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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Judges 9:22

Abimelech ruled Israel for three years.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Citizens;   Judge;   Treason;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jotham;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Shechem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal (2);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Belial (Beliar);   Government;   Israel;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Ophrah;   Palestine;   Shalman;   Shechem;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Shechem ;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abimelech;   Zebul;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Judges, Period of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years,
Hebrew Names Version
Avimelekh was prince over Yisra'el three years.
King James Version
When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
Lexham English Bible
Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
English Standard Version
Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
New English Translation
Abimelech commanded Israel for three years.
Amplified Bible
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
New American Standard Bible
Now Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So Abimelech reigned three yeere ouer Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
And on some, who are doubting, have mercy;
Contemporary English Version
Abimelech had been a military commander of Israel for three years,
Complete Jewish Bible
Avimelekh was chief over Isra'el for three years.
Darby Translation
And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Easy-to-Read Version
Abimelech ruled the Israelites for three years.
George Lamsa Translation
When Abimeleck had reigned over Israel three years,
Good News Translation
Abimelech ruled Israel for three years.
Literal Translation
And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan Abimelech had reigned thre yeare ouer Israel,
American Standard Version
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
Bible in Basic English
So Abimelech was chief over Israel for three years.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When Abimelech had raigned three yeres ouer Israel,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
King James Version (1611)
When Abimelech had reigned three yeeres ouer Israel,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Abimelech reigned over Israel three years.
English Revised Version
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
Berean Standard Bible
After Abimelech had reigned over Israel for three years,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Abymelech regnede on Israel thre yeer.
Young's Literal Translation
And Abimelech is prince over Israel three years,
Update Bible Version
And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
Webster's Bible Translation
When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
World English Bible
Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
New King James Version
After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,
New Living Translation
After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years,
New Life Bible
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
New Revised Standard
Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So Abimelech reigned over Israel three years.
Revised Standard Version
Abim'elech ruled over Israel three years.
THE MESSAGE
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. Violence boomeranged: The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who had supported the violence.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

Contextual Overview

22 Abimelech ruled Israel for three years. 23 Then God sent an evil spirit to make trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem so that the leaders of Shechem turned against him. 24 Abimelech had killed Gideon's seventy sons, his own brothers, and the leaders of Shechem had helped him. So God sent the evil spirit to punish them. 25 The leaders of Shechem were against Abimelech then. They put men on the hilltops in ambush who robbed everyone going by. And Abimelech was told. 26 A man named Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers moved into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem trusted him. 27 They went out to the vineyards to pick grapes, and they squeezed the grapes. Then they had a feast in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, "We are the men of Shechem. Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? Isn't he one of Gideon's sons, and isn't Zebul his officer? We should serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father. Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If you made me commander of these people, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, ‘Get your army ready and come out to battle.'" 30 Now when Zebul, the ruler of Shechem, heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. 31 He sent secret messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and Gaal's brothers have come to Shechem, and they are turning the city against you!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Judges 11:26 - three hundred

Cross-References

Genesis 9:12
And God said, "This is the sign of the agreement between me and you and every living creature that is with you.
Genesis 9:13
I am putting my rainbow in the clouds as the sign of the agreement between me and the earth.
Genesis 9:15
I will remember my agreement between me and you and every living thing. Floods will never again destroy all life on the earth.
Genesis 9:16
When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the agreement that continues forever between me and every living thing on the earth."
Genesis 9:19
These three men were Noah's sons, and all the people on earth came from these three sons.
Genesis 9:20
Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard.
Genesis 9:21
When he drank wine made from his grapes, he became drunk and lay naked in his tent.
Genesis 9:25
he said, "May there be a curse on Canaan! May he be the lowest slave to his brothers."
Genesis 10:6
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
1 Chronicles 1:8
Ham's sons were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel. The people in general consenting to what the men of Shechem had done, at least not opposing it, all being desirous of a king, and therefore put up with a mean person, rather than have none; though it is amazing they should, and that they had not rose up as one man against Abimelech, and avenged the blood of the sons of Gideon, who had been so useful and serviceable to them; it is indeed said that he reigned over all Israel, and his reign, such as it was, was very short, as is often the case with wicked princes.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Had reigned - Rather, “had ruled.” It is not the phrase used in Judges 9:6. It looks as if the Shechemites alone had made him king, and the rest of Israel had submitted to his dominion, without allowing his title of king.


 
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