rejoyce ye in Abimelech, and let him alſo rejoyce in you.
25 Burt if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the houſe of Millo : and let fire come out trom the men of Shechem, and from the houſe of Millo, and devour Abimelech 0. _
o This is not a Prediction, but an Imprecation or Curſe, as 1t 1 calledy v. 57. which, being grounded upon juſt cauſe, and b=ing the only way by wbich Jotham could perform the Duty of the avenger of his Brethrens Blood, which was incumbenr upon him ; had its eff Ct. as others in the like caſe had, as Jo. 6: 26: compared with 1 Kings 16; 34+ and 2 Kings 2: 24-
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled p, and went to Beer 9, and dwelt there, for tear of Abimelech his bro- ther. | Z
p Which he might eaſily do, having the' advantage of the Hiil, and other accommodations for flight, and becauſe the People were not forward to purſue a Man whom they knew to have tuch juſt Cauſe. and great Provocation to ſpeak, and ſo little Power to do :h-m any hurt q A place remote from Shechem, and out cf Abimelech's reach: There were divers Places of that name.
22 T When Abimelech had reigned three years over Irae) r:;
r For though the Men of Shechem were the firſt Authors of Abr- melech's advancement, it's more than probable, thar the reſt of the People eafily conſented to that form of Goverment which they ſo much ceſired ; or, at leaft, made no reſiſtance again{t ir. -
23 Then Gold ſent an evil ſpirit / between Abimelech, and the men of Shechem: and the men of Shechem dealt treacherouſly with Abimelech.
ſ GOD gave the Devi] Commiſſion to enter into, or work upon their minds and hearts 3 knowing that he of himſeIf,and by his own inclination weuld fill them with miſtakes and jealouſies, and difſens tions, and heart-burnings, which would end in civil Warszand mu» tual Ruine.
24 That the cruelty t done to the threeſcore and ten
fons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid
»
7 V DÞ @T =&Y
And ye are riſen up againſt my fathers heuſe this
| upon Abimelech their brother, which flew them, and
Ehap. |
iq
| 4
|
upon the men of Shechem, which + aided him in the + Heb.|
killing of his brethren. #1. e. The puniſhwent of che Crelty. | 25 And the men of Shechem {et liers in waitfor him # 1n the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that
came along that way by them x : and it was told Abi- melech y.
# To ſeizs his Perſon. « To wit, ſuch as favoured or ſerved Abi- melcch ; for to fuch only their Commiſſion reached, though it may be they wept beyond their Bounds, and by Military Licence robbed all Paſſengers promiſcuouſly. 7 Who, a5 it is here implied, exer- ciſed Hoſtiiity rowards the Men of Shecher,
thren, and went over co Shechem a : and the men of
Shechem put their confidencein him.
= Itis not known who, or of what 'Tribe he was ; but it is evident; that he was a Man very conſiderable for Wealth, and Strength, and Counſ:], and Intereſt ; and ill pleafed with Abimelerh's Power. a By _ Preſence and Counſel to animate and aſliſt them againſt Abime* ech.
27 And they went out into the fields b, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and made || merry c, and went into the houſe of their gods 4d, and did eat and drink e, and curſed Abimelech f.