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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Judges 9:21

And Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abim'elech his brother.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Beer;   Jotham;   Judge;   Orphan;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fatherless;   Manasseh, the Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beer;   Jotham;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jotham;   Shechem;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Beer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal (2);   Beer;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Beer;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beer;   Government;   Israel;   Levi;   Ophrah;   Palestine;   Shalman;   Shechem;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Beer ;   Jotham ;   Shechem ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gerizim;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Be'er;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Beer;   Jotham;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Beer;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and lived there because of his brother Abimelech.
Hebrew Names Version
Yotam ran away, and fled, and went to Be'er, and lived there, for fear of Avimelekh his brother.
King James Version
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Lexham English Bible
And Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; he remained there because of Abimelech his brother.
English Standard Version
And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.
New Century Version
Then Jotham ran away and escaped to the city of Beer. He lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
New English Translation
Then Jotham ran away to Beer and lived there to escape from Abimelech his half-brother.
Amplified Bible
Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and lived there because of Abimelech his brother.
New American Standard Bible
Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; and he stayed there because of his brother Abimelech.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Iotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there for feare of Abimelech his brother.
Legacy Standard Bible
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
Contemporary English Version
Jotham ran off and went to live in the town of Beer, where he could be safe from his brother Abimelech.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Yotam fled, making his way to Be'er, and he lived there for fear of Avimelekh his brother.
Darby Translation
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, because of Abimelech his brother.
Easy-to-Read Version
After Jotham had said this, he ran away and escaped to the city named Beer. He stayed there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
George Lamsa Translation
And Jotham ran away and escaped, and went to Debir, and dwelt there, the place where Abimeleck had lived before.
Good News Translation
Then because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech, Jotham ran away and went to live at Beer.
Literal Translation
And Jotham hurried and fled, and went to Beer and lived there, away from the face of his brother Abimelech.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Iotha (whan he had spoken this out) fled, and gat him out of the waye, and wente vnto Ber, and dwelt there because of his brother Abimelech.
American Standard Version
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Bible in Basic English
Then Jotham straight away went in flight to Beer, and was living there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Ioatham ran away and fledde, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for feare of Abimelech his brother.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
King James Version (1611)
And Iotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there for feare of Abimeleeh his brother.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joatham fled, and ran away, and went as far as Baeer, and dwelt there out of the way of his brother Abimelech.
English Revised Version
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde seide these thingis, he fledde, and yede in to Berara, and dwellide there, for drede of Abymelech, his brother.
Young's Literal Translation
And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.
Update Bible Version
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
World English Bible
Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and lived there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
New King James Version
And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
New Living Translation
Then Jotham escaped and lived in Beer because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
New Life Bible
Jotham ran away from them and went to Beer. He stayed there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
New Revised Standard
Then Jotham ran away and fled, going to Beer, where he remained for fear of his brother Abimelech.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Jotham hasted away, and fled, and went to Beer, - and dwelt there, away from the face of Abimelech his brother.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he had said thus, he fled, and went into Bera: and dwelt there for fear of Abimelech, his brother.
THE MESSAGE
And Jotham fled. He ran for his life. He went to Beer and settled down there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother.

Contextual Overview

7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Ger'izim, and cried aloud and said to them, "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8 The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' 9 But the olive tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my fatness, by which gods and men are honored, and go to sway over the trees?' 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come you, and reign over us.' 11 But the fig tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over the trees?' 12 And the trees said to the vine, 'Come you, and reign over us.' 13 But the vine said to them, 'Shall I leave my wine which cheers gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?' 14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'Come you, and reign over us.' 15 And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.' 16 "Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and honor when you made Abim'elech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubba'al and his house, and have done to him as his deeds deserved--

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Beer: Probably the Beer mentioned by Mr. Maundrell, three hours and a half, or about ten miles, north of Jerusalem, towards Shechem. It is situated toward the south, on an easy declivity; and has a fountain of excellent water at the bottom of the hill, from which it has taken its name. Close to the well are the mouldering walls of a ruined khan; and on the summit of the hill two large arches still remain of a ruined convent. Dr. Richardson says, that it seems to have been once a place of considerable consequence. Numbers 21:16, Joshua 19:8, 2 Samuel 20:14

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.
Genesis 9:3
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
Genesis 9:4
Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
Genesis 9:15
I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Genesis 9:16
When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Romans 13:13
let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
1 Corinthians 10:12
Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Galatians 5:21
envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jotham ran away, and fled,.... Having delivered his fable, and the application of it, he made his escape, having the advantage of being on the top of a mountain, at some distance from the people, and perhaps they might not be inclined to do him any harm:

and went to Beer; which some take to be the same with Baalathbeer in the tribe of Simeon, Joshua 19:8 Jerom f says, the village Bera, whither Jotham fled, is eight miles from Eleutheropolis to the north; but Mr. Maundrell g, who was in those parts in 1697, 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 Jerusalem; Beer, he says, enjoys a very pleasant situation, on an easy declivity, fronting southward; at the bottom of the hill it has a plentiful fountain of excellent water, from which it had its name:

and dwelt there for fear of Abimelech his brother; how long he dwelt there is not certain, and we hear no more of him after this, Josephus says h he lay hid in the mountains three years for fear of Abimelech, which perhaps he concluded from Abimelech's reigning three years, as follows.

f De loc. Heb. fol. 89. I g Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 64, 66. h Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect. 2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 9:21. Went to Beer — Mr. Maundrell, in his journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 64, 5th edit., mentions a place of this name, which he thinks to be that to which Jotham fled, and supposed to be the same as Mishmash, 1 Samuel 14:5; 1 Samuel 14:31. It is situated, he says, towards the south, on an easy declivity; and has a fountain of excellent water at the bottom of the hill from which it has taken its name.


 
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