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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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THE MESSAGE

Judges 9:6

Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered at the Oak by the Standing Stone at Shechem and crowned Abimelech king.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambition;   Conspiracy;   Judge;   Millo;   Pillar;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Judges, Extraordinary;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jotham;   Millo;   Oak;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Jotham;   Marriage;   Shechem;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Millo;   Oak;   Pillar;   Plain;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal (2);   Grove;   Jerusalem;   Meonenim, the Oak of;   Millo;   Pillars;   Plains;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Beth-Millo;   Diviner's Oak;   Elon;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beth-Millo;   Government;   Israel;   Jacob;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Millo;   Moreh,;   Oak;   Ophrah;   Palestine;   Pillar, Plain of the;   Shalman;   Shechem;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jotham ;   Millo;   Shechem ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ophrah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mil'lo, the House of;   Pillar, Plain of the,;   Plains;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - House;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Oak;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Augurs' Oak;   Meonenim, Oak of;   Millo;   Oak;   Palestine;   Pillar;   Plain;   Plain of the Pillar;   Shechem;   Terebinth;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Groves and Sacred Trees;   Judges, Period of;   Shechem;   Stone and Stone-Worship;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then all the citizens of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar in Shechem.
Hebrew Names Version
All the men of Shekhem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Avimelekh king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shekhem.
King James Version
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Lexham English Bible
All the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo gathered, and they went and made Abimelech as king, near the oak of the pillar that is at Shechem.
English Standard Version
And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
New Century Version
Then all of the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree standing in Shechem. There they made Abimelech their king.
New English Translation
All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem.
Amplified Bible
All the men of Shechem and all of Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak (terebinth) of the pillar (memorial stone) at Shechem.
New American Standard Bible
All the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the memorial stone which was in Shechem.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Millo, and came & made Abimelech King in the playne, where the stone was erected in Shechem.
Legacy Standard Bible
Daarop het al die burgers van Sigem en die hele huis Millo bymekaargekom en Abiméleg gaan koning maak by die terpentynboom van die gedenkteken wat by Sigem is.
Contemporary English Version
The leaders of Shechem, including the priests and the military officers, met at the tree next to the sacred rock in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
Complete Jewish Bible
All the men of Sh'khem and all Beit-Millo got together and went and made Avimelekh king at the oak by the cult-pillar in Sh'khem.
Darby Translation
And all the citizens of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the memorial-oak that is in Shechem.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then all the leaders in Shechem and the house of Millo came together. Everyone gathered beside the big tree of the pillar in Shechem and made Abimelech their king.
George Lamsa Translation
And all the lords of Shechem gathered together, and all the people of Beth-millo, and went and made Abimeleck king over them, by the oak of Mazpiah which is in Shechem.
Good News Translation
Then all the men of Shechem and Bethmillo got together and went to the sacred oak tree at Shechem, where they made Abimelech king.
Literal Translation
And all the leaders of Shechem were gathered together, and all the house of Millo. And they came and caused Abimelech to reign as king at the oak of the outpost which is in Shechem.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all the men of Sichem, and all the house of Millo gathered them selues together, and wente and made Abimelech kynge by the Oke that stondeth at Sichem.
American Standard Version
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Bible in Basic English
And all the townsmen of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together and went and made Abimelech their king, by the oak of the pillar in Shechem.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the men of Sichem gathered together, and al the house of Mello, and came and made Abimelech kyng in the playne, where the stone was in Sichem.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all Beth-millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the terebinth of the pillar that was in Shechem.
King James Version (1611)
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech King, by the plaine of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all the men of Sicima, and all the house of Bethmaalo, were gathered together, and they went and made Abimelech king by the oak of Sedition, which was at Sicima.
English Revised Version
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Berean Standard Bible
Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe alle the men of Sichem, and alle the meynees of the citee of Mello, weren gadirid to gydere, and thei yeden, and maden Abymelech kyng, bysidis the ook that stood in Sichem.
Young's Literal Translation
And all the masters of Shechem are gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and come and cause Abimelech to reign for king at the oak of the camp which [is] in Shechem;
Update Bible Version
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Webster's Bible Translation
And all the men of Shechem assembled, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that [was] in Shechem.
World English Bible
All the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
New King James Version
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
New Living Translation
Then all the leading citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the pillar at Shechem and made Abimelech their king.
New Life Bible
Then all the men of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together. They went and made Abimelech king, by the tree that had been set up in Shechem.
New Revised Standard
Then all the lords of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the men of Sichem were gathered together, and all the families of the city of Mello: and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak that stood in Sichem.
Revised Standard Version
And all the citizens of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abim'elech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All the men of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

