The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 100

EXPOSITION. Yer. 22. -Had reigned. The Hebrew Ver. 26.-Gaal the sonofEbed. Whohe word here used is quite a different one from was, or of what tribe or race he and his that in vers. 8, 10, 12, 14, and elsewhere, brethren were, we have no means of know- where the reign of a king is designated. It ing; he seems to have been an adventurer means to exercise dominion, to be a chief ur who sought to turn the growing disaffection captain over a people. The use of it here of the Shechemites to his uwn ad vantage suggests that though, as we read in ver. 6, by offering himself as a. leader of the mal- the Canaanite men of Shechem and the contents. Several MSS. and editions and house of Millo had made him their king, versions read Eber for Ebed. yet he was not made king by the tribes in Ver. 2i.-And they went out, &c. The general, only he exercised a kmd of domin- next step forward in the rebellion was taken ion over them, or over a sufficiently large at the time of the vintage, probably when portion of them to warrant their being called they were inflamed with wine; for, after Israel. they had gathered in and trodden the grapes, Vers. 23, 24.-These two verses contain they kept high festival in the temple of the summary of what is related in detail in Baal-berith, on occasion of offering to their the rest of the cnapter, and we are told that god the solemn thank offering for the vin- it all happened providentially, that the vio- tage. And then, speaking freely under the lence done to the sons of Jerubbaal, and influence of wine, they cursed Abimelech. their blood, might come to be laid (literally, The whole talk of the company was of his /or some one to 7,ay) upon Abimelech, &c. misdeeds, and seditious and rebellious words Which aided him-literally, strengthened h-is were freely uttered on all sides. Made hands, by giving him money, and encour- merry. Rather, offered their thank offerings. o.ging him to make way to the throne by The same word is used in Levit. :rix. 24 : killing his brothers. " In the fourth vear all the fmit thereof Ver. 25.-The men of Bhechem, &c. The (i. e. of the vineyard) shall be holy lo praise narrative now gives the details of that the Lord withal "-Iiterally,praise offerings to " treacherous dealing " on the part of the the Lord. These offerings were made by tho Shechemites which was spoken of in the Shechemites to Baal ins toad of to God. gross in ver. 23. Their disaffection first Ver. 28.-And Gaal, &c. Gaal now saw showed itself in o.cts of brigandage "against his opportunity, and encouraged the revolt. the peace of their lord the king," to use the Who is Abimelech, and who is Bhechem, language of our own medireval lawyers. The that we should serve him 1 The meaning road to Shechem was no longer safe ; lawless of these words, though somewhat obscure at freebooters, in defiance of Abimelech's au- first, becomes plain if we compare the two tho1ity, stopped and robbed all travellers that similo.r passages, 1 Sam. xxv. 10; 1 Kings passed that way, probably including Abime- xii. 16. In the first we have the contempt- lech's own officers o.nd servants. For him. uous question, "Who is David 1" and in the It may have been their intention even to second the nmtlogous one, "What portion lay violent hands upon Abimolech himself have we in David 1" but in both we have the 11hould ho como to Shechem. same person described by dill'erent terms:  IOG THE DOOK OF JUDGF:8. [err. rx. 22--57