Contextual Overview

1Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to his uncles and all his mother's relatives and said to them, "Ask all the leading men of Shechem, ‘What do you think is best, that seventy men rule you—all those sons of Jerub-Baal—or that one man rule? You'll remember that I am your own flesh and blood.'" 3 His mother's relatives reported the proposal to the leaders of Shechem. They were inclined to take Abimelech. "Because," they said, "he is, after all, one of us." 4They gave him seventy silver pieces from the shrine of Baal-of-the-Covenant. With the money he hired some reckless riffraff soldiers and they followed along after him. He went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his half brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal—seventy men! And on one stone! The youngest, Jotham son of Jerub-Baal, managed to hide, the only survivor. 6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered at the Oak by the Standing Stone at Shechem and crowned Abimelech king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the house: 2 Samuel 5:9, 2 Kings 12:20

Millo: Probably the name of a person of note in Shechem.

plain: or, oak, Joshua 24:26, 1 Kings 12:1, 1 Kings 12:20, 1 Kings 12:25

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:4 - the oak Judges 9:18 - are risen 1 Kings 9:15 - Millo 1 Chronicles 11:8 - Millo 2 Chronicles 32:5 - Millo John 4:20 - fathers

Cross-References

Genesis 5:1
This is the family tree of the human race: When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race.
Genesis 9:5
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.
Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature. You're here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!"
Genesis 9:12
God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth."
Genesis 9:28
Noah lived another 350 years following the flood. He lived a total of 950 years. And he died.
Leviticus 24:17
"Anyone who hits and kills a fellow human must be put to death. Anyone who kills someone's animal must make it good—a life for a life. Anyone who injures his neighbor will get back the same as he gave: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. What he did to hurt that person will be done to him. Anyone who hits and kills an animal must make it good, but whoever hits and kills a fellow human will be put to death. And no double standards: the same rule goes for foreigners and natives. I am God , your God."
Numbers 35:33
"Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.
Psalms 51:4
You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
Matthew 26:52
Jesus said, "Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?"
Romans 13:4
To Be a Responsible Citizen Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you'll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you're breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren't there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That's why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it's the right way to live. That's also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders. Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don't sleep with another person's spouse, don't take someone's life, don't take what isn't yours, don't always be wanting what you don't have, and any other "don't" you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the men of Shechem gathered together,.... Upon the return of Abimelech, after he with his banditti had committed the execrable murder of his brethren:

and all the house of Millo; which was either the men of a place near to Shechem, or of his brother's family, or of some grand leading family in Shechem; or it may mean the town hall, where the principal inhabitants met in full house, as Millo signifies, on this occasion:

and went and made Abimelech king; which was a most bold and daring action; being done without asking counsel of God, without which no king was to be set over Israel, and by a single city, without the knowledge, advice, and consent of the body of the people of Israel: by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem; the place where they met together, and did this business in voting Abimelech to be king, was near a place where a pillar was set in Shechem; or by the oak of the pillar in Shechem, and so may mean the stone under an oak, which Joshua placed there as a testimony between God and the people, Joshua 24:25 and here, in the same place where Joshua convened the people of Israel, and made his last speech to them, was this business done.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Millo must have been a fortified place close to, but separate from, Shechem, and perhaps the same as the tower of Shechem mentioned in Judges 9:46-47. The building or enlarging of the better-known Millo, at Jerusalem was one of Solomon’s great works 1 Kings 9:15, 1 Kings 9:24. The population dwelling in Millo though perhaps numerically small, had great weight from possessing the stronghold. Their giving Abimelech the title of king indicates the strong Canaanite influence at Shechem. All the Canaanite chiefs were called kings, but it was a title hitherto unknown in Israel. This title had not been named by those Israelites who offered to make Gideon their hereditary ruler Judges 8:22-23.

The plain of the pillar ... - Rather “the oak of the garrison which is in Shechem.” The oak in question was probably called the “garrison oak,” from a garrison being stationed near it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 9:6. And all the house of Millo — If Millo be the name of a place, it is nowhere else mentioned in the sacred writings. But it is probably the name of a person of note and influence in the city of Shechem - the men of Shechem and the family of Millo.


 
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